《Guild Mage: Apprentice [Slow Burn Progression Fantasy]》 Glossary Glossary

A

Alban Cooper, Mayor of Whitehill - Father of Mirabel, and a real piece of work. Elected by the town, not appointed, which is why Baron Henry puts up with him. Aldo Cushing - Castle Chirurgeon of Whitehill, and Master Chirurgeon of the Order of Chirurgeons. His position at Baron Henry¡¯s Court is a comfortable one; he has tended the health of the Summersets for decades, and delivered Henry himself. Airis Ka Reimis - A merchant from the Elden trading city of Al''Fenthia, come to Whitehill to purchase a particularly mana-rich harvest after the eruption. A member of House Keria. Al''Fenthia - ¡®High Pass,¡¯ a trading city situated between Menis Aelvic and Menis Kesic, under the control of House Keria. Aluthet''Staia - Manastone. While it appears to be gray or brown on the outside, like a sort of thin shell, a radiant cerulean light shines from within, peeking out from the exterior layer. The more mana is infused into the stone, the brighter the line shines; when the mana is used up, the stone dulls until it appears dead, but the stone remains capable of accepting more mana. Manastones are used as batteries, and often integrated into sigils to power an enchantment, or worn set into jewelry by Mages. The Bald Peak Quarry Rift is one of the few productive sources of Manastone within the Kingdom of Lucania, and provides the Barony of Whitehill¡¯s most valuable export. Amelia Trafford - Court Chirurgeon to Baron Henry. Annora, Magia, Professor of Healing - Professor who taught both Rhea and Julianne at Coral Bay. Archibald - First Footman at Castle Whitehill; a middle-aged man who essentially runs the servants¡¯ quarters and the staff. Arnold Crosbie, Baron Valegard - Father of Beatrice. Auris ka Syv? - Father of Valtteri, husband of Eila, grandfather of Liv.

B

Bald Peak - A lonely, rocky bald prominence visible from miles away, the guardian of the grassy valley below. A shaft descends into the heart of the mountain from an entrance above the treeline, leading down into the quarries and mines where the workers toil. The most valuable prizes are veins of Manastone, but traces of silver can also be found occasionally. The entire operation is made more dangerous by the presence of a Rift beneath the mountain, which regularly spawns a variety of subterranean Mana Beasts, and requires regular culling by the local barons, the Summersets. Basil - Steward of Acton House in Freeport. Beatrice ''Triss'' Crosbie - Daughter of Baron Arnold of Valegard. Benedict Loredan - Son of Roland III, Prince and heir to the throne of Lucania, father of Princess Milisant. Big Whit Cotter - Bare-knuckle champion of Whitehill and farmer. Blackwood, Master - Author of Blackwood¡¯s Bestiary, and a professor at the College of V?dic Grammar.

C

Cade Talbot - Only son of Baron Gerold Talbot of Bradon Bridge. Calder¡¯s Landing - Calder''s Landing was founded by the second expedition Captain Calder led to the western continent of Varuna; the first attempt at re-establishing a settlement on Varuna was the ill-fated Mango Island camp, which was found devastated and lifeless when ships came to re-supply the adventurers who remained behind. Calder chose a more defensible location for Calder¡¯s Landing: a high ridge descending to a wide natural harbor, with a view both of the ocean, and the surrounding land for miles. Caspian Loredan, Archmagus - Head of the College of Vaedic Grammar, younger brother of the king, and author of An Introduction to the Principles of Grammar. Cecily Falkenrath - Daughter of the Duke of Courland, Baron Henry''s liege lord, and sister of Thurston. Cold Harbor - A fishing village near Mountain Home. Coral Bay - The location of the College of V?dic Grammar in the kingdom of Lucania. The college is run by the mages¡¯ guild, though it accepts all students who can meet its criteria. The greatest repository of magical research and expertise in the kingdom. Coram Athearn - A sea captain in need of a ship.

D

Dancing Lady, The - The only Inn at Calder¡¯s Landing, owned and operated by Taika, an Elden woman.

E

Eila T?r V?inis - Mother of Valtteri, wife of Auris, grandmother of Liv. Elias Howe - A Baron allied with the merchant guilds. Emma Forester - A young girl who lives in The Lower Banks, daughter of Kale.

G

Genevieve Arundell, Royal Court Mage - Magus to the king and queen. Gerold Talbot, Baron of Bradon Bridge - Father of Cade. Gretta - Former head cook at Castle Whitehill, now semi-retired to the position of a kitchen maid. Griselda Mason - The daughter of the head of the Hall of Bricklayers and Masons in Whitehill Upon Aspen, and a student of Master Mage Grenfell.

H

Henry Summerset, Baron Whitehill - A fit man, still young and vital, and in his prime as a warrior. Henry has left the lankiness of youth behind, and keeps a well-trimmed, sandy beard with just a hint for red in it than his hair. Only a few years ago, Henry traded a V?dic goblet to King Roland as part of the agreement to wed Lady Julianne, a royal bastard.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

I

Ilmari ka V?inis k?n B?lris - Head of the council of elders at Mountain Home; father of Keri, uncle of Sohvis, brother of V?ina. Inkeris ka Ilmari k?n B?lris - A young warrior of the Vakansa, born to the Unconquered House of B?lris and promised to his second cousin, Riika. Isaac Grenfell, Baron Ashford - Nephew of Kazimir Grenfell.

J

Jo - A street girl in Whitehill; filthy and too skinny. Julianne, Baroness Whitehill - Julianne¡¯s position as a bastard daughter of the king at once made her presence an uncomfortable one at court, but also ensured she occupied a position of incredible privilege from a very young age. She has been raised to be a well-bred lady, and looks the part, with pale skin and graceful movements. Jurian of Carinthia, Guildmage - A young recruiter for the College of V?dic Grammar.

K

Kale Forester - A hunter and single father who lives in Whitehill; he is regularly chosen for Culling the local rift due to his skill at killing and butchering mana-beasts. He has a daughter, Emma, but lost his wife two winters past to illness. Kazimir Grenfell - Court Mage to Baron Henry, Magis Genfell is responsible for providing a basic education in V?dic Grammar to local children with sufficient talent, as well as monitoring the Bald Peak Quarry Rift for signs that it is in need of culling. Keremor - A rift near Menis Breim, centered on a boiling, toxic spring.

L

Lendh ka Dakruim - A kingdom to the south and east of Lucania, known for its spices. Liv Brodbeck - A scullery maid at Castle Whitehill, the bastard daughter of the head cook, Maggie Brodbeck, and an unknown father. She is twelve years old, but in size and development looks closer to six. Her bones are brittle, and easily broken while playing with other children. She works from morning until night in the kitchens with her mother, with little respite other than an hour of leisure here or there, and learning to sing with her mother. Her hair is white, but often looks gray or yellowed because it is filthy, and her eyes are the bright blue of a winter sky.

M

Margaret Brodbeck - The head cook at Castle Whitehill, and the unwed mother of Liv Brodbeck. 36 years old, and became pregnant after the visit of a delegation from north of the Mountains, when she was only 23 years old. She retains a beautiful singing voice, and leads the kitchen work-songs. Matthew Summerset - Henry and Julianne''s son. Melody - A seamstress in Freeport. Millicent - Queen of Lucania, formerly of House Sherard. Milisant ''Milly,'' Princess of Lucania - Daughter of Prince Benedict, and second in line for the throne. Mirabel Cooper - Daughter of Whitehill¡¯s Mayor, Alban Cooper, Mirabel is part of the rising merchant class in Lucania. Mountain Home: The stronghold of House B?lris, build along the slopes of Menis Breim.

N

Nighthawk Wind Dancer - Chief of the Red Shield Tribe, father of Wren.

R

Red Shield Tribe - A tribe native to Veruna, camping to the north of Calder¡¯s Landing; led by Nighthawk Wind Dancer. Rhea of Fairford Village (Auntie Rhea) - A no-nonsense woman of 54 years, Rhea has delivered just about every baby in the valley. She has a reputation as a skilled midwife and herbalist, and has picked up quite a few charms over the years. Riika t?r Calevis k?n B?lris - A graceful and talented dancer of the Unconquered House of B?lris, promised to her second cousin, Inkeris ka Ilmari. Robert Talbot, Sir - Knight in service to Duke Thomas Falkenrath of Courland. Roland III - King of Lucania. Baroness Julianne is his daughter from an affair prior to his marriage to the queen.

S

Sakari Ka Edvis - Elden Ambassador to the kingdom of Lucania. Severa - A whaler¡¯s wife at Cold Harbor. Sidonie Corbett - Daughter of Baron Corbett. Sohvis ka Auris k?n B?lris - Cousin to Keri and Rika; the three grew up together as close friends. Son of V?ina. Sophie - A maid at Castle Whitehill. Stonebat - A mana beast commonly produced by the Bald Peak Rift, capable of tracking sources of mana, even from a great distance.

T

Taika - Owner and operator of The Dancing Lady, and possibly the best chef in Calder¡¯s Landing. Thomas Falkenrath, Duke of Courland - Father of Cecily and Thurston, liege lord of Baron Henry. Thora - A lady''s Maid at Acton House. Thurston Falkenrath - Son of the Duke of Courland, Baron Henry''s liege lord, and brother of Cecily. Tom - Third Footman at Castle Whitehill.

V

V?dic Lords (or Ladies) - The dead gods of both the Eld and humanity, who walked alone in the first age of the world. According to some sources, the V?dim did not originate here, but either traveled to this world, or built it themselves from nothing. It is said they could use their magic to create bridges between worlds, and they certainly laid the portal stones that are still used to teleport today. By the time of the V?dic War, many of these elder gods had already passed beyond the world of mortals; of those that remained, three, later known as the Holy Trinity, took the side of the younger races, while the others were cast down. While many names have been lost to time, a partial list of V?dim includes: V?ina T?r V?inis k?n B?lris - Sister of Ilmari, mother of Sohvis, aunt of Keri. A member of the council of elders at Mountain Home. Valtteri Ka Auris k?n Syv? - An ambassador sent by the Vakansa thirteen years ago, who stayed briefly at Castle Whitehill on his way to the capital. Varuna - The western continent, abandoned by most Eld and humans after the defeat of the old gods. Only in the past few years has a settlement been established at Calder¡¯s Landing.

W

Whit Cotter, ¡®Big Whit¡¯ - Champion of every bare-knuckle match at each fair in Whitehill for the past twenty years, this massive farmer has put on a bit of extra weight, without losing any strength. Whitehill Upon Aspen - A walled castle town which is the heart of the Barony of Whitehill, located on the banks of the River Aspen, downstream from Bald Peak. The castle itself is built on a low, rocky hill overlooking a stretch of the Aspen River. The hot sulfur spring on the hill feeds down into the Aspen, increasing the size of the river past this point. The lower river ranges from thirty to fifty feet wide, with a rocky bed and shallow waters that give rise to the occasional rapids or white water. Mountains surround the valley on every side, and the town itself is located at a deceptively high elevation; visitors often remark they need time to adjust to the thin mountain air. Whitehill is divided into two districts: The Lower Banks, where many of the less desirable businesses and people have been shunted, and The Hill, which includes the manors and town-houses of the knights in Baron Henry''s service, as well as the Temple of the Trinity. William - Second Footman at Castle Whitehill. Words of Power - The basic element of High Magic, these are core concepts expressed in the V?dic language that serve as the active component in spells. Words of power must be imprinted by a mage, a process that involves meditation on the root concept of the word to bring one''s mind into alignment with that aspect of reality. Once learned, a word of power may be in conjunction with other elements of the V?dic language to construct a spell. Words of power that have appeared to this point include: - ?ter: A word that causes burning, ignition, or flame - Avi - A word that allows the control of birds - Aluth: This word embodies pure magical force and essence, and allows the manipulation of raw mana - Cei: A word that allows the caster to manipulate dreams - Cel: The word of frost and ice - Derk: A word of power that enhances the user''s sight - Luc: A word that calls lightning - Nec: A word of power that causes death or decay - Savel: A word associated with sunlight - Ters: The word of dehydration, drying, and thirst - Ve: The word of storms and weather manipulation - Vela: A word of power that directly wounds the target - Ven: A word that causes the subject to feel intense desire for something Wren Wind Dancer - A huntress at the Frost Fair to sell furs, and a stranger to Whitehill. A member of the Red Shield Tribe, and daughter of Nighthawk. 1. The Room of Curiosities When Liv Brodbeck was twelve years old, she saved a girl from drowning in the river, during the frost fair at Whitehill Upon Aspen. The morning of the fair, she woke warm and safe, wrapped in her mother¡¯s arms on the cot they shared in the servant¡¯s quarters of Castle Whitehill. They¡¯d wrapped up in wool blankets the night before, to ward off the winter chill. Even better were the soft furs they had bought on a market day two years ago, from Master Forester, the Baron¡¯s woodsman. Liv had asked her mother once - wasn¡¯t it funny that the best hunter in the town was named for the woods? - and been shushed in return. ¡°That¡¯s how it is for most people,¡± Maggie Brodbeck had told her. ¡°Someone¡¯s grandfather¡¯s grandfather got their name by doing something well, and taught their son how to do the job. They¡¯ve all been Millers or Tanners ever since.¡± ¡°What did my father do?¡± Liv had asked, and that had been the end of the conversation, earning her a rap on the knuckles with a wooden spoon. This morning, she hugged Rosie, her rag doll, to her chest, screwed her eyes up tight, and pretended not to hear the horologe in the kitchen chiming the sixth bell. ¡°Up and out of bed, my dove,¡± her mother murmured, and pressed a kiss onto Liv¡¯s cheek before pulling the blankets off. Mama always smelled of spices: clove, nutmeg, cardamom and mace. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna,¡± Liv complained, scrunching up her shoulders against the winter cold. A linen shift and stockings were hardly enough to stay warm. ¡°You want to sleep through a market day, is that it? Sit up and let me at your hair.¡± Market day promised sweet treats - and this was no ordinary market day, but a frost fair. Liv couldn¡¯t remember the last one; they were only held when the river froze thick enough to support the weight of everyone in town. She sat up, but kept her eyes closed while her mother pulled off her night cap and went to work with a fine toothed comb of polished Aspen wood. It didn¡¯t take long; her hair was very fine, hardly ever tangled, and wasn¡¯t good for anything but hanging straight down or being pulled back. ¡°There,¡± Mama said after one last sweep of the comb. With quick, practiced movements she tied Liv¡¯s hair up in a tight bun. ¡°Get yourself dressed, now, and off with you. The hearth won¡¯t light itself.¡± Shivering, Liv stripped off the shift and hose she¡¯d slept in, kicking them across the stone floor in a tangle, then hurried into the clean clothes set out before they¡¯d gone to bed. It wouldn¡¯t warm her up, exactly, but being dressed was better than being bare. Her hose were thick wool, at least: a luxury only possible since she¡¯d begun earning coin as a scullery maid this year. She tied them up tight with garters at the knee, then settled her skirt at her waist and pulled on a sleeved bodice stiffened with buckram, both pieces in the green of Baron Summerset¡¯s arms. Mama helped with that, and then Liv tucked in a white apron and settled a cap over her bun. Once she¡¯d tied on her shoes, she was off. As the older servants were still dressing in their rooms, Liv tromped down the stairs and into the kitchen. The room was massive, and the hearth at the end was big enough for Liv to stand in - which wasn¡¯t saying much. She guessed that it could fit a grown man, like Archibald, the first footman, or even Baron Henry in his jousting armor. A fire was already laid from the night before, and a stack of split logs neatly arranged to the left of the hearth. All Liv had to do was get it lit for the morning tea, imported all the way from Lendh ka Dakruim, and this was her favorite part of the morning chores, because it meant that she could use magic. For the first month that Liv had worked as a scullion, she¡¯d had to use flint and steel, striking them against each other until she got a spark. Sometimes, the kindling caught, but sometimes it didn¡¯t, and she couldn¡¯t give up, no matter how frustrated she got or how late it made her. ¡°It¡¯s your job, and no one else¡¯s,¡± Archibald had told her sternly the one time she¡¯d been silly enough to ask for help. Baron Henry ran the castle, but Archibald ran the servants. ¡°But you know the spark charm,¡± Liv had argued. ¡°And so does Mama, and Gretta, and you could all have it done so much faster.¡± There didn¡¯t seem to be a point to making her do something she found so difficult, when everyone else in the servant¡¯s quarters could have gotten the fire lit with a few words. ¡°I do,¡± First Footman Archibald had said, his eyes as cold as the snow on the peaks of the mountains that Mama said never melted, even in summer. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to use flint and steel, you¡¯d better learn it, too. Now, back to work.¡± Mean Archie, as Liv called him in her head, made it sound so easy, but it truly wasn¡¯t. You had to get the sounds just right, but they didn¡¯t make any sense - they weren¡¯t normal words at all. The spark charm sounded kind of like jelly-leg-aim, except not. ¡°It¡¯s in the old tongue,¡± Gretta had explained one evening after all their work was done, while the fire was being laid. ¡°The tongue of the gods, from long ago when every word was magic, and just speaking a thing made it so.¡± Gretta had been head cook before Mama, but now she said that she was too old for it, so she was only a kitchen maid and she also told a lot of stories. Some of them were wonderful, like the ones about Miriam when she was a little girl growing up in the house of Tamiris, and some were terrible, such as the battle against Ghveris, the Beast of Iuronnath, but Liv never stopped wanting to hear them. ¡°Maybe I can¡¯t do it,¡± Liv had complained with a scowl. ¡°It isn¡¯t fair.¡± ¡°You can do it,¡± Gretta had assured her, and groaned as she bent down by the fire to demonstrate all over again. The old woman never stopped complaining about her knees and her back and her hands, especially before it rained during flood season. ¡°Tamiris gave us all The Gift, and he didn¡¯t do something so grand only to leave one little girl out. Say what I say, and mind where it gets loud or soft.¡± But Liv hadn¡¯t gotten the charm to work that night, nor the one after either. She¡¯d taken to murmuring the sounds under her breath all throughout the day, so that she couldn¡¯t forget it. When she finally got the charm right, she¡¯d been scrubbing a greasy pan that had immediately caught fire. She¡¯d nearly burned her eyebrows off, but ever since the magic had come every morning, without fail. ¡°Ghelet leg?m,¡± Liv whispered the morning of the frost fair, and a spark appeared at the touch of her finger, down among the dry kindling. She opened the flue so that the hearth would get enough air, and the dry wood caught as quick as a stooping hawk. Though the charm had never failed to work, not since the first time she¡¯d done it right, Liv couldn¡¯t help grinning all the same. She could do magic. The grin lasted about as long as it took her to get back up the stairs to the servants¡¯ rooms, passing her mother and Gretta on their way down to the kitchen. Starting with Gretta¡¯s room, Liv took the chamber pots out from under the beds, one after the other, to the servants¡¯ privy, where she tried not to breath while she dumped them. Liv was partial to the younger footmen, Bill and Tom, who almost always slept through the night without using their pots. Gretta and her mother she forgave, but the worst was dealing with Archibald¡¯s chamber pot, which sometimes had blood in it. Once she had a stack of dirty but emptied pots, Liv had to scrub them out with a rag soaked in vinegar, which was just about the most foul task she could imagine. When she¡¯d first started her duties, she¡¯d had to choke down her own vomit every morning. When the chamber pots were scrubbed, dried, and back under the beds, it was time to sweep the servants¡¯ quarters, halls, scullery, and pantries while her mother and Gretta cooked. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Liv always tried to finish the sweeping as quickly as she could, because if she got it all done before the horologe rang the eighth bell, that meant she could help with breakfast. In the winter, the kitchen was the best place to be: the roaring fire in the hearth warmed the entire room, the scent of cooking food and spices cleared her nose of the stench of the chamber pots, and there were always scraps to be eaten as treats. This morning, Liv found a great iron skillet of chopped potatoes resting on the grate in the hearth. Gretta tossed the potato chunks regularly to keep them from burning, and Liv¡¯s mouth got as wet as the ground in flood season at the scent of garlic, onions, and frying butter wafting up from the pan. There were two kettles of water hung on iron hooks that swung over the fire: one for tea, and the other for making oats. Mama had two skillets on her end, one frying bacon and the other fresh eggs. Together, the two women sang a cooking song, one Liv had heard every morning for as long as she could remember. Say, she brought my breakfast, she didn''t know my name Say, she cooked my breakfast on that hot open flame. I like fresh eggs, with hot ground peppers I like bread hot from the oven Say, she brought my breakfast Cesemus co fa, cesemus co fa. Liv lifted her voice to sing along, then grabbed a stack of pewter trenchers and set them around the table. She¡¯d just turned to get the forks and knives when her mother interrupted her. ¡°Livy, dove,¡± Maggie Brodbeck called, breaking off the cooking song. ¡°I need you to take a plate up for Master Grenfell. Sophie¡¯s sick in bed.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Liv said, feeling suddenly as if she might be sick herself. ¡°He isn¡¯t eating in the great hall? In his rooms, then?¡± Who knew what Baron Henry¡¯s court mage might keep in his rooms. Crystals and glasses for looking at the stars and the rings? Books of spells? Magic rings and wands? ¡°No,¡± Mama explained, shaking her head. ¡°He¡¯s working in the Old Baron¡¯s Room of Curiosities. Here,¡± she said, bringing over a silver tray. Unlike the pewter used for the servants¡¯ meals, every dish on the tray was finely made, and each one heaped with steaming food. ¡°Mind you don¡¯t touch anything in there,¡± Liv¡¯s mother warned her, and then turned back to her skillets. ¡°You can eat when you get back down. Gretta and I will set the table.¡± Holding the silver tray carefully, Liv made her way up the servants¡¯ stairs as quick as she could, making for the second floor of Castle Whitehill, where the Room of Curiosities was located. It was a disappointment not to see the court mage¡¯s private chambers, and all of their treasures within, but the sting was alleviated by the promise of a rare glimpse into the Old Baron¡¯s collection. Liv had been in the Room of Curiosities only twice before; it was not often used, since Baron Henry¡¯s father had died, and so when someone actually did need the chamber, it was a disruption to the routine of the castle. That was perfect, because the only time Liv was sent out of the servants¡¯ wing, up to where the Baron himself lived, was when something unexpected left no one else available. Someone - probably Head Footman Archibald - had already come by to unlock the chamber door, so Liv had no trouble getting in. A fire burned in the hearth as well, which combined with morning light from the open windows to chase away nearly all the shadows. As Liv made her way over to a desk next to the bookcase, many grotesque and bizarre objects seemed to leer at her, some of them even to follow her movements with their eyes. There was a massive, fanged skull said to be that of a wyrm, and so big that it couldn¡¯t be mounted, but had to be left on the floor; a two headed calf, which Gretta had told Liv was born ten years ago on a local farm; an entire wooden case along one wall stuffed with papers, scrolls and bound books; a statue of white stone that her eyes brushed over, depicting a nude woman who certainly did not seem to miss her clothing; and a second, lower shelf filled with wood that was hard as stone, strange sea-shells dug out of the quarries at Bald Peak, and rocks with the impression of scorpions and odd tentacled creatures in them. Most impressive of all, mounted on one wall, was the preserved and stuffed body of a bat of incredible size, eyes replaced by glass orbs and mouth open wide in a fearsome lunge, as if it was about to fly off the wall and rip out her throat. The creature¡¯s leathery wings stretched out to cover near half the wall, and Liv guessed that if you measured a grown man against those wings, the man would come up short. Knobby, dull gray stones stuck out of the skin in odd places, most strangely on the bat¡¯s head, where a v-shaped ridge of stone thick as a grown man¡¯s thumb trailed back along the skull toward the ears. Liv set the breakfast tray down on the desk. She should leave; breakfast was waiting, and kitchen servants weren¡¯t supposed to stay in the public parts of the castle once their duties were done. The bat, however, fascinated her. Liv crept toward it, and raised a hand. Did those ridges on the head feel like normal stones - the kind you could find in the gardens? Something dark slinked out of the shadows and brushed against her skirt, and Liv cried out in fright, jumping a step back. She thought her heart would fall out of her chest until she recognized the arched back of a black cat, one of the castle mousers, brushing up against her legs. ¡°Charlie,¡± she gasped. ¡°You scared me.¡± The cat purred, thrusting its head against her. ¡°Close the windows before you go,¡± a man¡¯s voice told her from the doorway. It was so quiet that Liv almost couldn¡¯t catch the words, and something about the tone shook, trembling nearly as badly as Liv¡¯s own hands were doing now. ¡°Master Mage,¡± Liv said, lowering her eyes and making a curtsy. Kazamir Grenfell, guild mage in service to Baron Henry, ignored her entirely. He walked across the room, pulled a volume off the bookshelf, and brought it over to the desk, where he sat down with it and took a sip of his tea. He looked to be a man of his middle years, edging on into old age but not quite arrived yet, and both his hair and his beard were more gray than black. He wore a robe of heavy dark wool, with sigils embroidered all over in shining thread, and Liv was certain they were all magic. She rushed over to the windows; someone must have opened them to air the room out. When she closed the pane of expensive glass, Liv had another jump: a bat that had been hanging from the ceiling, just inside the room, fluttered off into the morning sky. Master Mage Grenfell looked up from his book and his tea, watching Liv catch her breath. ¡°You are the cook¡¯s bastard girl, are you not?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Liv said. She hated that word. Bastard. ¡°I could tell from the ears,¡± the Guildmage said. ¡°Come over here a moment.¡± Liv crept closer, keeping her eyes down. Servants didn¡¯t make eye contact with their betters. She stopped just out of the mage¡¯s reach, but he stood and reached out, taking her left ear between his thumb and his fingers. ¡°Interesting,¡± he muttered. ¡°How old are you, now?¡± ¡°Twelve years old,¡± Liv told him. ¡°I would have guessed six,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°You look half-starved. Are those white eyebrows? I can see why the Baron keeps you downstairs. Impossible to hide the Elden blood. Run along now, girl. I have work to do.¡± Liv fled the room, not feeling safe again until she¡¯d ducked through the door into the servants¡¯ stair and shut it behind her. There, she leaned back against the wood and closed her eyes until her heart had slowed and her hands stopped trembling. He¡¯d touched her ears. He hadn¡¯t even asked, first. If she hadn¡¯t had to wear her hair in a bun and under a cap, Liv could have hidden them; but as it was, they stuck out from the cap no matter what she did. Unlike the round ears of everyone else in the castle, everyone in the entire town of Whitehill Upon Aspen, they were pointed at the top. They were a constant reminder, to everyone who saw her, that her father was not human. Eventually, Liv crept back down the stairs. She¡¯d almost reached the servants¡¯ quarters when the door below her opened, and Tom and Bill, the footmen, came through, carrying trays from the great hall. Liv pressed herself to the wall and slid back up the stairs, out of their sight. The last thing she wanted was anyone to ask her questions right now. ¡°I feel bad for her, is all,¡± Tom was saying. The conversation must have started outside the stairs. ¡°Just think about it. She¡¯s gonna be an old woman by the time her daughter¡¯s grown. It¡¯s not natural.¡± ¡°It¡¯s her own fault,¡± Bill answered back, as the two descended the stairs, their voices echoing. ¡°All she had to do was not open her legs to some freak from over the mountains.¡± It¡¯s me, Liv realized. They¡¯re talking about me. 2. The Frost Fair Liv lingered in the stairwell until the two footmen¡¯s voices were cut off by a closing door. Down in the kitchens, her mother and Gretta and all the other servants would be gathering around the table for breakfast. There was an empty chair waiting for her, but right now Liv felt sick, and the scent of fried bacon wafting up from below nearly made her run back to the privy. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d overheard someone saying something so mean about her mother - or about her. That word, bastard, she¡¯d been hearing it for as long as she could remember. Often, Liv wondered if her mother would have been happier if she had never been born. Maybe she would have gotten married, and had children that everyone loved, that weren¡¯t a constant problem and embarrassment. Liv realized her eyes were wet, and used her apron to wipe them before dropping her hands back to her side and clenching her fists. She was sunk so deep into her own head that Liv didn¡¯t notice the door at the bottom of the stairs open until Mama poked her head through and called up some time later. ¡°Livy, dove, come and get your food.¡± Liv swallowed, realized that her hands hurt, and looked down to find that she¡¯d squeezed her fists so tight that her nails were nearly cutting into her palms. ¡°Coming, Mama,¡± she said, and ran down the stairs. ¡°Don¡¯t run,¡± her mother chided her. ¡°Remember when you fell and broke your finger?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t fall,¡± Liv promised, and scurried across the kitchen to the empty place left for her at the table. ¡°Eat up, dear,¡± Gretta urged her, piling Liv¡¯s plate with eggs, potatoes and bacon. ¡°You¡¯re too thin. I can count your ribs.¡± ¡°Big day, Liv,¡± Bill called across the table, his mouth half full. ¡°Going to skate at the fair?¡± If she hadn¡¯t heard him in the stairwell, she would have thought the footman was being friendly, but now Liv knew that he was a two-faced liar, and cruel. ¡°No,¡± she said, biting back words that would only get her in trouble. ¡°Leave off, William,¡± Archibald warned. ¡°You know Master Cushing won¡¯t allow the girl to do anything that risks a fall.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to go shopping, though,¡± Liv¡¯s mother broke in. ¡°There¡¯s sure to be plenty of mulled cider and good things to eat. And I thought we might take a sleigh ride, my dove.¡± Liv perked up at that; she loved going up into the mountains. She allowed the adults to talk past her while she chewed her food. Aldo Cushing, the baron¡¯s master chirurgeon, had warned her that if she wanted to grow more, she had to eat everything she could, and that it would help her bones, too. She hoped that if she grew enough, by next winter he might tell her mother that she was allowed to ice skate or ski. After breakfast was finished, all of the servants followed First Footman Archibald out of the kitchen and up the great hall, where everyone who lived in Castle Whitehill met for morning prayers. Liv stayed next to her mother¡¯s side when the servants lined up, and did her best to be still so as not to attract Baron Henry¡¯s notice. He¡¯d never liked her, and as his gaze skimmed down the line, she again wished that she could hide her ears. ¡°This morning,¡± Baron Henry began, his voice filling the hall easily, ¡°We give thanks to Arvatis, for bringing the dawn. May he keep us all healthy, and free of disease.¡± Now that the Baron was talking, Liv figured he wouldn¡¯t be paying attention to her, so she snuck her eyes up to get a glance at his small court. Henry himself looked every inch the lord of Whitehill. He was still young, with sandy hair and a well-trimmed beard - not at all like Liv¡¯s memories of his ailing father. His doublet was a fine brocade, and he stood straight and proud as he spoke. At the baron¡¯s side was his new wife, Lady Julianne. Liv thought that Julianne was just about the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen, with pale skin that looked as if she¡¯d never been touched by the sun. Whenever Liv saw the baron¡¯s wife, she wore dresses in colors that no servant would ever be permitted, even if they had the coin to afford it. In the months since the noblewoman had come to Castle Whitehill from the capital, her belly had swollen until it had the look of a melon fit to burst, and Liv knew from talk in the kitchen that a child was expected before the winter was out. With the lord and lady of the castle stood Court Mage Grenfell, roused from his work in the Room of Curiosities, and Master Chirurgeon Aldo Cushing. Liv was more familiar with the chirurgeon than anyone else who ate at the high table, on account of having spent so much time being examined by him. She hated those visits, when the old man would measure and weigh her, and then make notes while he shook his head. Every time, the verdict was the same: she was not growing like she should. ¡°...and we thank also Lord Tamiris,¡± Baron Henry continued. Liv realized that she had missed the prayer to Sitia, and resolved to make her own plea to the goddess soon. If she needed anyone¡¯s help, it was the Lady of Changes. ¡°We give thanks for our freedom, and for the Gift; and we will be forever grateful.¡± Everyone in the hall bowed their heads, for a long moment, and then straightened when the baron spoke again. ¡°It is a market day, as you all know,¡± Henry said, returning his gaze to the row of castle servants. ¡°And more than that, it is a Frost Fair, the first we have had in several years. Therefore, you are all relieved from your normal duties. The Baroness and I will find our meals at the fair today. We do expect that you will all have returned for the ninth hour of the evening, and that you will be prepared to resume your normal duties tomorrow morning. With that, you are dismissed.¡± The baron smiled. ¡°Enjoy the fair.¡± It was all Liv could do not to dash out of the hall - an entire day at the Fair! As soon as they¡¯d left the hall, she let herself grin and bounce up and down, then grabbed her mother¡¯s hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Liv pleaded. ¡°Not until you have your winter cloak on,¡± Mama said, though she smiled. ¡°And a second skirt, to keep you warm. I expect you¡¯ll want to leave your apron here, and take along your coin purse, as well. Now back to our room, dove.¡± Liv skipped ahead, rushed down the servants¡¯ stairs, and was ready to go before her mother had even reached the room. She took a moment to count her coins while her mother fastened a heavy cloak around her own shoulders. Liv poured her purse out on the floor, set the single silver sun aside, and counted the copper pennies into stacks of ten. ¡°How much do you have?¡± her mother asked. ¡°One crown, seventy pennies,¡± Liv answered, carefully scooping it all back into her purse, which she hung at her waist, before tucking it into the pocket of her overskirt. ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t bought so many pairs of wool hose.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be grateful for them before the day is done,¡± Mama said. ¡°Come along, now.¡± The morning was perfect. Overhead, a cloudless blue sky spread endless and deep, divided above by the great shining ring that encircled the world. The footmen had cleared a path through the snow to the castle gates, and from there they took the streets down The Hill toward the market before cutting east to the bank of the Aspen River. The cobbled roads of The Hill, Whitehill¡¯s wealthy district, were coated in frozen mud and new fallen powder, and far less crowded than Liv was used to. There was an occasional carriage, rolling and shaking east behind a team of horses and spraying snow up around the wheels, all headed for the river. On most market days, the shops here would be open: the local bookseller, for instance, or the cobbler, who Liv had visited during harvest to re-sole her shoes. The Temple of the Trinity was in The Hill, just a bit lower than the castle, as well as The Old Oak, the town¡¯s oldest inn, which almost always hosted a crowd of merchants, drovers and travelers.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Today, however, everyone in Whitehill was making their way down to the frozen river, and as Liv and her mother neared the shore, the crowd grew thicker. She grabbed her mother by the hand and tugged her forward impatiently until they had reached the ice. The broad Aspen River had completely frozen over, save for one place just at the foot of Whitehill, with the castle looming above. There, steaming water from the sulfurous hot springs ran down the rock, and prevented ice from forming, no matter how cold the winter became. The town guards had strung a rope all around the great hole in the ice, and hung it with colored flags, so that no one could miss where the ice grew thin and dangerous. Everywhere else, the ice was full of people, tents, and animals. A small crowd surrounded a makeshift ring of rope strung on wooden posts, cheering Big Whit Cotter on as he beat a challenger into submission with his bare hands. Upriver, children were skating across the ice on blades of carved wood or horn. Near the opposite bank, three sleighs hitched to teams of draft horses waited for customers, and while Liv watched, one took off. The sleigh, full of laughing people bundled in warm cloaks, slid easily across the snow on the riverbank, and set off for the mountains, which cradled all of the Aspen Valley in every direction. Mama bought them each a wooden mug of mulled cider, steaming hot and spiced, which they cradled as they shopped from tent to tent. Even those who might not come out for a normal market day had put their wares on display for the Frost Fair: there was dried meat, smoked and spiced, from venison to beef or pork, as well as dried and hung herbs. Liv skipped past craftsmen selling pottery, bolts of cloth, skates and skis, and jewelry of all sorts; ignoring it all, she headed for the sound of music. She dropped a copper penny into a wooden bowl for the players, dropped her mother¡¯s hand, and ran into a crowd of children dancing to the sound of flutes and drums. Someone¡¯s dog ran through the crowd, leaping up to lick her in the face, and Liv ruffled the fur around its ears with a giggle. For their midday meal, Liv and her mother found a tent where wooden benches had been dragged into rows, and brisket was being being served hot from the smoker. They got a trencher full of tender slices, and drenched it in sauce. ¡°You won¡¯t find this in the lowlands,¡± Liv¡¯s mother told her, in between bites. ¡°Only up here in the mountains. The spices come all the way from Lendh ka Dakruim.¡± Liv had never left Whitehill, and she didn¡¯t think her mother had either, but the day was too wonderful to say that out loud. Instead, she asked, ¡°Can we go ride in a sleigh, now?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± her mother answered, and they brought their trenchers and mugs back to be washed. There were long lines stretching out from where the sleighs waited, and Liv bounced up and down impatiently. ¡°Watch yourself,¡± Mama warned her. ¡°Mind you don¡¯t bump into anyone.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Liv told her, rolling her eyes. As they waited, she looked upriver, to where a dozen or more children were skating on the ice. Her feet itched to join them, and if not for her stupid bones she would have already spent her wages on a pair of skates. ¡°Next year,¡± her mother said, gently. ¡°When the master chirurgeon says it¡¯s alright.¡± Liv was just about to reply when someone bumped into her from behind. She cried out, slipped, and would have fallen if her mother hadn¡¯t reached out an arm to catch her. ¡°My apologies,¡± a woman said, half turning to look back at them. She looked like a hunter, wearing a heavy fur cloak instead of wool, and the winter wind tossed a mane of rich, dark hair about. ¡°No harm done,¡± Liv¡¯s mother said, keeping a hold of her. ¡°It¡¯s a crowded day. You¡¯re from out of town, then? Come for the fair?¡± There was a crinkling about the strangers eyes, and something in the way she moved her head that reminded Liv of an owl. ¡°How could you tell?¡± she asked. ¡°I brought a few furs in to sell, and now I¡¯m looking for a bit to eat with my coins.¡± ¡°Your accent,¡± Mama explained. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything quite like it. It almost reminds me of the Eld of the North, but it''s different.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised to find anyone here who has met one of the Eld,¡± the huntress commented. ¡°They came through Whitehill thirteen years ago,¡± Liv¡¯s mother said. ¡°On their way to the capital. The young lord of the House of Syv? and his retinue.¡± Liv¡¯s eyes and attention had been wandering back to the skaters, where one of the girls looked to be rather unsteady on her feet, but now she turned back to the conversation between adults. Thirteen years ago. Was that when her father had come? Was that when her mother had met him? She opened her mouth to ask, but couldn¡¯t find a space to do so without interrupting, and resolved to wait until the stranger had walked away. ¡°That must have been something to see,¡± the dark haired woman said, and Liv did not miss the way her eyes flicked down to focus on her for a moment. ¡°Would you mind telling a stranger the best place to get a meal?¡± ¡°Four stalls down, then take a left,¡± Mama said, pointing. ¡°That¡¯s where we ate. They have a smoker going that you can smell once you get near, and if you aren¡¯t from the mountains you have to try the sauce.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The woman hesitated a moment, then extended her hand. ¡°Wren Wind-Dancer.¡± ¡°Margaret Brodbeck,¡± Liv¡¯s mother said, taking the hand. ¡°With a name like that, I would have known even without the accent. This is my daughter, Liv. Liv, dove, say hello to Wren.¡± But Liv was no longer listening. The girl she¡¯d been watching, dark haired and all bundled up in layers, was trying to skate backwards. Her arms were pinwheeling a bit, but somehow she was keeping her balance as she looped away from the other children, and toward the west bank of the river, into the shadow of Castle Whitehill. ¡°She doesn¡¯t see the flags,¡± Liv said. ¡°What was that, dear?¡± Mama asked, frowning. ¡°She doesn¡¯t see the flags!¡± Liv set off at a run. She was too far away to get to the girl in time, but someone else had to be watching her, surely someone else would see and stop it. As Gretta said, however, wishing didn¡¯t make it so, and none of the other skating children had noticed the little girl headed for where the ice was dangerously thin. ¡°Hey! Hey you!¡± Liv yelled as she ran across the ice, and waved her hands above her head. ¡°Stop! Turn back!¡± The dark-haired girl finally heard, and looked at her. For just a moment, their eyes met, and Liv thought that she¡¯d been in time. Then, the girl skated through the rope, tumbled, and fell as the ice broke away beneath her. She gave a single scream, and then her voice cut off as she went down into the water. Liv was still too far away, but she kept running, stretching out her hand as if she could somehow reach the girl and lift her up before she was lost. She was breathing hard while she ran, and her breath fogged in front of her face as a cutting wind lifted her cloak. She could only imagine how cold the dark-haired girl was under the water, as the chill sank into her fingers, her toes, her bones¡­ Around Liv, the world shook, for just a moment. She felt that cold, sinking deep into her and then spilling out from within. A vision of mountain peaks filled her mind, where the snow never melted and the ground was hard, where it was always winter. Gretta had told her stories of hunters lost up in the high passes, frozen and not found until flood season. Would they find the little girl and her skates when the river melted? Something hummed in her ears, and her entire world vibrated in time, like a drum. Liv felt it in her chest, deep as a crack of thunder, and it drove the breath from her lungs. She was so cold that she couldn¡¯t move anymore, like the girl under the ice, and she tumbled forward, skidding across the frozen river with her hand still outstretched. Her lips moved, without thought, and the word that emerged was one that Liv had never once heard in her life. ¡°Cel¨¥v¨¡tis!¡± There was no choice: it welled up from within her and burst out, as if she¡¯d eaten bad meat and her stomach refused to keep it in any longer. Everything but cold fled from the world, and frost cracked over Liv¡¯s eyes. In front of her, dimly, she saw her fingers first turn red, blister, and then blacken. She was nothing but ice. She saw nothing but ice. She thought nothing but ice. Around her, the frozen river surged. Snow was flung in every direction in a spray of powder as the ice cracked and groaned, jutting up in sharp crystals that grew waist high. Liv¡¯s hand shook, and an enormous hand of solid ice rose up from where the runoff from the sulfur spring had melted the river. Clasped in the fingers of the hand was the soaked form of a little girl, her dark hair plastered about her pale face. Liv had just enough vision left to watch the hand deposit the girl in front of her before she passed out. 3. AluthetStaia ¡°We have to get her to the castle-¡± ¡°The ice is in the way. Back off and let me work.¡± Liv was so cold that she couldn¡¯t even shiver. Her eyes, half-lidded, were frozen in place, showing her only the blue of the mountain sky refracted into dozens of sparkling shards, and the brightness of the ring overhead. Ice crusted her eyebrows, heavy against her face, and the slightest shift of her head brushed frosted tendrils of hair against her skin. A heavy crack sounded, and her arm shook. Something around her loosened. Murmurs and whispers surrounded her, more voices than she could count. Her left hand was encased in heat, so painful that she screamed. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, dove,¡± Mama said, close to her ear as another crack sounded, and then a third. Was something hitting her? ¡°Out of the way,¡± Aldo Cushing barked. Good, Liv thought. The Master Chirurgeon will take care of me. He wasn¡¯t nice, and she didn¡¯t like him, but she did trust him. There was a murmur of conversation that Liv couldn¡¯t quite track, men¡¯s voices, and then the chirurgeon spoke clearly again: ¡°Lukewarm water, mind you, and heat it slowly. She was only in the water a few moments; she will recover.¡± The cracks and impacts had never stopped, and now Liv felt her body eased down onto the ice. But she had fallen onto the frozen river before, hadn¡¯t she? What had been holding her up just now? ¡°Master Cushing is here,¡± Mama said. Liv realized her mother was grasping her hand. She wished she could talk; she didn¡¯t want her mother to worry. ¡°He¡¯ll take care of you, Livy.¡± Two fingers touched her neck, hot as coals from the hearth. ¡°She lives,¡± Cushing said. Of course I do, Liv thought. I just passed out, I didn¡¯t die. ¡°Bring her along,¡± the chirurgeon ordered someone, and Liv felt herself scooped up into strong arms. ¡°I need a carriage! Now!¡± Being carried hurt. Every inch of her skin cracked and stabbed with the movement, and Liv couldn¡¯t help but cry out from the pain. Ice fell off her body in chunks, but her skirts and bodice were frozen solid. She couldn¡¯t focus on the voices around her until she was put down again, onto a cushioned bench. People were moving around her, and then the carriage lurched into motion, rattling over the cobblestone streets. ¡°We need to get these clothes off,¡± Master Cushing muttered. ¡°Before they kill her. Use your dagger. I¡¯ll start on this side.¡± There was the sound of tearing cloth, and then more pain. Liv felt as if she was being skinned alive with each piece of fabric yanked from her, and her eyes hurt from being unable to blink. Finally, she was pulled into someone¡¯s lap, and then wrapped in fur. ¡°She¡¯s so cold,¡± Mama gasped. ¡°That is why she needs the heat of your body,¡± Cushing explained. ¡°Keep her hands against your skin. You there-¡± ¡°Wren.¡± ¡°Wren, take her feet in your hands. Try to warm her toes. It may be we can still save them.¡± None of it made sense, but then the world darkened, and Liv felt heat over her eyes. A moment later, her face was wet, as if she¡¯d been weeping, and she could blink again. The ice on her brows was gone. ¡°What happened?¡± Liv mumbled. Her lips cracked when she moved them, and she tasted cold water in her mouth. ¡°Hush, darling,¡± Mama said, holding her tight. Everything still hurt, and whatever had prevented Liv from shivering had gone away, because she began to shake uncontrollably, her teeth chattering, and nearly bit her tongue. She was very tired, and now that she could close her eyes, she did. A hand slapped her cheek, and Liv cried out, her eyes snapping back open. Master Chirurgeon Cushing¡¯s lined face was close in front of her, and his breath stank of garlic. ¡°You mustn''t fall asleep, Liv,¡± he chided her. ¡°Keep your eyes open. We are nearly back at the castle.¡± ¡°Everything hurts,¡± she whined. ¡°That means you¡¯re still alive,¡± a woman¡¯s voice came from beneath her, near the floor of the carriage. Liv found enough strength to look down, and saw the hunter, Wren, rubbing her bare feet with her hands. The carriage rolled to a halt, and then the door was open, letting in the winter wind. ¡°Guards!¡± Cushing shouted. ¡°I need hands! Help me carry this girl in. And fetch Master Grenfell.¡± Men dressed in the Baron¡¯s green and white lifted Liv out of her mother¡¯s lap, still wrapped in the fur cloak. ¡°Mama!¡± she cried. ¡°Start water for a bath,¡± the chirurgeon said, catching her mother by the shoulder. ¡°Find anyone you can to help you, and bring it up to my chambers. I will treat her there.¡± ¡°What about the hot springs?¡± her mother¡¯s voice protested. ¡°She needs to be warmed slowly,¡± Cushing replied. ¡°Will she live?¡± Liv heard her mother ask, as the men carried her into the castle, and then they were heading up the stairs to the second floor, and she couldn¡¯t hear what was said next. Everything was so confused, and hurt so much, and she just wanted to go to sleep, but Master Cushing had told her not to close her eyes. The men carrying her shoved open a door, and laid Liv down on a table. She recognized Master Cushing¡¯s chambers, and a moment later he was there, standing over her. ¡°I didn¡¯t close my eyes,¡± she told him. ¡°Good girl,¡± the old chirurgeon said. ¡°You men, light the fire and stoke it high,¡± he ordered. ¡°Then one of you pull the tub over, and the other fetch water.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord,¡± one of the guards said. ¡°Is that little girl safe?¡± Liv asked, when Cushing turned back to her. He was poking and prodding at her skin, especially her nose and around her ears. ¡°Emma Forester will be fine,¡± Cushing said, ¡°thanks to you. She was hardly in that cold water for a moment. Her father¡¯s already taken her home to get her warmed up, and I will be certain to visit them tonight to check in.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Liv protested. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get there. I wasn¡¯t fast enough.¡± ¡°I want to check your bones, now,¡± the chirurgeon told her. ¡°While these men draw a bath and your mother boils water. I am going to feel along your arms and legs, dear. It will only take a moment.¡± ¡°I fell!¡± Liv realized, trying to sit up in panic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to. Tell my mother I didn¡¯t mean to, I wasn¡¯t being foolish-¡± ¡°Hush, child. Be still.¡± The chirurgeon¡¯s warm hands moved beneath the cloak she was wrapped in, pressing against her arms, searching for breaks. By the time the guards had carried over a large wooden tub, lined in cloth, Master Cushing had checked all of her limbs to his satisfaction. Liv had only cried out once, when he gripped her left ankle and a spike of pain shot through her. The door swung open again, and Mama rushed in with the cloth-wrapped handle of an iron kettle gripped in each hand.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Miss Brodbeck, good,¡± the chirurgeon said, stepping away from his table. ¡°I want you to put your daughter in the bath, and mind her ankle - it¡¯s broken. No hot water, yet. When she feels as if the water in the tub is cool, instead of hot - what she feels, mind, not you - add a single one of those kettles. A few moments later you can add the other.¡± The guards rushed back into the room with four more buckets for the bath. ¡°Thank you, men,¡± Cushing said. ¡°That should be enough from you. One of you wait by the door for Master Mage Grenfell, and tell him I will return presently. Miss Brodbeck, I am going to step out and let you get to work. If I go down to your rooms, I expect I shall find clean clothes for the girl?¡± Though the instructions seemed to fly from the old man as fast as a team of horses, his stern tone actually made Liv feel better. Liv¡¯s mother nodded and set the two kettles down by the bath. ¡°Take the good wool hose,¡± she said. ¡°I shall.¡± Cushing and the guards left the room, and closed the door behind them. ¡°Come along then, dove,¡± Mama told her, reaching under Liv and the fur cloak. With a grunt, Liv found herself scooped up off the table and carried over to the tub. She knew the water hadn¡¯t been heated - the kettles were still resting beside the tub, unused. Once she was lowered in, however, she gasped out in pain. It felt like she was being burned alive. ¡°Too hot, Mama,¡± she cried. Margaret Brodbeck dipped her fingers into the water, and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s cool water, my love,¡± she said. ¡°Your lips are practically white.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t have said how long it took before the water was cool enough not to hurt her; then, when her mother stirred in the first kettle of hot water, she suffered through the pain all over again. Sometime just before the second kettle went in, she realized that she was no longer shivering, at last. At a knock from the door, Mama stood up and left her for a moment. ¡°-if we had the new heated baths from the Pipers Guild this would be much easier,¡± Liv heard Cushing complain through the open door. ¡°I told the Baron that, but-¡± the voice was Master Grenfell¡¯s, quiet and tremulous, and cut off when Liv¡¯s mother closed the door. She returned carrying a bundle of fresh clothes, and set them down on the table. Finally, long after the horologe standing against the wall struck the second hour of the afternoon, Liv sat on the table again, dressed and warm, with her mother next to her and both Master Cushing and Master Grenfell examining her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Cushing muttered, examining her hands. ¡°These fingers were black. I saw them. Now it is as if nothing happened at all. She seems fully recovered, aside from the ankle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv¡¯s mother asked, but Cushing¡¯s face only looked more concerned. ¡°I can set the ankle easily enough,¡± he said. ¡°I will wrap it in strips of plastered linen. But I am more concerned about mana sickness. Kazamir?¡± Master Grenfell stepped forward, and raised a hand. Eyes half-lidded, he moved it over her, never touching Liv¡¯s body, but staying a finger¡¯s width away at all times. ¡°You were right to call me,¡± he said, finally. The mage walked over to his bag, which he¡¯d set down next to the table, crouched, and began rooting through it. ¡°My daughter¡¯s no mage, Masters,¡± Mama protested. ¡°Your daughter, Miss Brodbeck, had to be chipped out of ice with the hilt of a dagger,¡± Master Cushing pointed out. He glanced over to Grenfell. ¡°That¡¯s no word I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡± Grenfell grunted, and Liv couldn¡¯t tell whether it was a yes or a no. ¡°The Merciful Society of Butchers and Drovers uses sigils to preserve meat for shipping,¡± the mage said. ¡°In cold-chests.¡± He rose and returned to the table, carrying a gray hunk of stone that reminded Liv of something. It took her a moment to remember what, and then she spoke before she could stop herself. ¡°Did you take that out of the bat?¡± she asked. She noticed that Master Cushing had walked over to his desk, where he was arranging a set of implements she recognized from the last time she¡¯d broken a bone: a bowl, a sack of dry plaster, clean strips of linen. ¡°The bat?¡± Grenfell blinked. ¡°The big one, in the Room of Curiosities,¡± Liv explained. ¡°It had gray stones like that, didn¡¯t it? Coming out of the skin?¡± ¡°So it did,¡± Grenfell said, and when she saw him smile, she grinned in return. Liv wasn¡¯t cold any longer, after the bath and getting into dry clothes, but her hair was still wet. Except for her ankle, which throbbed painfully, she was feeling much better. ¡°That bat came from the rift at Bald Peak Quarry,¡± he explained. ¡°As does this stone. Do you know what it is, girl?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°It is called Aluthet''Staia, in the old tongue,¡± Master Grenfell explained. ¡°And it is empty, drained of its power - as were the stones in the preserved corpse you saw. A stone that is full, looks like this.¡± He extended his hand, showing Liv a silver ring on his finger, set with a polished stone that looked nothing like the others. There was a gray color, certainly, but there seemed to be something beneath it, as if the stone itself was merely a scrap of linen held up in front of a fire, so that the light shone through. Beneath the surface, veins of bright blue and gold softly glowed. Liv gasped at how pretty it was. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like those ugly rocks,¡± she said. ¡°Watch what happens to this one, then,¡± Grenfell said. He grasped the dead rock - Liv couldn¡¯t quite recall the exact name he¡¯d said, which was rather long. ¡°Miss Brodbeck, I am going to invoke a word of power,¡± he explained. ¡°Once I do that, you are likely going to see some light coming out of your daughter. I would like you to hold her so that she doesn¡¯t move. This should not take long, and it shouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Mama nodded, came up behind Liv, and wrapped her arms around her. Master Cushing, on the other hand, took several steps back away from them. Master Mage Grenfell drew in a deep breath, and Liv opened her eyes as wide as she could so that she wouldn¡¯t miss a thing. Magic! Not low magic, the kind anyone could use, but high magic! ¡°Aluthos¡¯o¡¯Ea,¡± Grenfell sang. It wasn¡¯t like normal talking at all: it came up low, from his stomach, like Mama had taught her to sing, in a rich voice she would never have expected from the man who always spoke so quietly. The sounds were long, drawn out and slow, and seemed to settle around the room and sink into everything: the table, the wall and floors, and Liv herself. Once again, like on the ice, she found her body pulsing in time with something she could not put a name to. Her skin tingled, and Liv looked down. Like the stone set in Master Grenfell¡¯s ring, her own skin lit up. It was faint at first, and then the colors became clear: blue as bright as the winter sky, gold like the sun. Wisps of it leaked out of her arms, her hands, and drifted over to the dull gray rock that the mage held in front of her. Something flashed just beneath Liv¡¯s vision, and she gasped. A blob of golden-veined blue drifted out from her cheek, across the intervening space, and into the rock. More and more light streamed across the gap between Liv and the stone, and with every breath, that dull gray rock grew brighter. By the time the process was over, and no more light shone from Liv¡¯s body, the stone looked just like the one in Master Grenfell¡¯s ring - if not brighter. ¡°That is all of it,¡± the mage said, in the tone of voice Mama had at the end of a hard day¡¯s work, when she just wanted to climb into bed and sleep. Liv, in the meantime, ached as if she¡¯d run from one end of the castle to the other twice. ¡°Did you get it out in time?¡± Cushing asked. ¡°In time for what?¡± Mama broke in. ¡°Hard to say,¡± Grenfell responded. ¡°You will have to check her regularly for at least a season, Aldo. Miss Brodbeck, why don¡¯t I explain to you out in the hall. Master Cushing needs to set that ankle.¡± ¡°Did you see that?¡± Liv asked, unable to keep from grinning. An aching ankle was nothing compared to getting the chance to watch a true mage use a spell. And she¡¯d been right at the center of it! Her mother and the mage closed the door behind them, leaving Liv alone in the room with Master Cushing. ¡°I did,¡± the chirurgeon said, with a smile, bringing his bowl and strips of linen over to the table. ¡°Quite astonishing to watch Master Grenfell work, is it not? I trust you remember this from last time, Liv?¡± Carefully, he began to pull her wool hose off the injured leg. She nodded. ¡°You¡¯re going to wrap it up, and it¡¯s going to get hard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Cushing said. ¡°And we are going to give you a crutch to help you walk, because it is very important that you not put your weight on this ankle until the bone is healed. And you will need to come see me regularly to be checked.¡± The chirurgeon frowned. ¡°Or perhaps I will come to you. It will save you a trip up and down the stairs, and they will be difficult to manage in the cast.¡± It hurt when he took her ankle in hand, and the linen was gooey and warm when the chirurgeon wound it tight about her bare skin. Liv didn¡¯t like the feeling at all, so she closed her eyes and tried to remember how beautiful the magic had looked when it came out of her body. By the time he was finished, Liv¡¯s mother had returned, without Master Grenfell. ¡°She will need to sit here until the plaster is hardened,¡± the old chirurgeon explained. ¡°I¡¯ll go fetch you a crutch, Liv.¡± Once Master Cushing had left the room, Liv turned to her mother. ¡°What did Master Grenfell want to talk about, Mama?¡± she asked, as much because she was bored waiting as for any other reason. Margaret Brodbeck frowned. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about, dove,¡± she said. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about. I¡¯ll deal with it, and the chirurgeon will take good care of you.¡± Liv nodded, but her stomach roiled. She knew her mother better than anyone else in the castle, in the entire town of Whitehill. And she was certain those words were a lie. 4. Magic is Like Fire One of the two guards who had carried her up to Master Cushing¡¯s chambers got Liv back down the servants¡¯ stairs to the small room she shared with her mother, while the other man held doors. They introduced themselves as Ansel and Jacob; she¡¯d always been a bit afraid of the Baron¡¯s men, but they seemed nice enough. Once she was tucked into bed and wrapped in blankets, with her ankle up on a pillow, and Rosie under her arm, they returned to their duties. Gretta bustled in the door with a steaming bowl in her hands. ¡°I thought everyone went to the Frost Fair,¡± Liv asked her. ¡°If I was ten years younger,¡± Gretta said. ¡°Last thing I need is to fall on the ice and end up with a broken ankle.¡± She winked, and Liv pouted. ¡°As soon as I heard your mother come crashing down the stairs like a bull in flood season, and she told me what happened, I knew you could do with a bowl of hot stew.¡± ¡°Eat up, dear,¡± Mama urged her. ¡°I¡¯ll fetch chairs from the kitchen.¡± The bowl was filled with drover¡¯s stew, so hot that Liv needed to blow on it to avoid burning her tongue. Chunks of beef, bacon, sausage, potato, corn and beans threatened to spill out onto her lap, and the broth was flavored with garlic, onion, and peppers from the south. Though she¡¯d stuffed herself with brisket only hours before, Liv crammed spoonful after spoonful into her mouth until the bowl was empty. Between the blankets and the stew, she finally felt warm and cozy, and neither Mama nor Gretta left her the entire time she ate. ¡°Kale Forester¡¯s daughter?¡± Gretta asked, as Liv set her spoon down in the empty bowl. She realized they must have been speaking for sometime, but she hadn¡¯t heard a word. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Mama said, taking the bowl away from her and setting it down on the floor. ¡°Livy was the only one who saw her skating toward the thin ice. You scared me so much, dove,¡± she said, reaching out to put a hand on Liv¡¯s forehead. ¡°Your hair is a rat¡¯s nest. Let me comb it out for you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t actually get to her, though,¡± Liv said with a frown. Her mother fetched the aspen-wood comb and began from the bottom, working the knots out of her damp hair. When it was wet, it looked more gray than white. ¡°Not with your body, no,¡± Master Grenfell¡¯s voice broke in from the doorway. ¡°May I come in? I¡¯ve visited little Emma, and I can tell you for certain, Liv, that you did save her life. Her father has her warmed up now, and I daresay she came out of the entire thing better off than you did.¡± ¡°Please, come in, Master Mage,¡± Mama said, leaving off with the comb and rising into a curtsy. Gretta followed, though not as quickly. The black mouser, Charlie, wound himself past their legs and hopped up onto the bed next to Liv. ¡°I¡¯ll clear the bowl,¡± the old woman said. ¡°And you can take my chair, Master Grenfell. Would you like a bit of something to eat? I have more stew, and you¡¯ve missed your evening meal at the fair.¡± ¡°That would be quite nice, actually,¡± the mage said, taking the chair. ¡°You may be seated, Miss Brodbeck. You will want to be present for this conversation, I believe.¡± Once Liv¡¯s mother had taken a seat and gone back to work with the comb, Grenfell continued. ¡°Can you tell me what high magic is, Liv?¡± he asked, sitting back in the chair and fixing her with his eyes. She had the feeling that she was being tested or judged, and it made her nervous. ¡°What mages do,¡± Liv answered. ¡°And nobles.¡± Charlie curled up in her lap and began to purr. ¡°That is true,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°But why? What makes it different from low magic - the kitchen songs you all sing down here, the spark charm to light the hearth? Your mother must know quite a few.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Mama admitted. ¡°The maiden¡¯s charm, the charm of the whetstone¡­¡± Grenfell nodded. ¡°Good. How do those work, Liv?¡± ¡°Tamiris¡¯ Gift,¡± she said. ¡°Everyone knows that. Like in the stories - after the old gods went away, he gave us magic.¡± ¡°Charms are not precisely ours,¡± the court mage said. ¡°Think of them like a lock in a door. The lock is there, whether you have the key or not. It has been, since the day the door was hung.¡± Liv frowned. ¡°So I can¡¯t do magic, afterall?¡± she asked. ¡°Precisely the opposite,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°You can. What you did on the ice today was magic - not a charm, but high magic. You used a word of power, Liv, and that is a very special thing indeed. A special thing, and a dangerous thing.¡± The wooden comb yanked at a particularly vicious knot, and Liv yelped. ¡°Don¡¯t scare her, please,¡± Mama said. ¡°She needs to rest.¡± ¡°She does,¡± Grenfell agreed. ¡°But she also needs to be safe. And that is why I am talking to her tonight. Liv, think carefully for me. Do you remember the word that you spoke today? Do not say it out loud, but just see if you can recall what happened and answer my question.¡± Cel¨¥v¨¡tis. The word came to her mind as easily as her own name, as the scent of the spices in the kitchen. The very thought made Liv shiver, and once again the image of snow-covered peaks filled her mind. ¡°I remember,¡± she told the mage. She had thought it would be the correct answer, but he frowned. ¡°It might be better if you had forgotten,¡± Grenfell muttered. ¡°First, Liv Brodbeck, I want you to make me a promise: you will not say that word again.¡± ¡°Ever?¡± Liv asked. ¡°No,¡± the mage said with a heavy sigh. ¡°Promise me you will not use it within the castle, and not at all until I give you permission. Save in the defense of your own life, or the life of others.¡± Liv blinked. That was a lot, but she thought that she understood well enough. ¡°Not indoors,¡± she said. ¡°And not until you tell me. Unless someone is in danger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The mage¡¯s shoulders relaxed slightly, and when Gretta stepped through the doorway, he accepted the bowl of stew she offered. ¡°But why?¡± Liv asked. It was like trying not to brush a cut in your mouth with your tongue, now that she¡¯d thought of the word. It wanted to be said; it was practically vibrating through her body in an effort to get out, but she had promised she wouldn¡¯t. Before he answered, Grenfell took a large spoonful of stew, chewed, and swallowed. ¡°This is excellent,¡± he complimented Gretta. ¡°Young Miss Brodbeck. Where do you put a pot of stew to cook it?¡± ¡°Over the fire in the hearth,¡± Liv said. She knew that nobles and mages had servants to cook for them; perhaps he had never made a meal in his life. ¡°Just so. Fire is very useful,¡± Master Grenfell said with a nod. ¡°We can cook with it. We use it to warm our houses and castles in the winter, to heat water for bathing. We use it to forge metal. But what would happen if you put your hand into the fire in that hearth?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be burned,¡± Liv answered. ¡°Magic is like fire,¡± Kazamir Grenfell told her. ¡°It is very useful. Tamiris¡¯ Gift allows us to do many things - things far more wondrous than simply heating water, or making a stew. Not to disparage the skill of our cooks,¡± he said, turning to Gretta and Liv¡¯s mother with a smile and inclining his head. ¡°But like fire, Liv, magic can burn you. You have a word of power, but not the slightest bit of training in how to use it. Have you ever baked a cake?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Liv shook her head. ¡°I help Mama stir the batter.¡± ¡°If I gave you the ingredients, but no one to help, do you think you could do it alone?¡± Liv thought about it, then shook her head. ¡°I could do something,¡± she admitted, ¡°but it wouldn¡¯t be right.¡± ¡°Using that word is much more complicated than baking a cake,¡± Grenfell told her. ¡°And more dangerous. If you made a mistake, you would not simply be throwing out an overcooked dessert - you could hurt or kill yourself, or someone else. Today should be all the proof of that you need. You saved a little girl, but you also encased yourself in ice and nearly froze to death. The only reason that no one else was hurt was that you had run out from the crowd, and no one was close to you. It will not be safe for you to speak that word until you have been taught to use it.¡± Liv nodded; when he put it like that, things made a lot more sense. The word still vibrated restlessly somewhere in her chest, but she silently told it to go to sleep. ¡°Will you teach me, then?¡± she asked the court mage. ¡°So it¡¯s safe?¡± Grenfell frowned and leaned back, but it was Mama who answered. ¡°Master Mage Grenfell already has students,¡± she said. ¡°And they pay for the privilege.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Liv tried not to look disappointed. ¡°How much does it cost?¡± Gretta asked. Master Grenfell looked over to the old woman, measuring her for a long moment, and then spoke. ¡°The Mayor and Master Mason each pay me thirty-two gold crowns a year to tutor their daughters.¡± ¡°We understand,¡± Mama said. ¡°We can¡¯t afford that. She¡¯ll just not use the magic, then.¡± ¡°Nonsense. I will pay it,¡± Gretta said. ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Liv¡¯s mother protested. ¡°Of course I can!¡± Gretta smiled. ¡°I have no children, Maggie. The closest thing to a granddaughter I¡¯ve got is our Livy. What else should I spend my wages on? I live at the castle, I eat in the kitchen. I don¡¯t need new clothes or fancy things. What good will it do me to save a pile of gold for when I die?¡± Grenfell turned to Liv. ¡°It will be difficult,¡± he warned her. ¡°You will have to learn to read, first of all.¡± ¡°I know how to read,¡± Liv said. ¡°At least, a little.¡± ¡°We¡¯re cooks,¡± Mama explained to the mage. ¡°We don¡¯t read books, but we keep recipes. You¡¯ll find she knows a bit of arithmetic, as well, Master Grenfell. Enough to measure cups and spoons. And she already knows the spark charm. She¡¯s a bright girl.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± the mage said. ¡°I will speak to the baron to see that you are excused from your duties for lessons. I suppose that at the same time, I will speak to him about your broken ankle, if Master Cushing has not already done so. Since you can read, I imagine you can write a little, as well?¡± ¡°A little,¡± Liv agreed. She hoped that Master Grenfell would not ask her to show him; her letters were awkward and ill-shaped. To her disappointment, he removed a small leatherbound book, no larger than a man¡¯s hand, from a pocket in his robes. With it, he produced a quill and a small bottle of ink. ¡°I would like you to write for me,¡± Grenfell said, opening the book to a blank page, ¡°the word you spoke today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain how to spell it,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°That is fine,¡± the mage assured her. ¡°Simply write it how it sounds to you.¡± ¡°Is it dangerous to write?¡± Mama asked him. ¡°If it was, he wouldn¡¯t ask,¡± Gretta pointed out. ¡°Not dangerous at all, Miss Brodbeck,¡± Grenfell assured her. ¡°Not unless she were to write in the sigils of the old tongue. Which I believe we may safely assume young Liv does not know.¡± Liv shook her head, lifted the quill, and pulled the cork out of the bottle of ink. She rested the bottle on the bedside table, set the book in her lap, and dipped the quill. Carefully, she wrote out: Kelevatis, set the quill aside, and gave the open book to the mage. Grenfell examined the page carefully. ¡°Is there a reason you chose to use a ¡®k,¡¯ rather than a hard ¡®c?¡± he asked her. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it written, I can just¡­hear it. How it sounds. Is that wrong?¡± ¡°That is the way the Eld of the North would write it,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°I thought it interesting, that is all.¡± Liv felt as if the tips of her ears were on fire, and she resisted the urge to raise her hand and touch one. Grenfell blew gently on the ink, and rose from his chair. ¡°Tomorrow is the eleventh day of the month,¡± he said. ¡°You will attend me in my chambers, with the other students, at the ninth hour. You will do so on every morning that is not a festival day or market day, so long as your tuition continues to be paid.¡± He rose from his chair, but did not move to leave the chamber, instead packing away the ink bottle, once again corked, in his robes. ¡°When I give you work between lessons, you will complete it,¡± he instructed her. ¡°It is up to you to find the time between your duties to the baron and this castle. I will not accept excuses.¡± ¡°Understood, Master Grenfell,¡± Liv said, and raised her hand to cover a yawn. ¡°With that, I believe I will leave you to rest.¡± The mage gathered up his book, holding it open, and the quill in his other hand. ¡°Let me get that door for you,¡± Gretta said, and the room began to empty out. Liv, suddenly wanting nothing more than to curl up in her nest of blankets, turned over on her side, closed her eyes, and before she knew it, was asleep, with the cat snuggled up against her. ? Liv wasn¡¯t certain whether it was the throbbing ache from her ankle that woke her, or the fact that she was alone in the bed. She¡¯d slept with her mother for as long as she could remember, since she was an infant, and it helped to keep them both warm on the coldest winter nights. But tonight, even the cat had gone, and the castle was a drafty place. Outside in the hallway, something creaked. Castle Whitehill was old, and as Gretta said, old buildings made noise. It was nothing to be frightened of - though the woman certainly enjoyed telling Liv ghost stories. Whether there was actually a rusted old axe at the bottom of the river that had been used to murder a man or not, Liv didn¡¯t know. She did know that what she was hearing was not a normal night sound. It was the creak of a door. The two castle mousers, Charlie and Peg, were usually silent unless they¡¯d caught prey. Everyone had chamber pots in their rooms, so there was no cause for anyone in the servants¡¯ quarters to be out of bed at whatever hour it was. Who was creeping about in the middle of the night? Carefully, Liv pushed back her blankets, rotated her body, and got her good foot on the ground. She found that she could support her weight on one leg easily enough, and that by keeping a hand on the wall, she could hop along without much trouble. Her mother would be furious if she was caught, but what if something was wrong? Clad in her stockings and shift, Liv opened her door as quietly as possible, and ducked her head out into the hall. She was just in time to see the door to the servants¡¯ stairs swing shut. That meant that someone was heading up into the rest of the castle, where none of the servants should be in the middle of the night. For a moment, she considered going back into her room and looking for the crutch that Master Cushing had promised her, but it was dark and she might be left behind. Instead, Liv hopped out of her room and down the hall. When she got to the door, she cracked it open and peeked up the stairs. Was that the faintest glow from a candle? She thought that it might be. Liv considered the problem of the stairs, and made a trial of putting her hands out to press against the stairwell on either side. She could support her weight with both hands, for a moment at least, while she swung her good foot up to the next step. Liv hurried up the stairs as quick as she could, and did her best to remain quiet. She knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with whoever was ahead, but the creak of another door told her their destination was on the second floor, right above her. When she finally got out into the hallway, Liv couldn¡¯t see any sign of where the mystery person might have gone to. She was just about to admit defeat when a chill breeze blew down the hall, lifting the hem of her shift. Liv set out into the wind, and found that the door to the Room of Curiosities was ajar. If no one from the servants quarters should be on this floor, that went double for the Old Baron¡¯s collection. The things in that room were precious, even Liv knew that, and none of the servants had any business with them. Perhaps Master Grenfell had come down to take a midnight snack from the kitchen, and then gone up to do more work? If so, she would feel rather foolish, but also a bit relieved. Carefully, Liv made her way over to the door, being as quiet as she could. Rather than hop, she slid her foot along using her stocking, and leaned against the stone wall of the corridor. When she reached the door to the chamber, Liv saw the faintest glow of light from within, and the shadow of a person retreating from the window. A cloud must have passed, because the pale light of the moon and the ring overhead flooded into the chamber all at once, revealing the face of Bill, the footman. Liv was just about to step forward and ask him what he was doing when a bat flew in through the window, just like the one she¡¯d found in the morning. Seeing the bat, Bill turned and hurried out of the room. Liv pressed herself back against the wall of the corridor, in the deepest shadow she could find, hoping not to be seen. He never even once looked in her direction, however, and headed directly for the servants¡¯ stair, as if afraid. Liv risked one look back into the chamber. The bat was gone, replaced by the shape of a woman, whose mane of dark hair rustled in the cold night breeze. ¡°Wren?¡± Liv asked, before she could think better of it. 5. Five Crowns Moonlight flashed on steel, and the huntress had a dagger in hand, raised between her and the doorway. Liv jerked back in shock. She wasn¡¯t aware of putting her weight down on her broken ankle until she felt a sudden, piercing pain. With a cry, she crumpled to the floor. No one had ever drawn a weapon on her before. ¡°You should have stayed in bed,¡± Wren hissed, lowering her blade. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Instead of coming over to help, the woman strode over to one of the wall shelves on which so many strange objects had been displayed. Her hand hovered over the statue of a woman, carved from white stone. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Liv asked her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be in here.¡± From somewhere down the hall, she heard voices and footsteps. ¡°No time,¡± Wren muttered to herself. She hesitated an instant more, then scooped the statue up with one hand and cradled it under her arm. For a moment, she seemed to be waiting for something to happen, but the room was silent and still. The dark-haired hunter breathed a sigh of relief, though Liv wasn¡¯t certain what she could have been afraid of. ¡°Put that back!¡± Liv told her. ¡°It isn¡¯t yours.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to your baron, either,¡± Wren said, turning away from the shelf. She strode quickly across the room to the window. ¡°It was stolen, and brought here from Varuna, across the sea. I¡¯m just taking it back.¡± She sat on the window, lifted her legs, and swivelled so that they swung out, dangling into the night. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you woke up tonight, girl,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re going to blame you for this, and you don¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Liv cried out. Wren¡¯s body, her clothing, and even the statue all turned dark, glistening in the light of the moon and the rings as if she was wet. Then, her form collapsed in on itself, and before Liv could do anything, a bat was stretching its wings in the open window. The statue was gone, the huntress was gone, and then the bat flew off into the night. Liv used the wall to lever herself up onto one foot, but her ankle was still throbbing. ¡°What¡¯s going on in here?¡± One of the castle guardsmen barged into the room, carrying an oil lantern encased in glass. Warm light flooded the room, driving away the shadows. ¡°She stole something!¡± Liv cried, pointing into the night. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop her, and I fell down because of my ankle, and then she turned into a bat and went out the window!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be up here, girl,¡± the guard said. ¡°Turned into a bat? Nonsense.¡± ¡°Who is in here?¡± Baron Henry called, striding into the room. He wore a nightgown, with a heavy robe thrown over it, and carried a sheathed sword in his left hand. ¡°The cook¡¯s bastard?¡± ¡°I told you, she stole something,¡± Liv repeated, turning to the baron. ¡°The statue. The white one of the woman. She said it came from across the ocean, and she was taking it back.¡± Henry¡¯s eyes widened, and he turned to the shelf. ¡°Bring the light over here,¡± he commanded the guard, who hurried to comply. ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± the baron said, running his hands over the empty place on the shelf, and looking down at the floor, as if the missing statue might have fallen. When he turned back to Liv, it was with cold eyes, and she shivered. ¡°Were you thinking to sell it, then? Search her,¡± he commanded the guard. The hall was filled with a growing commotion, now, as more guards arrived, and then Lady Julianne crowded in at the doorway. The guard seized Liv roughly, and patted his hands over her shift. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have anything,¡± the guard said, but kept a painful grip on Liv¡¯s arm. ¡°What did you do with the statue?¡± Henry demanded, taking two steps across the room toward her. He was more angry than she had ever seen before. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Liv protested. ¡°The hunter woman was here, her name was Wren. She came in the window after Bill opened it, and then she took it.¡± ¡°The footman, Bill?¡± Julianne asked from the doorway. Liv nodded. ¡°Him! I heard him going up the stairs, so I went to see what he was doing, and he opened the window for her!¡± ¡°I think you had better have the servants¡¯ quarters searched,¡± Lady Julianne suggested to her husband. ¡°Take her to the great hall,¡± Henry commanded the guard who had a hold of Liv. "The rest of you men, wake the servants. Do not allow them to dress, or to take anything from their rooms. Take them immediately to the hall, as well, and keep them there.¡± The guards rushed off, and Liv found herself half-dragged to the door. ¡°Move it, girl,¡± the guard holding her said. ¡°I can¡¯t walk on my ankle,¡± she protested, hopping to keep up with him. ¡°Just carry her,¡± Henry said. ¡°My lord!¡± Master Grenfell was in the hallway now, trying to get around the guards and into the Room of Curiosities. ¡°What happened?¡± The guard threw Liv over his shoulder, and she cried out from the painful jostling her ankle took. ¡°The statue of Ractia,¡± the baron answered. ¡°Someone has stolen it, and the cook¡¯s bastard was involved somehow. Look, Kazamir, there¡¯s something left on the window sill¡­¡± Liv tried to listen for more, but she was carried helplessly to the stairs, and then down, bouncing at every step the guard took. He wasn¡¯t at all being gentle, and she let him know. ¡°My ankle¡¯s broken!¡± she complained. ¡°Thieves don¡¯t have any right to whine,¡± the guard grunted. ¡°Now shut it, or you¡¯ll feel the back of my hand.¡± In the great hall, Liv was roughly deposited onto one of the benches used for the low tables. It would have been better if she had Rose to hug, or if one of the castle cats came by, but she had to sit alone, with the guard glaring at her. She hadn¡¯t been there more than a few moments before Gretta, her mother, and all the other servants were herded in by the baron¡¯s guards. ¡°Liv!¡± her mother cried out, rushing forward to her. ¡°Where were you?¡± ¡°I woke up and you weren¡¯t there,¡± Liv said. ¡°And I heard something in the hall. So I-¡± ¡°No talking,¡± Baron Henry said, hurrying in with his wife and Master Mage Grenfell at his side. ¡°First Footman,¡± he said, addressing Archibald. ¡°We will be questioning each of the servants alone, starting with the scullion. I expect you to help the guards keep order.¡± ¡°Of course, Baron,¡± Archibald said, standing straight even in his night clothes. ¡°You heard the lord,¡± he said, rounding on the other servants. ¡°Sit to yourselves quietly. So long as you have done no wrong against this house, you will be back in your beds shortly.¡± ¡°Why do you want to talk to Liv?¡± Mama asked. ¡°She hasn¡¯t done anything. And she¡¯s hurt.¡± ¡°It will just be a moment, Miss Brodbeck,¡± Master Grenfell said, but Liv didn¡¯t think he sounded very certain about it. ¡°Come along, Liv.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t even let us take her crutch,¡± Gretta complained. ¡°I don¡¯t know what all this is about, but that isn¡¯t right.¡± The guards, even the ones who were normally friendly, like Piers, who always was hanging about the kitchens looking for a snack, were cold and brusque. Liv found herself half pushed, half carried through the castle to Baron Henry¡¯s solar, where she was placed in a chair opposite the baron. The room would have been comfortable, with a thick rung and tapestries on the walls, if she did not feel like a prisoner. Master Grenfell stood at his lord¡¯s left shoulder, and a moment later Lady Julianne rushed in, as well. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You should go back to our chambers,¡± Henry protested. ¡°I¡¯m in no danger from a young girl,¡± his wife argued back. ¡°This is my family as well, now. I should be here for this.¡± Henry sighed. ¡°Very well. Kazamir, pull a chair over for her.¡± Once Julianne had settled herself into a seat, all three turned back to Liv. The guard took up a position at the door. Master Grenfell had taken out his little leather book, again, and turned to a new page with his quill and bottle of ink ready, all set on Baron Henry¡¯s desk. ¡°Tell us what happened tonight,¡± he instructed her. ¡°I woke because my leg hurt,¡± Liv said, ¡°and because Mama wasn¡¯t in bed, and Charlie had left, so I was cold. But then I heard something in the hall, so I got up to see what it was, and it was someone with a candle going to the servants¡¯ stairs.¡± ¡°Did you see who it was?¡± Grenfell asked her. ¡°Not then,¡± Liv said, shaking her head. ¡°But later. It took me a long time to get up the stairs, and I thought I¡¯d lost him, but then the window was open, so I could feel the wind from outside.¡± ¡°Which window?¡± the mage asked. ¡°The one in the Room of Curiosities,¡± Liv said. ¡°The same one that was open this morning, when I brought you your breakfast.¡± ¡°There was a window open this morning?¡± Henry asked Grenfell, turning to the mage with a frown. It was a relief that he was no longer focused on her. ¡°When I entered the room, yes,¡± he replied, writing carefully at the same time. ¡°And the bat flew out this morning, remember?¡± Liv asked. When Grenfell nodded, she continued. ¡°I think the bat was the woman.¡± ¡°Stop,¡± the mage said, holding up one hand. ¡°We shall do this in good order, in an organized fashion. You followed the wind to the Room of Curiosities. What then?¡± ¡°Bill came rushing out, and I put my back against the wall, but he didn¡¯t even see me,¡± Liv said. ¡°I think he was scared, because he was rushing down the hall for the stairs, and he didn¡¯t even look.¡± ¡°You entered the room after that?¡± Grenfell asked. Liv nodded. ¡°And the woman from the fair was there. The one who carried me to the carriage - Wren. She had a dagger, and she took the statue of the lady, and when I told her she shouldn¡¯t do that, she said it had been stolen from Va-room-a.¡± She pronounced the word as carefully as she could, because it was a strange one to her. ¡°The western continent?¡± Lady Julianne broke in. ¡°Was this one of your father¡¯s prizes, Henry?¡± ¡°Set that aside for the moment, if you would, my lady,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°This woman. How did she leave, Liv?¡± ¡°She went out the window,¡± Liv explained. ¡°It was very strange. She got all dark and shiny, like she was water at night, and then she was gone, and the statue too. Just a bat was left, and I think it was the one from this morning, and it flew away and then that was it. The guard came.¡± ¡°This story is ridiculous,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°A woman turning into a bat? Where did you hide the statue, girl?¡± ¡°If you will forgive me, my lord,¡± Master Grenfell broke in. ¡°There are several elements of what this girl has said that I can confirm personally. There was a woman by that name, a foreigner, at the festival, and she did help us bring young miss Brodbeck back to the castle. There was a window open this morning that should not have been, and a bat that flew away when I entered the room. At the time, I thought one of the maids had been airing the room out, and simply neglected to close the window, but now I am not so certain. I would like to know what has been found in the footman¡¯s possessions, and to speak to him, as well.¡± ¡°Go get the footman,¡± Henry ordered the guard standing at the door. ¡°And anything that was found in his room.¡± The horologe in the corner of the solar struck the hour while they waited for the guard to return - Liv counted three bells. She shifted uncomfortably in the chair she¡¯d been given: her ankle was throbbing something fierce now, and she was afraid she¡¯d made it worse than it already was by standing on it. ¡°Let me be perfectly clear, girl,¡± Henry said, once the chiming had died down. ¡°If I discover that you were involved in a theft from this castle, I will put both you and your mother out on the streets, and I will have your hand in the bargain.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t take anything, m¡¯lord,¡± Liv said, keeping her eyes lowered. Her grandparents were dead. Where would Mama and her go, if they couldn¡¯t live in the castle anymore? She tucked her hands underneath her legs to hide them. ¡°That has yet to be determined,¡± the baron said. ¡°She¡¯s wearing nothing but a shift and hose,¡± Lady Julianne broke in. ¡°By the Trinity, Henry, where could she possibly have hidden it? And with a broken ankle? Don¡¯t frighten the girl.¡± The baron opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak the guards hustled in the footman, Bill. ¡°Was there anything found in his room?¡± Henry asked, and the guard stepped forward, holding out his hand. In the light of the lanterns, gold glinted in his palm. ¡°Five Crowns, m¡¯lord,¡± the guard said, handing the coins over to the baron. Henry¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Where does a footman get five crowns, boy?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been saving them up,¡± Bill muttered. ¡°You make ten and seven pennies a day,¡± Henry shot back. ¡°At that wage, it would take you-¡± ¡°One hundred and forty-seven days,¡± Master Mage Grenfell supplied. ¡°Near a hundred and fifty days to save that,¡± Henry continued. ¡°Five crowns saved on a Footman¡¯s wage.¡± He snorted. ¡°Tell me where the money came from, Bill, and do not lie to me. Do it now, and I will not take your hand. You have my word.¡± The footman¡¯s face drained entirely of blood, and Liv didn¡¯t blame him: she believed every word Baron Henry said. She shuddered at the thought of her own arm ending in a stump, raw and bleeding. The idea of it was horrible. ¡°I didn¡¯t steal nothing,¡± Bill said, crumbling. ¡°Please, you have to believe me, m¡¯lord!¡± he begged. ¡°She just told me to open the window, three nights running!¡± ¡°She?¡± Grenfell leaned forward, quill pen at the ready. ¡°Describe the woman. This is the person who gave you the coins, yes? What was her name?¡± ¡°She never told me,¡± Bill said, shaking his head. ¡°She had black hair, and a fur cloak. She looked like a hunter or a trapper, and her voice was odd.¡± ¡°Odd how?¡± Henry asked. ¡°Something about how she said things,¡± the boy told them. ¡°It just wasn¡¯t quite right. Like when she made a ¡®w¡¯ sound, it was more like a ¡®v,¡± Bill said. ¡°And other things like that. Just not how it should have been.¡± ¡°And did you open the window yesterday evening?¡± Grenfell asked. Bill nodded miserably. ¡°Did you open it again tonight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the footman pleaded. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was going to do nothing.¡± ¡°If that is true you are a fool,¡± Henry said. ¡°A foreign woman pays you to open the castle windows, to a room that you know contains rare and precious artifacts, and you did not even consider that she might be a thief? I think it more likely the coins were enough for you to put any other thought out of your mind. You are released from service, William. I promised I would not take your hand if you gave me the truth, and so I shall not, but that is the extent of my mercy. I recommend that when the snows melt, you seek your fortune elsewhere. Take him and throw him out the gates,¡± Henry instructed the guard, who grabbed Bill and dragged him from the solar. ¡°Varuna,¡± Master Grenfell murmured. ¡°That fits, my lord. And the blood on the window sill. There should be records of where your father acquired that particular artifact that we can consult.¡± ¡°Do that as soon as you¡¯ve gotten dressed,¡± Henry instructed. ¡°I want every guard we have in the streets, and I want that woman found.¡± ¡°If she truly is what we suspect,¡± Grenfell protested, ¡°they will not find her. She will simply fly south to a port and find a ship to take her west.¡± ¡°I will write a letter to Duke Thomas and send it immediately,¡± Henry said. ¡°He can search every ship that leaves. We will find her.¡± The mage blew gently across his book, to dry the ink. ¡°It is said that the children of Ractia can take many shapes,¡± he cautioned. ¡°I think you should prepare yourself for disappointment, my lord. I will send word to the guild, so that we might consult with an expert. I also think we should take inventory of everything in that room, to be certain the statue is the only thing missing.¡± ¡°While all of this is no doubt important,¡± Lady Julianne said, rising, ¡°I do not think this young girl needs to be present any longer.¡± Henry frowned, but then nodded. ¡°As you say.¡± He regarded Liv the way she might look at an ant on the kitchen table before she killed it. ¡°I am pleased that you were loyal to this house, girl,¡± he said. ¡°I will see that you are rewarded for it. Go along with the Baroness, now.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord,¡± Liv said, and carefully rose from her chair. ¡°Here, take my arm, child,¡± Lady Julienne said. ¡°Your name is Liv, yes? Such a pretty name.¡± By the time they had made their way out of the solar and into the hallway, the baron and Master Grenfell were back to speaking in hushed tones about the theft. ¡°Thank you, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said. ¡°I can make my way back downstairs,¡± she offered. It felt very uncomfortable to be leaning on the lady of the castle. ¡°Nonsense,¡± Julienne dismissed the idea. ¡°I will return you to your mother. It¡¯s what I would want someone to do, if my child was hurt,¡± she said. ¡°And I have something to speak to you about, as well. I am told that you are a bastard, Liv.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady.¡± Liv hunched her shoulders in, and stared at the floor of the hallway. ¡°What a coincidence,¡± the baroness said. ¡°I am, as well.¡± 6. The Old Tongue ¡°You can¡¯t be,¡± Liv exclaimed, and then looked around the hall and lowered her voice. ¡°Does the Baron know, m¡¯lady?¡± How could that man stand to lower himself by marrying a woman of low birth? Lady Julianne grinned. ¡°Of course he knows. I haven¡¯t been wed long, but I think I can give you at least one piece of advice: don¡¯t begin by lying to your husband. I¡¯ve seen how well that¡¯s worked for my step-mother, and I have no interest in following her path.¡± ¡°But,¡± Liv protested, ¡°Baron Henry hates that I¡¯m a bastard. Everyone says that if I¡¯d been born after his father died, he would have put us both out on the street for the shame of it.¡± ¡°I have an advantage or two that you do not, I will admit,¡± Julianne said, helping Liv down the stairs. She was so distracted that they were three steps down before she realized they were taking the grand staircase, and not the servants¡¯ stairs. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even be here, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said. ¡°You can¡¯t expect the lady of the castle to use the servants¡¯ stairs, can you?¡± Julianne asked with a glint in her eye. ¡°Besides, the railings are much nicer here, and we¡¯ll need them to get down, between your ankle, and my belly.¡± Liv bit her lip. Baron Henry was cold and terrifying, but his wife seemed nice. ¡°What do you have?¡± she asked. ¡°That I don¡¯t, I mean. M¡¯lady.¡± ¡°For one thing,¡± Julianne explained, keeping one arm around Liv¡¯s waist, ¡°I have my father. He never married my mother, but he took me in from the time I was an infant, and raised me as his daughter. I cannot inherit, of course. Still, I had tutors, a maid, and more dresses than any girl could wear if you gave her a lifetime. Even after my father finally wed, and my half-brother was born, Father didn¡¯t turn me out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know my father,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Everyone says he was one of the Eld.¡± ¡°So I am told,¡± Julianne said, helping Liv down the last few steps. ¡°And that, dear girl, gives you an advantage that I did not have.¡± ¡°What?¡± Liv tried to imagine what she could possibly have that the baron¡¯s wife did not. She was a woman of wealth and position; by her own admission, she¡¯d been cared for by a wealthy father. She was also elegant and beautiful, even in the late stages of her pregnancy, and wearing only her night clothes. ¡°Your magic,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Whatever else you lack, your father gave you that.¡± ¡°He did?¡± Liv asked. ¡°It certainly did not come from your mother,¡± the older woman said, as they turned toward the kitchens. ¡°Margaret is a wonder in the kitchen, but she does not have pointed ears or white hair, dear. She doesn¡¯t have blue eyes that look like winter ice. And she could not have saved that girl the way I am told you did.¡± ¡°I wish I did look like my mother,¡± Liv said, before she could think better of it. ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t be so small and ugly.¡± Lady Julianne drew her up in front of the door to the kitchen. ¡°I think you will find, Liv, that when you are grown you are anything but ugly. Now. Master Grenfell has informed me that you will begin lessons with him.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv confirmed, lowering her eyes. What would the first footman think if he saw her being so familiar with the Baron¡¯s wife? It wasn¡¯t the place of a scullion to speak to the lady of the castle. ¡°Good,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Mind your lessons. I will make certain my husband does not object to modifying your duties. Now go on and find your mother - she must be beside herself after all this uproar.¡± Liv made a curtsy as best she could, holding onto the door so that she wouldn¡¯t fall, and then slipped into the kitchen. In spite of the early hour, someone had already lit a fire in the hearth. Mama and Gretta were frying potato cakes, and had brought a jar of preserved apple sauce up from the cold cellar. There was an iron kettle of hot tea at the table, where Archibald looked up from a conversation with Tom, the remaining footman. Even Sophie, the serving maid who had been sick in bed all day, was cradling a cup of hot tea. ¡°Good,¡± Archibald said. ¡°Now that everyone is here, I have a few words to say. Tom, please bring Liv her crutch so that she can have a seat and get a bite to eat.¡± Tom scrambled to his feet, picked up a length of wood with an armrest at the top that had been wrapped in cloth, and brought it over to where Liv leaned against the door. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, but he merely ducked his head and returned to the table. Liv put the crutch under her arm, and immediately noticed how much easier it was to move herself about. The first footman waited until she was seated, with a trencher of fried potato cakes and apple sauce in front of her, before he continued. ¡°I know that it was quite a disturbance to be roused in the middle of the night,¡± Archibald said plainly. ¡°And that we are now out a footman. Between that and Liv¡¯s injury, it is going to be a difficult few days. I am going to need each one of you to step up to the challenge ahead of us, for the good of the castle. You may be asked to perform tasks outside of your normal duties, and I expect that you will do so without hesitation or complaint. Every one of us must do what we can to take up the slack until a new footman has been hired.¡± Liv kept her eyes on her food, slicing off a piece of potato cake and dipping it in the applesauce. After the harvest, she¡¯d spent hours helping Gretta and her mother boil down bushels of apples, jarring them, and carrying everything down to the cold cellar to last the winter. Now, she found that she was absolutely famished, and ate quickly while she listened to the first footman talk. ¡°I have also been informed,¡± Archibald said, ¡°That our Livy will be attending lessons with Master Grenfell. We congratulate her, but that is going to mean that certain duties will need to be shifted around. Maggie, at what hour are the lessons?¡± Liv¡¯s mother spoke up without leaving the cakes she was flipping. ¡°From ninth bell until noon,¡± she said. Archibald chewed on that for a moment. ¡°Liv, you will come down to light the hearth as normal. Everyone will bring their own chamber pots to you to be scrubbed. I don¡¯t believe any of us wish one of the pots dropped in the hall.¡± Sophie wrinkled her nose at that. ¡°I believe you should be able to set the table before breakfast, clear it after, and clean the dishes before you go upstairs,¡± the first footman said, and Liv nodded. With the crutch, she thought she could manage well enough. ¡°Tom and Sophie will set and clear the tables for all meals during your lessons, and when you come down, Liv, you will wash the dishes. You will carry out your normal duties from that point on.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Liv said, looking down at her empty trencher with longing. She was still hungry.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°I don¡¯t see why I should have to do extra work so that she can laze about upstairs, getting above her station,¡± Sophie remarked. She had a sour look about her, as if she¡¯d bitten a lime. ¡°Why not?¡± Archibald shot back. ¡°When you were sick abed yesterday, we all pitched in to see your duties completed - including Liv. That is what we do here. The worst will be over in a few days, when we have hired a new footman.¡± When Sophie opened her mouth again, he kept going, right over her. ¡°I will hear no more about it. You should be proud that one of us has earned an opportunity. I will not abide jealousy.¡± Liv felt her cheeks flush under Sophie¡¯s gaze, but the serving maid said nothing further. ¡°Now,¡± the first footman said, ¡°We did not plan on getting an early start today, but we have it nonetheless. Let us take advantage. I expect everyone to be dressed and at their duties; the events of the night do not alter the fact that breakfast must be served on time, upstairs in the great hall.¡± At the first footman¡¯s command, the serving staff sprung into action. Liv, as she scrubbed clean the chamber pots that were brought to her, one after the other, was forced to reconsider her feelings on ¡®Mean Archie.¡¯ He was never going to stop being stern, she figured; but he had also put an immediate stop to Sophie¡¯s venom, and given Liv not so much as a harsh word about her morning lessons. In fact, he¡¯d said they should all be proud of her. In spite of the stink of the dirty pots, and the vinegar, Liv found herself smiling. By the time the ninth bell struck, Liv was dressed in fresh clothes and a clean apron, her hands still red from washing the dishes, but in front of Master Grenfell¡¯s chamber door right on time. She was surprised that there were no other children waiting - had something happened to delay them? A peal of laughter echoed down the hall, from the direction of the grand staircase, and two young women came into view just as Master Grenfell opened the door to his chambers. Liv thought she caught a slight twitching around his brow and the corner of his mouth, but the mage¡¯s voice was even when he spoke. ¡°Miss Mason, Miss Cooper,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°Good morning to you. Please come in and take your seats. We are joined by Miss Brodbeck, a new student.¡± ¡°Good morning,¡± Liv said, doing her best to make a curtsy with the aid of her crutch. When she glanced up at the other two girls, however, their expressions gave the impression they¡¯d been confronted with ants at the table, or a particularly large and frightening spider. Griselda Mason and Mirabel Cooper were the sort of girls that even Liv recognized. In the first place, they came to Castle Whitehill everyday for their lessons, delivered in a carriage so that neither had to debase herself with something as low-class as actually walking on the streets. For the second, the two young women held court each and every market day, surrounded by a rotating gaggle of Whitehill Upon Aspen¡¯s young bachelors. Until this morning, Liv had never actually been put into a situation where she had to speak to either of them. They were like creatures from a different world. Their dresses were both of dark gray fabric for an outer layer, but brightly colored silk linings peeked out at the sleeves and collars. The daughters of merchants weren¡¯t permitted to dress like nobles, not openly, but by using expensive cloth on the inside of their skirts and bodices, they got away with flouting the laws. Both girls were taller than Liv, though she thought not much older. Their hair was uncovered, and pinned up with beautiful wooden combs; a few artful curls of honey-blonde hair escaped, no doubt quite deliberately arranged. Kohl had been used to outline their eyes, and Liv suspected the red blush of their cheeks came less from the winter cold, and more from the application of rouge. Even their eyebrows were elegant, no doubt carefully plucked by their maids. Confronted with them, Liv wanted to crawl away and hide. ¡°What is that doing here?¡± Mirabel asked, turning to Master Grenfel as if she¡¯d been presented with a shovel-full of manure, instead of a new classmate. ¡°Miss Brodbeck will be taking lessons with you,¡± Grenfell repeated, though Liv thought that his voice had a bit of a tremor to it. ¡°Please, ladies, go in and be seated.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were taking on charity cases,¡± Griselda remarked, and then the two girls brushed past Liv in a cloud of perfume and entered the room. Liv realized that she was biting her lip. ¡°Please,¡± Grenfell said, extending his hand to direct Liv into the chamber. She shuffled in with her eyes down, and found that three chairs had been arranged in front of matching desks. In the brief moment they¡¯d had in the room ahead of her, Mirabel and Griselda had moved their two desks off to one side, creating a space between where they sat and the empty third chair that was waiting for Liv. Liv scurried over to her desk, while Master Grenfell paced up to the front of the room, where a tall wooden table of some sort - she didn¡¯t know the name of it - was waiting for him. On her own desk she found a piece of white chalk and a slate. ¡°Do you think she even knows how to read?¡± Mirabel whispered to her friend, just loud enough to be certain that Liv would hear her. ¡°Let us review, for the benefit of our newest student,¡± Grenfell began. He was completely ignoring what Mirabel had said, Liv realized. Or hadn¡¯t he heard? ¡°Why do we study grammar?¡± Griselda answered, her tone and expression both conveying her boredom. ¡°Because the old tongue is the language of magic,¡± she said. ¡°V?dic,¡± the master mage corrected her. ¡°You may perpetuate the widespread ignorance of humanity when you are at home, but at least in this room we will be precise and exact. The language of magic, as you call it, Miss Mason, is the first tongue of this world. It was the language used by the V?dic Lords before they were cast down. What fragments remain to us form the words of power used by the Mage Guild, by noble families such as our own Summersets, and even by your father¡¯s own Hall of Bricklayers and Masons.¡± Words of power, Liv realized, like the one that had come to her the day before on the frozen river. At the memory, it stirred in the back of her mind, like a cat arching its back after a long nap in the sun. ¡°And yet, a word of power alone is insufficient,¡± Grenfell continued. ¡°Do you recall why, Miss Brodbeck?¡± Liv jumped in her seat, suddenly aware of the other two girls watching her. She thought back to what the master mage had told her the day before, and what he¡¯d made her promise. ¡°You said it was like fire,¡± she said, finally. ¡°That it wasn¡¯t safe to say, unless you¡¯d been taught to do it right.¡± ¡°Do you even know what grammar is?¡± Mirabel asked, from across the room. Liv shook her head, and lowered her eyes to the slate on her desk. ¡°See?¡± the mayor¡¯s daughter complained. ¡°I doubt she even knows how to read. What is a peasant like that doing here with us?¡± ¡°I can read,¡± Liv muttered. ¡°I doubt that,¡± Griselda chimed in. ¡°Miss Brodbeck is here,¡± Master Grenfell broke in, ¡°because she has a very rare and unique gift. She is here because yesterday she saved Emma Forrester by using a word of power. I imagine the story is already making its way around the town. You both should understand by now how dangerous a word is in the hands of someone who is untrained, if your studies here have meant anything to you. Liv must learn at least enough so that she does not pose a danger to Whitehill.¡± ¡°That was her?¡± Griselda exclaimed. ¡°I thought it was you.¡± ¡°Which word?¡± Mirabel broke in. Liv looked to Master Grenfell for guidance. She shouldn¡¯t say it out loud, should she? ¡°That is not relevant to today¡¯s lesson,¡± the mage said. ¡°Maybe not to the lesson,¡± Mirabel pushed on, ¡°But it will be to my father. Unauthorized use of a registered word of power is a crime. Who did she learn it from - or did she steal it?¡± A sudden rushing sound in her ears kept Liv from hearing what was said next. She¡¯d known that nobles were secretive about their magic, and the guilds as well - but a crime? Had she broken the king¡¯s laws, yesterday? But all she¡¯d meant to do was save a little girl from drowning. It was an accident. ¡°It was an accident,¡± she repeated, out loud. ¡°I didn¡¯t steal anything. No one taught me. It was just there, in my throat, and it came out.¡± The argument in the room stopped at her words, and there was a long moment of silence. ¡°Say that if you like,¡± Mirabel said, finally. ¡°But you can be certain I will go directly home to my father when we are finished here and tell him. I expect he will meet with the sheriff this afternoon, and then you can lie to them and see if they believe you.¡± ¡°I have already consulted the records of the guild,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°The word spoken by Miss Brodbeck is not one registered to any noble family in this kingdom. Now. We will continue, and there will be no further discussion on this topic during our lesson. Is that understood?¡± When there was no response, the mage moved on with his lesson. There was a great deal to do with words that Liv had never heard of before: nouns and verbs and conjugations and cases, and there were charts as well, full of letters and pieces of words. She dutifully copied everything onto her slate, but she didn¡¯t really understand anything that Master Grenfell was saying. All Liv could think about was what Mirabel Cooper had promised to do. It was all well and good for a master mage to say the matter was over with, but what if the sheriff didn¡¯t agree? What kind of crime was it, anyway, to use a word of power? The kind meant a fine in silver? The kind where they jailed you, or put you in the stocks? Or was it a crime you went to the headsman for? 7. Blackwoods Bestiary Over the course of three bells spent under Master Grenfell¡¯s instruction, Liv realized just how hopelessly lost she was. The first hour consisted of studying what the master mage called ¡®grammar,¡¯ and she found the entire thing twisted her mind into knots. She had never really had to think about language before: people just talked, didn¡¯t they? Sometimes you learned a new word that you¡¯d never heard before, but that was normal. What was there to study? But no, apparently words were sorted into different categories, and those categories had names. Why anyone would possibly need to know those names, Liv couldn¡¯t understand. She supposed Master Grenfell must have a reason, and she was willing to take it on faith he thought it necessary, but she had never heard any of this before. When the mage understood just how lost she was, he set the two older girls to drawing strange diagrams of words and lines on their slates, and then pulled a chair up next to Liv and her desk. ¡°We will begin with parts of speech,¡± he said. ¡°Let us talk about pronouns.¡± Personal attention from Master Grenfell helped to calm Liv¡¯s rising panic. She¡¯d never attended a class on anything, before. Everything she¡¯d ever learned had been from working with her mother, or Gretta, or one of the other servants in the kitchens. She tried to ignore whatever Mirabel and Griselda were whispering about, and did her best to stuff her worries about the sheriff at the back of her mind. ¡°I imagine your mother has taught you to cook a few things, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Master Grenfell asked. Liv nodded. ¡°Tell me something you know how to cook well.¡± ¡°Oatcakes,¡± Liv said, after thinking for a moment. Mostly, she was only allowed to help in small ways: measuring out ingredients, rolling dough, or mixing batter. But Gretta had taught her how to make oatcakes from beginning to end the year before, so that she could make a birthday breakfast for her mother. ¡°Good,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I don¡¯t know that I have ever made oatcakes, Miss Brodbeck. Tell me, what ingredients do you need to use?¡± ¡°Oats, of course,¡± Liv said. ¡°And good cinnamon from Lendh ka Dakruim. And then egg whites. Butter to fry them in, and some fresh fruit or preserves to put on top when you serve them.¡± ¡°Cinnamon is a spice, I believe?¡± the mage asked, and Liv nodded. ¡°There are other spices that you use in the kitchen as well. Mace, pepper, clove¡­ would the oatcakes taste right if you were to use clove, instead of cinnamon?¡± ¡°No!¡± Liv shook her head and made a face. ¡°Ew. Why would you do that?¡± ¡°But they are both spices, aren¡¯t they?¡± Grenfell said. ¡°What difference does it make?¡± ¡°Different spices have different tastes,¡± she said. ¡°You can¡¯t just put any spice in any recipe. It doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°I would like,¡± Master Grenfell said, ¡°for you to think about different kinds of words as different kinds of ingredients. Like spices, you cannot simply use any pronoun you like. You cannot make an entire meal of spices, either - you need vegetables, meats, and what have you. Nor can you make a sentence of only pronouns, or only verbs. Making a functioning sentence is like following a recipe.¡± Liv hadn¡¯t thought of it like that before - in fact, she hadn¡¯t even realized that you could think of talking in that way. ¡°Some ingredients bind others together,¡± she mused, thinking through the comparison. ¡°You need yeast to make bread rise, or butter to fry something in. Otherwise it doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°And without the right kinds of words, a sentence doesn¡¯t work. Which is why your magic went completely out of control, and nearly killed you.¡± ¡°I only had one ingredient,¡± Liv realized. ¡°Which meant that you were doomed to failure. I need you to learn how words and sentences work, before you use your magic again,¡± the mage continued. ¡°But I cannot have you learning using V?dic. You must learn and practice the principles using what you already know, because that is how we teach safely. Once you understand, you can begin learning V?dic. And to begin with, you are going to memorize a chart of pronouns.¡± It was still daunting, but at least what she was being asked to do made sense after that conversation. Liv didn¡¯t actually have to learn new words - she already knew every one that was on the chart. She had to learn a new way of organizing them, of thinking about them. First, second and third person, singular and plural, male or female. There were categories within categories, like foods that were savory or sweet. She thought that she might be just beginning to get the hang of it when Master Grenfell moved the three girls on to doing something else at the top of the second hour of class time. That something else, as it turned out, was a skill that Liv felt much more comfortable with: singing. She¡¯s been joining her mother and Gretta in cooking songs for as long as she could remember, and even Archibald agreed that she had a nice voice. Again, however, Master Grenfell approached things in a way that was entirely strange to her. Instead of just starting a song and encouraging her to sing along, he had them breathing in all sorts of odd ways. ¡°Breathe in and hold,¡± Grenfell commanded, pacing around the three girls. ¡°Hold. Hold¡­ and exhale.¡± Liv gasped out, and struggled to follow along when the master mage instructed them to breathe in again. He had them use the muscles in their stomachs, or their lips and their nostrils, and to make specific sounds that he said would help them improve. Liv would have preferred just singing, especially because all of these exercises and tricks seemed to be things that Mirabel and Griselda were familiar with. They were able to do what Master Grenfell asked perfectly, the first time, while Liv often needed the mage to show her again, or take time to correct her. By the end of the second hour, she was no longer panicked about grammar or the sheriff, but simply frustrated at how much the mage could complicate something that had always been simple and fun for her. It was the third hour, however, that finally made Liv feel as if she were really learning about magic. Ending breathing and voice exercises with the striking of the horologe at eleventh bell, Master Grenfell extracted a large, leather-bound book from one of his shelves, opened it, and placed it on his lectern. That was another new word that Liv had learned over the course of a very long morning. ¡°This,¡± he began, probably for Liv¡¯s benefit, ¡°is a bestiary produced by the mage guild - specifically, by Master Blackwood at the College of V?dic Grammar. It is the responsibility of every guild member who participates in the culling of a rift to submit a report on the beasts encountered during the culling, so that guild records can be updated. Those notes make their way into new editions of this book.¡± He patted the tome with one hand. ¡°We have been covering beasts commonly found in or around the rift at Bald Peak. We have extensive notes due to the Summerset family''s many culling expeditions over the years of their reign here.¡± ¡°Like the bat on the wall of the Room of Curiosities?¡± Liv asked, speaking before she could stop herself. ¡°Indeed,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°In fact, since we have such a convenient example, why don¡¯t we take that as our subject for the day. Come along, girls,¡± he said, hefting the book into his arms. ¡°Follow me.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Liv sprang up from her chair, and then followed the mage out the door of the chamber and down the hall. She wanted to know about the strange stones and bony growths on the enormous, stuffed creature, and she was so excited about learning that she didn¡¯t pay attention to the two young women behind her. Liv had just set the tip of her crutch down, and was about to lift her good foot, when someone stepped on her heel from behind. With a cry, Liv fell forward and tumbled down onto the stone floor of the hallway. The crutch went clattering out of her grasp, and a sudden shock of pain pierced her bad ankle. Liv winced, and felt her eyes beginning to tear up. ¡°Watch your step,¡± Griselda sneered at her as the two girls went by, stepping around her. ¡°You¡¯re so clumsy,¡± Mirabel added, kicking the crutch as she went by so that it skittered even farther away, where Liv couldn''t reach it without crawling. ¡°Ooops. Better hurry up, cripple.¡± Master Grenfell paused, turning to look back and frowning when he saw Liv on the ground. ¡°Are you injured, Miss Brodbeck?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be alright,¡± Liv said, reaching her crutch and using it to help her get to her feet. ¡°You may need to slow down so that she can keep up,¡± Mirabel remarked, with an innocent expression on her face. The mage frowned, and for just a moment Liv thought that he was going to do something to punish the awful girl. Surely he could see what they had done. Instead, he shook his head. ¡°My apologies, Miss Brodbeck,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I should have measured my pace in consideration of your injury. If you are ready, we shall proceed.¡± This time, Liv deliberately lagged behind, keeping the two older girls ahead of her where she could see them. She had no intention of giving them another opportunity to hurt her. Unfortunately, doing that meant she was the last one to arrive in the Room of Curiosities, and she had to crane her neck to see past them. Somehow, Griselda and Mirabel always seemed to be in the way, no matter where Liv tried to stand to get a better view of the great bat mounted on the wall. ¡°Take a good look,¡± Grenfell invited them. ¡°Visitors to the castle are not generally permitted into this room to view the collection - not without the baron¡¯s express permission. I have special dispensation to make a study of the room¡¯s contents, but if you were not my students you would not be permitted to enter. Be certain you touch nothing while you are here.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell us why it has those stones on its body?¡± Liv asked. Now that they were here, her excitement had returned. She wasn¡¯t going to let those awful girls ruin this. ¡°What did you call them - A-loo-thet-stay-ah?¡± ¡°Aluthet''Staia,¡± Grenfell said, correcting her. ¡°Whitehill¡¯s most valuable natural resource and export,¡± he explained. ¡°Our agriculture supports our population, and we do produce an excess of cattle suitable for trade. Our miners even find a bit of silver, from time to time, but none of that would be enough to support a town of this size, or to have built such an extensive castle for defense. Who can tell me what these stones are used for, and where they come from?¡± Griselda spoke up before anyone else could. ¡°They¡¯re manastones - at least, that is what most people call them. The Mason¡¯s guild mines them at Bald peak.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Master Grenfell said, with a nod. ¡°You can think of each of these stones like a bucket - they can be filled with mana, and then emptied again when that mana is needed. Anyone capable of using high magic will find them valuable, for that reason. While the mage¡¯s guild is probably the single largest consumer of Aluthet''Staia, most noble houses want them as well. This demand, combined with the danger of mining the stone and its rarity, means that what our mine at Bald Peak produces fetches a high price.¡± ¡°But how did it get onto that bat?¡± Liv asked. She kept her eyes on the master mage, doing her best to ignore the looks the older two girls shot her. ¡°Did it just grow there?¡± ¡°Something very like that,¡± Grenfell explained. ¡°Beneath Bald Peak, down in the lowest level of the mines, is a minor rift. Based on artifacts recovered from the shoals, Baron Henry¡¯s late father believed that the V?dic Lords once mined the mountain for these stones, just as we do now. Like many places where the old gods once walked, the lowest depths of the mines spill wild mana out into the world. That mana changes the animals that live in the caverns, or around the slopes of the mountain.¡± ¡°Look how large the wingspan of this bat is,¡± the mage continued. ¡°Over six feet, at full extension. This is not some special species that naturally grows to a monstrous size; it is a normal cave bat, the kind that could be found all throughout the kingdom, in any cavern of sufficient size. It is the transformative effect of the uncontrolled mana which has caused the bat to swell and grow into what you see here. The stones protruding from its skin, and the bone casque along the top of its skull, are produced by the same cause.¡± ¡°What is a casque?¡± Liv asked. She didn¡¯t care what the other two girls thought of her, or what they said - this was what she¡¯d been hoping to learn the day before, when she came to the room with Master Grenfell¡¯s breakfast. It was a magic bat. ¡°You said the mana affects everything that lives on the mountain. Does that mean there are magic mushrooms in the caves? And worms, and spiders?¡± ¡°All of that and more,¡± Grenfell confirmed, with a smile and a laugh. ¡°But let us stick to the bat, for a moment. A casque, Miss Brodbeck, is a bony growth that is porous, nearly hollow, on the inside. Beasts such as this develop them as a way to store mana. The stones, in this case, function more as a sort of armored hide, being too small for any other purpose. No, the casque is what gave this bat its power.¡± He ran a finger along the ¡®v¡¯ shaped bone protrusion atop the monster¡¯s head. ¡°Those things have killed two miners since last flood,¡± Griselda remarked. For once this morning, she was saying something that Liv was interested in. ¡°Daddy says the baron is going to have to cull the entire place soon, or the mining won¡¯t be able to continue.¡± ¡°That is a discussion for the baron and the guild,¡± Grenfell stopped her, ¡°and I will not comment on it today, save to assure you all that we are monitoring the rift closely, and there has not yet been an eruption. You may trust that everything is under control. The Bald Peak Rift has been the responsibility of the Summerset family for a very long time, and they are quite familiar with the dangers.¡± ¡°In addition to raw size, an armored hide, and the ability to store mana,¡± the mage continued, ¡°these creatures have a highly developed sense unique to rifts like the one under Bald Peak. They are capable of perceiving the flow of mana itself, which makes them particularly suited to tracking mages in the shoals of the rift.¡± ¡°They always roost around the best deposits of manastone,¡± Griselda agreed, with a nod. ¡°We actually suspect they feed on it,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I have dissected no few of these monsters, and their bellies are often full of small pebbles, emptied of mana.¡± ¡°Do they have a name?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Most of the miners call them stone bats,¡± the mage answered. ¡°And Master Blackwood judged that sufficient to use in their entry within the bestiary. It is fortunate we have an example here; you can learn a lot from this. Most of the mutations common around Bald Peak are displayed in this specimen-¡± The horologe in one corner of the room chimed noon, interrupting Master Grenfell. ¡°Good day, Master,¡± Mirabel said, and curtsied. Griselda followed her, and then both women left. ¡°Liv,¡± the mage said, ¡°stay behind a moment.¡± ¡°I need to be downstairs to resume my duties,¡± she told him. ¡°I know. I simply want you to understand something,¡± Grenfell said, crouching down next to her so that they were nearly on eye level. ¡°Those two girls are not going to be mages.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t?¡± Liv frowned. ¡°Then why are they here?¡± ¡°Their fathers pay for my instruction so that they can attend the College of V?dic Grammar when they turn eighteen,¡± Master Grenfell explained. ¡°Where they hope to catch a husband. They are merchant girls, Liv, and their families have no magic of their own - only the magic licensed to the guilds. What they do have is youth, beauty, and money. Applied correctly, those things may be enough for them to marry into a noble family, and the College is the best place to meet the sort of young man they are looking for.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Liv wasn¡¯t quite certain what to say to that. ¡°Is that why they came late?¡± Grenfell laughed. ¡°Very perceptive. What I am trying to explain to you, Miss Brodbeck, is that they don¡¯t really care to learn what I am teaching. They need to know just enough to be admitted to the college for a year. You, on the other hand,¡± he continued, ¡°absolutely need to learn what I am going to teach you. For your own safety, and for the safety of others. I hope that you will remember that, and not allow them to distract you from what you¡¯re here to do.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, sir,¡± she promised. ¡°About the sheriff-¡± ¡°You let me deal with the sheriff,¡± Master Grenfell told her. ¡°Now go on down to the kitchens. As you said, your duties are waiting for you.¡± 8. A Promise Liv used her crutch to swing herself out the door and into the hall, leaving the mage behind in the Room of Curiosities. She couldn¡¯t stop wondering about the sheriff all the way down the servants¡¯ stairs, but once she was in the kitchen she didn¡¯t have time to worry about it anymore. Gretta and her mother had already prepared the midday meal for the great hall, and Archibald and the remaining footman, Tom, were upstairs serving. That meant the two women were on to making food for the servants, and that the scullery was quickly filling up with pots, pans, and cooking implements of every kind dirtied by meal preparation. On a normal day, Liv would have been cleaning as they went, but now she was behind and spent the next bell desperately trying to catch up. She only set her work aside when Gretta came in to get her. ¡°Come to the table before your food gets cold, Liv,¡± the old woman told her. ¡°This will all still be here after you¡¯ve had a bite.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s alright?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I won¡¯t be in any trouble?¡± ¡°None, dear,¡± Gretta assured her. ¡°Now come wash all that gunk off your hands before you sit down.¡± There was a bowl of beet stew waiting for her, stuffed full of garlic, celery, onions and carrots, as well as two slices from a fresh loaf of brown bread, and watered wine to drink. Liv was grateful that no one spoke to her until she was using a scrap of bread to sop up the last of the broth from her bowl. ¡°How did you find your lessons?¡± Archibald asked her. He¡¯d long since finished his own meal, and was sipping the dregs of his wine. Liv didn¡¯t want to tell anyone how horrible the two older girls had been; there was nothing any of them could do, anyway, and she didn¡¯t want to seem like she was whining. ¡°I started to learn about grammar,¡± she said. That seemed safe enough. ¡°And how to breathe properly. And then we went to look at the stone-bat, and Master Grenfell told us about why it has those things poking out of its body - like the casque on its head. Have you ever seen it?¡± she asked, looking around the table. That had been worth holding her tongue through everything Mirabel and Griselda did. Gretta, and Sophie all shook their heads, but First Footman Archibald did not. ¡°I have, in fact,¡± he said. ¡°As has Tom. The footmen are entrusted with airing the room out and keeping it in order. Or at least,¡± he said, ¡°we were. We shall have to see whether anything changes after last evening¡¯s unpleasantness. But I believe we are all glad to hear that you are doing well.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said. For a moment, she almost asked about the sheriff, but she didn¡¯t want to make it anyone else¡¯s problem. In the past day she¡¯d already caused enough trouble for an entire year. She stood, and lifted her own bowl and cup, tucking them under one arm so that she could use her crutch. ¡°I have a lot of work to do in the scullery,¡± she said. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Archibald nodded, and Liv made her escape. For as hard as she had to work in the scullery, it was also a place that was safe and familiar. Other than to drop off dirty dishes, no one came in to bother her. Liv scrubbed her way through everything dirtied not only by the morning¡¯s cooking, but also the midday meal both upstairs and down. On a normal day, she would have time to herself between the second bell of the afternoon and the third, but she was so far behind that she had to keep right on working. Liv only stopped when Tom knocked on the door. ¡°Someone¡¯s here to see you, Livy,¡± he said, then turned to walk away. He had his own duties to attend to, she knew. Carefully, Liv set aside the wine goblet she¡¯d been cleaning, rinsed her hands, and reached for her crutch. Surely he would have said ¡®the sheriff is here for you,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t he, instead of just someone? If it wasn¡¯t the sheriff, though, who else could it be? There was a door directly out of the kitchen to the courtyard, so that Mama or Gretta could receive deliveries, or for Tom, Sophie or Liv to take out rubbish. Liv put her hand on the door, but couldn¡¯t bring herself to open it for a long moment. She couldn¡¯t breathe, and had to close her eyes. The sheriff wouldn¡¯t come around to the kitchen door, anyway, she knew. She was being silly. Taking a deep breath, Liv opened the door, and blinked at the cold winter wind that immediately struck her in the face. The man waiting outside had a great beard and mustaches in which snow and ice had already accumulated, and a heavy, hooded cloak of dark wool. Thick fur lining peaked out from beneath the hood, or whenever the cloak billowed in the wind. His boots were of good leather, as well, and he even wore gloves, which Mama had never quite been able to justify spending silver suns to get. Rather than the man, however, Liv couldn¡¯t help but look down at the massive buck resting on the ground at his feet. ¡°You are Liv Brodbeck?¡± the man asked her, his voice rough as if he didn¡¯t use it often. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Liv said, doing her best to curtsy despite her crutch. ¡°This is for you, then,¡± the bearded man said. ¡°I¡¯ve drained it and gutted it already.¡± Liv blinked, looked down at the deer, then back up at the man. She opened her mouth once, closed it again, and then finally managed to ask, ¡°Who are you, sir?¡± ¡°Kale Forester,¡± the man answered. ¡°You saved my little girl, yesterday. Emma. Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Liv exhaled. Not the sheriff. Despite everything she¡¯d told herself, only now could she actually relax. ¡°She¡¯s alright, then? I can hardly remember what happened, but I was very frightened for her.¡± ¡°She is now,¡± Forester assured her. ¡°Because of what you did. I should have been watching her more closely,¡± he admitted. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t seen her go under - I can¡¯t even think about it.¡± The man coughed into his glove, clearing his throat. ¡°So. This is for you. You can do what you like with it - sell the meat, cook it.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Liv said. The carcass was massive, with two sets of antlers coming off the head that reminded her of the stone-bat¡¯s casque. Instead of a small ¡®v¡¯ shape, however, the antlers branched out again and again, finally ending in a spread of at least ten points between the entire rack. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to, you know?¡± Liv continued. ¡°I just did what anyone would have. I only happened to be watching her skate, because Mama was talking to someone.¡± ¡°A man pays his debts,¡± the hunter said. ¡°You saved my daughter¡¯s life, Miss Brodbeck. And that is a debt that I can never repay. This isn¡¯t much, but please - accept it as a gift.¡± ¡°Of course she will,¡± Mama said, coming up behind her. Liv leaned back into her mother with relief; now that Mama was here, she wouldn¡¯t have to talk. ¡°Thank you, Master Forester.¡± ¡°No master here,¡± the man said, smiling beneath his mustaches. ¡°Just a man trying to do right. You¡¯re the girl¡¯s mother?¡± ¡°Margaret Brodbeck, yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll trust you to see to this, then,¡± Forester said. ¡°Unless - little girl. Liv. You like ice skating?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never tried,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°But I would like to, someday.¡± If her mother ever allowed it. ¡°Let me take the horns, then,¡± the hunter said, after considering a moment. ¡°I will make you skates from them, like my daughter¡¯s. Would you like that?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Before her mother could say no, Liv grinned and nodded her head. ¡°I would! Thank you, Master Forester.¡± ¡°More excited about the skates than the meat,¡± the man said, drawing a hunting knife from his belt. ¡°I should have expected that. I¡¯ll have these off in a moment. Where do you want the carcass, Mistress Brodbeck?¡± ¡°Only ¡®miss,¡± Mama corrected him. ¡°I¡¯ve no husband. Bring it along inside, we¡¯ll put it in the cold cellar. Gretta and I will cut up some good venison steaks, Liv, how does that sound for a special dinner? Run along back to your work, now.¡± By the time the antlers had been removed, the buck put into storage, and the woodsman gone, Liv was just finishing up the midday dishes. She thought it just as well that Master Forester left without speaking any further, because Liv didn¡¯t know what to say to him in any event. She¡¯d never had an adult thank her, truly thank her, for something so important before. She was looking forward to the skates, however, and wondered how long it would take before they were done. The rest of the day settled back into the routine that had made up Liv¡¯s life for as long as she could remember. Once she was caught up in the scullery, she helped Mama and Gretta in the kitchen. They¡¯d cut beautiful steaks from the buck, and Liv was immediately set to mincing garlic and rosemary. Once she was done with that, she was sent to haul jars of blackberry preserves, gathered from the mountain slopes, up from the cold cellar. ¡°Stir this, my dove,¡± Mama told her when she¡¯d finished. Liv took the handle of a wooden spoon from her mother, and kept the onions in the buttered skillet from burning. Once they were done, she held a platter while Gretta scooped the onions out, and then sat down to watch the two women begin searing the steaks in the same pan. With the smells of cooking filling the kitchen, and the hearth warming the room, Liv set her crutch aside and simply watched for a few moments. Despite everything that had happened, and her lingering worries about the sheriff, for a little while everything felt safe, warm and familiar. At dinner, everyone praised the venison; when Archibald and Tom came downstairs from serving, they brought the compliments of Baron Henry and his wife. ¡°Lady Julianne, in particular, wanted to pass her thanks along,¡± the first footman told Liv. ¡°She wanted you to know that she appreciates you sharing your gift with the entire household.¡± Liv felt her face get hot, so she looked down at her trencher and sliced off a piece of venison so tender she felt like it was melting on her tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else she was going to do with it,¡± Sophie groused. ¡°It¡¯s not as if she could butcher it, cook it and eat it all herself.¡± ¡°That will be enough, Sophie,¡± the first footman said. By the time Liv was finished cleaning all of the evening¡¯s dishes, she was more than ready to curl up in a nest of blankets. When she made her way to the room that she shared with her mother, however, she found half the clothes that had been stored there gone, and Mama waiting for her, seated on the bed. ¡°Come and have a seat, dove,¡± her mother said, patting the bed next to her. Liv used the crutch to make her way over, set it down on the floor, and then plopped herself down. ¡°Where are all your things?¡± Liv asked. She found Rosie, pulled the rag doll to her chest and gave it a hug. ¡°And where did you go last night?¡± ¡°I slept in one of the empty rooms,¡± Mama said. ¡°Gretta helped me find clean linens and make the bed. And I had Tom help me move my things over tonight while you were cleaning the dishes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I woke up all alone.¡± ¡°Is that why you poked your head out when you heard someone in the hall?¡± her mother asked, and Liv nodded her head. ¡°See, I know you, my love. I slept in another bed because I wanted you to have room to stretch out your leg,¡± she explained. ¡°Without anything bumping that plastered up ankle. But this has been coming for a while, dove.¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°It was cold. You should come back tonight.¡± ¡°You have plenty of blankets and furs, and look,¡± Mama said. ¡°Here comes Charlie.¡± The black mouser crossed half the room, then paused to stretch before leaping up onto the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep alone,¡± Liv said. ¡°I know, love,¡± Mama said. ¡°But it''s time for you to have your own room. You¡¯re going to need more room, once you start having books that you need to read, or - I don¡¯t even know what. Magic rocks, and what have you. Skates, in a few days.¡± She gently nudged Liv with her elbow. ¡°The other girls in the class aren¡¯t very nice,¡± Liv said. ¡°No, I expect they wouldn¡¯t be,¡± her mother agreed. ¡°People like them don¡¯t want to mix with people like us, and they get upset when they have to.¡± ¡°The baron¡¯s wife was nice, though,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°She wasn¡¯t mean.¡± She hesitated: past experience had taught her that asking this question was not going to make her mother happy. But she had to know. ¡°Lady Julianne said my father gave me my magic.¡± Mama stiffened against her body. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, after a long silence. ¡°I expect that is true. It certainly didn¡¯t come from me. My parents had no noble blood, nor theirs, as far back as they ever told me about. But your father did. He had hair like yours, too - and your eyes. He was beautiful, like you.¡± ¡°Will you tell me about him?¡± Already, this was more than Liv had ever heard from her mother before. She expected the answer to be no. ¡°He had a wonderful voice,¡± Mama said. ¡°That¡¯s how we met, actually. He was exploring the gardens, and he heard me singing. I never thought I was a great beauty, dove, but I was young then. I suppose I was pretty enough. And he was sad. Very sad.¡± ¡°Why was he sad?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Because his sister had died,¡± Mama said. ¡°It was the reason his father sent him south. To distract him. I am certain he was not supposed to find a human woman to sing with him and give him a big hug when he needed it.¡± She reached over and wrapped her arms around Liv and gave a squeeze. ¡°Like this.¡± Her father had been sad, and needed a hug. Liv felt closer to him than she¡¯d ever felt before. ¡°So he loved you?¡± she asked. ¡°Did he love me?¡± ¡°He never knew about you,¡± her mother said. ¡°He¡¯d left by the time I knew, and they went back north a different way. But if he knew about you, I believe he would love you, yes.¡± ¡°Can we tell him?¡± Liv thought about it. ¡°We could write him a letter.¡± ¡°No,¡± her mother said, and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m telling you these things now because I think you¡¯re old enough to know at least some of the truth. You know - do you understand, my dove, that other girls are bigger than you at this age? You don¡¯t look twelve.¡± ¡°You said I¡¯ve always been small,¡± Liv said, and shrugged. ¡°The Eld of the North live longer than humans do,¡± Mama explained. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand at first - I thought your father was about the same age as I was. He looked young. When he told me he was over a hundred years old, I didn¡¯t believe him at first. And then when you were born, you could almost be human. Just the tips of your ears, and your hair.¡± Liv squeezed Rosie hard and closed her eyes. ¡°It took longer for you to grow,¡± Mama said. ¡°For you to do most things. But you were always so smart, my dove. I don¡¯t want you to ever feel badly about it. There isn¡¯t anything wrong with you - you¡¯re just different. It¡¯s your father¡¯s blood in you. You¡¯ll get where they all are, it¡¯s just going to take a little more time.¡± ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m going to live forever?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone lives forever,¡± Mama said, with a laugh. ¡°Or your aunt wouldn¡¯t have died. But I do think you¡¯re going to live for a very long time. And when you¡¯re old enough, I¡¯ll tell you more about your father. I¡¯ll tell you his name, and where he lives, and maybe you can even go and find him. How does that sound?¡± ¡°I like it here with you,¡± Liv said. What would it even be like, to cross the mountains and go that far north? Would her father even want her? She might be too human. ¡°That¡¯s good, my love,¡± her mother said. ¡°Because you need to stay for a while yet. You have a bit of growing to do, and you¡¯re best doing it in your own room, from now on. But I will tell you one thing tonight,¡± she said. ¡°Like a promise, so you know that I¡¯ll tell you the rest one day.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Liv asked. Her mother stood, and pulled back the blankets and furs. Liv crawled inside. With Rosie hugged to her chest, and Charlie curled up purring at her side, she thought that it might not be so bad to sleep alone. ¡°Your name,¡± her mother said. ¡°I named you for your aunt, my dove. The one who died. Livara. So that one day, when you find your father and tell him your name, he¡¯ll know who you are, and that you¡¯re telling the truth. Now go to sleep.¡± Livara. She rolled the name around in her mind, and tasted it, as she snuggled up against her pillow. For her entire life, she¡¯d just been Liv Brodbeck, the cook¡¯s bastard daughter. To think of herself as Livara, descended from the Eld of the North, was like something out of one of Gretta¡¯s bedtime stories. When she dreamed, Livara dreamed of a land over the mountains, where no human walked and everyone knew her name. 9. Jurian of Carinthia The sheriff didn¡¯t come for Liv for another three days. Over that time, she was surprised how quickly she settled into her new routine. Having to use a crutch slowed her down, but Liv always made certain to give herself enough time to get to Master Grenfell¡¯s chamber before the ninth bell of the day. If that meant she had to roll straight out of her bed instead of cuddling for a moment longer in the warm blankets, well then, at least sleeping alone made it easier. While the black mouser, Charlie, never failed to come in while she went to sleep, the dark silent hours of the night were his hunting times, and he was always gone by the time she roused in the morning. If it hadn¡¯t been for Mirabel and Giselda, in fact, Liv would have said that she was having the best time of her life, in spite of the broken ankle. The master mage worked her hard, but she was used to that, and the kind of work he had her doing was mind-work, not body-work. She was best able to put it into words when speaking with Gretta, a potato peeler in her hand. ¡°Everything I do in the scullery and the kitchen,¡± Liv said, turning the potato with expert fingers, ¡°doesn¡¯t really take much thinking. It would be different if I was making an entire recipe myself, but I¡¯m just doing dishes and setting tables and chopping things. You don¡¯t really have to think about any of that. Well, now I can think about what I learned in class while I scrub. And when I go upstairs, I¡¯m using my head, but I can rest my feet and my back and my hands. So instead of working my body all day, I get to switch off.¡± ¡°As long as you pay attention when you¡¯re using a knife,¡± Gretta grumbled, and Liv laughed, reaching for the next potato. She had two books lent to her by Master Grenfell in her room, now, and was expected to be reading them during her limited free time. The more exciting of the two was an earlier edition of Blackwood¡¯s Bestiary that was dog-eared from use and older than she was. ¡°You will need to take your own notes inside during class,¡± the mage had told her when he delivered it to the kitchen door. ¡°The newer edition will not only have more information, but corrects inaccuracies based on the most current research. I suggest keeping a quill and ink bottle to hand whenever you have the thing open.¡± ¡°You want me to write inside a book?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that against the law? Like destroying a merchant¡¯s goods at the market?¡± ¡°If it was not yours, it might be,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°But as I am giving it to you, Liv, you may do whatever you like with it. I wish I could spare the current edition, but this will have to do until you can purchase your own.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take it,¡± Liv protested. ¡°Books are expensive. There¡¯s no way I could pay you for this.¡± ¡°Yes, it would be about a month of your mother¡¯s wages, I should think,¡± the mage agreed. ¡°Which is why I am giving it to you as a gift. In truth, Miss Brodbeck, you are doing me a favor. I have no use for an old edition, and I need to clear out shelf space. If you don¡¯t take it off my hands, I fear I shall simply have to throw it in the fireplace.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it then.¡± Liv clutched the book to her chest. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, thank you,¡± Grenfell insisted. ¡°It will be a lot of work for you to make something useful of it, and I expect your fingers will be quite sore from the writing. Now, this one is not a gift. I expect it back, and in good condition, or I shall be very cross with you.¡± He handed her a slimmer volume, and Liv looked over the title. ¡°An Introduction to the Principles of Grammar,¡± she read aloud. ¡°By Caspian Loredan.¡± ¡°Archmagus Loredan,¡± Master Grenfell corrected her. ¡°You are years behind the other girls. You will need to study this to have any hope of catching up to them.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Liv promised. At night, her head swam with irregular verbs, cases, and the past perfect tense. During class, she diagrammed sentences and conjugated verbs, when she wasn¡¯t doing her best to shrug off the constant digs from Mirabel and Griselda. Either the work they were given was something the older girls had long since mastered, or Master Grenfell was correct and they truly didn¡¯t care about what they were learning, because they never seemed to be short of time to spend on tormenting her. When the master mage asked them all to write sentences and then swap for more diagramming practice, Griselda passed her a slate that read: ¡®Your clothes are as dirty as your hands. Wear something other than rags.¡± When Liv had her quill and ink out to make notes in the bestiary Master Grenfell had given her, Mirabel walked by and hit the desk with her hip, spilling black ink all over Liv¡¯s apron and skirts. If she hadn¡¯t been so quick to snatch the old book up, it would have been ruined, as well. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so clumsy!¡± Mirabel exclaimed. ¡°I apologize, Master Grenfell.¡± Then she turned back to Liv and smirked. That night, scrubbing her ink-stained clothes with lye in the washbasin, Liv would rather have been rubbing Mirabel¡¯s face against the washboard. She could scrape off all of those fancy paints on her cheeks and around her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this already,¡± her mother told her, leaning against the door frame. ¡°But we can¡¯t afford to be buying you new skirts and aprons all of the time.¡± ¡°I know, Mama,¡± Liv said, gritting her teeth. No matter how hard she scrubbed, there was still a faded stain left behind. She raised up on her heels to really get her shoulder into the work, but her mother came over and stopped her. ¡°Let me do that.¡± Her mother reached into the soapy water to take the cloth and board away. ¡°You know you can¡¯t push so hard. You¡¯ll break a finger.¡± It was so frustrating that, by the fourth day of attending classes, Liv was spending as much time watching Mirabel and Griselda for signs of an impending attack as she was paying attention to Master Grenfell. In spite of that, it would have been difficult not to notice First Footman Archibald entering the chamber, leaning in to say something to the mage at his lectern, and then leaving again. ¡°Miss Brodbeck,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Please remain after the class is finished. You have been excused from your afternoon duties.¡± Over at their two desks, the two other girls were grinning as they stared at her. ¡°The sheriff is coming to see you,¡± Mirabel whispered, softly enough that it wouldn¡¯t be heard at the front of the room. Liv ignored her and went back to studying a miner¡¯s account of a massive cave centipede from just prior to the last eruption of the Bald Peak rift. The listing of the centipede in her old copy of the bestiary did not mention anything about how the chitinous covering of the species was gradually infused with mana over time, becoming as hard as steel armor. Carefully, Liv added her notes, but her handwriting was even worse than usual from how badly her hands trembled. When they¡¯d finished their breathing exercises, singing was a disaster. Though Liv had sung the hymn to Tamiris every market day morning for as long as she could remember, her voice cracked and broke on the notes. Finally, Master Grenfell called an end with the ringing of the twelfth bell. Liv would normally have waited for the other two girls to get up and leave the room first, before rushing over to the servants¡¯ stair on her crutch, but today she simply gathered her two books under one arm and waited.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°We are going down to the great hall,¡± the mage told her, once the door had swung shut, leaving them alone. ¡°I know that you are not accustomed to it, but we will go by the grand staircase, together.¡± A roaring in her ears made it difficult to hear what he was saying, and when Liv stood, she had to stop and close her eyes so that she didn¡¯t vomit on her desk. Master Grenfell must have seen how terrified she was, because he came over and took her arm. ¡°All will be well,¡± he said. ¡°Come along, now.¡± In the great hall, Baron Summerset was seated at the high table. Archibald waited just behind him and to the left, and the tables were set for the midday meal, but the rest of the room was empty. ¡°As requested, my lord,¡± Grenfell said, leading Liv up the center aisle to stand before the table. ¡°Miss Brodbeck.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Mage.¡± Henry Summerset nodded. ¡°Liv Brodbeck, the Merciful Society of Butchers and Drovers has lodged a complaint against you with the sheriff. In just a moment, I am going to call in their Mayor Cooper, who will be speaking as their representative, along with Sheriff Porter. You will speak only when I tell you to, is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord,¡± Liv said, clutching her books to her chest. ¡°Give me those, child,¡± Master Grenfell said, taking the books from her and setting them on a nearby table. ¡°Baron, I once again ask this matter be set aside until the guild representative I have called arrives.¡± ¡°It is the middle of winter,¡± Baron Summerset said. ¡°No one will be getting through the high passes from the lowlands until the second month of Flood, at least. We will proceed today. Archibald, ask them to come in.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord,¡± the first footman said, and slipped out from behind the table. He passed Liv without looking at her, and though she could not see behind her back, she heard the doors to the hall swing open, and the footsteps of the men who entered. They marched right past her, nearly up to the high table, and then offered bows to the baron. One of the men was clearly Mirabel¡¯s father - he had the same honey-blonde hair, though his was clipped short on the top and carefully groomed into whiskers that descended past his ears and along his jaw. His chin and mouth, however, were bare, and he was somewhat stout. The other man must have been the sheriff, though Liv had never had occasion to see him in person before. Unlike the mayor, he wore a sword at his hip, and his head was shaved clean of any hair. ¡°Mayor Cooper, Sheriff Porter,¡± the baron began. ¡°Thank you for joining us today. The girl, Liv Brodbeck, who is employed as a scullion in my kitchens, is here before you. Am I to understand that you are here, Mayor Cooper, to speak on behalf of the Drovers¡¯ guild?¡± ¡°That is correct, Baron Summerset,¡± Mirabel¡¯s father said, turning to point at Liv with a stabbing finger. ¡°This girl has used magic proprietary to the Merciful Society of Butchers and Drovers, in full and knowing violation of the laws governing guild secrets. As the head of the Mason¡¯s Guild here in Whitehill, where they do not maintain a hall, I have agreed to represent them.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Summerset said. ¡°As representative of the crown, in the name of Roland the Third, King of Lucania, I am prepared to sit in arbitration on this matter. Does the Drovers¡¯ guild accept my arbitration?¡± ¡°I have been instructed to tell you that they do,¡± Mayor Cooper said. The baron turned to Liv. ¡°As the accused party in this grievance, do you accept my arbitration?¡± he asked her. Liv looked up to where Master Grenfell stood by her side. ¡°The mage guild accepts your arbitration in this matter,¡± her teacher said. ¡°That girl is not a member of the mage¡¯s guild!¡± Mayor Cooper objected. ¡°As such, Master Grenfell, you have no right to speak on her behalf.¡± ¡°Miss Brodbeck is my student,¡± Grenfell argued back, though he did not meet the mayor¡¯s eyes and Liv could see his hand trembling. His voice never rose above the volume he used during his classes, and once again she could hear a quaver in his words. ¡°As my student, she is an aspirant to the College of V?dic Grammar at Coral Bay.¡± ¡°Students at the college are not required to choose whether to join the guild or not until the end of their first year,¡± Cooper shot back. ¡°And she has not even begun her first. Look at her, the girl can¡¯t be more than seven or eight years old.¡± ¡°Which begs the question,¡± Lady Julianne said, her voice filling the chamber as she strode in and up the aisle, ¡°why anyone would be so cruel as to force a young girl into this situation. I am ashamed of you, Alban Cooper. Don¡¯t you have a daughter of your own?¡± Her swollen belly did not impede her in the slightest as she swept past the men and took a seat next to her husband at the high table. ¡°My daughter,¡± the mayor said, ¡°would never violate the law. My Lady.¡± ¡°This girl,¡± Julianne said, ¡°saved someone¡¯s life. She used magic entirely out of instinct, which nearly killed her. She has not used the Drovers¡¯ Guild¡¯s proprietary enchantments to compete with them, she has not sold anything. I don¡¯t see what possible damages you can prove. To be entirely honest, you should be celebrating what she did.¡± ¡°If she had not broken the law, we would be doing so, I am sure,¡± Cooper said. ¡°Back to the point. We do not accept the right of the mage¡¯s guild to speak on her behalf. Master Grenfell, as respected as he is, even as a valued member of this community, has no right to be present during this arbitration.¡± Listening to the adults argue past her, their voices louder by the moment, Liv hunched her shoulders and kept her head down. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to break any laws,¡± she said. ¡°I was just trying to help.¡± ¡°Ignorance of the law is no excuse,¡± Sheriff Porter said, speaking for the first time. There was a commotion at the door to the hall, but Liv couldn¡¯t hear what was happening. Another set of footsteps came up behind her, and Archibald approached the high table again. ¡°My lord,¡± he broke in,¡± a representative from the mage guild has arrived.¡± ¡°Bring him in,¡± Summerset said, with a motion of his hand. ¡°How could someone possibly have come from Coral Bay in three days?¡± Mayor Cooper demanded, as Archibald rushed by him and back down the aisle. ¡°I came by the waystone at Bald Peak,¡± a new voice broke in, from the doorway behind Liv. She did not dare turn to look, but the thump of boots on stone, accompanied by the ring of a walking stick or cane, stopped just next to her on the right, opposite where Master Grenfell was standing. Liv didn¡¯t know whether to be comforted or frightened that there was a mage on either side of her. The newly arrived mage was much younger than her teacher, she saw when she snuck a glance at him. He was bundled in a long dark coat, still brushed with snow, and riding boots that came to his thigh, and in his right hand he held not a cane, but a staff of wood nearly as long as he was tall, with sigils inlaid into the wood using glittering gold and silver. He did not wear a beard, but his face was shadowed as if he had not shaved in some days - which would make a good deal of sense, Liv realized, if he had been travelling. A trail of melted snow wet the stone floor in the mage¡¯s wake, and he pulled off a set of leather gloves lined in fur. Liv caught sight of a silver ring with a familiar, glowing stone set in it, on his right hand. ¡°That waystone has been dead for generations,¡± Mayor Cooper scoffed. ¡°Your waystone may lack power to send,¡± the man next to Liv responded. ¡°But not to receive. In any event, I am more than capable of powering passage for a single person without any aid.¡± ¡°Your name, sir?¡± Baron Summerset broke in. ¡°Magis Jurian of Carinthia,¡± the young man answered. ¡°I currently serve as a recruiter for the College.¡± ¡°You are welcome, Magis Jurian,¡± Summerset said. ¡°Your colleague informed us you were coming, but we did not expect you prior to the thaw.¡± ¡°Lucky that I came so quickly, then,¡± Jurian said. ¡°My Lord, I request a recess to speak with my guildsman and with the girl.¡± ¡°Reasonable,¡± the baron said. ¡°And it will give us all time for a midday meal. Gentlemen, we will resume this arbitration at the second bell. Until then, Mayor Cooper, Sheriff Porter, perhaps you would join my wife and me at the high table.¡± ¡°Where can we speak in private?¡± Jurian asked Master Grenfell, lowering his voice. ¡°My chambers,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± ¡°As if the guild would let something like this slip away from us,¡± Jurian said, shaking his head. ¡°You are Liv Brodbeck, are you not?¡± he asked, turning his attention to her. An anger she did not expect simmered behind his eyes. ¡°I am, sir,¡± Liv said. ¡°Are you here to help? I promise I didn¡¯t intend to do anything wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain you didn¡¯t,¡± Jurian said. ¡°And yes, I am here to protect you. Come along now; we have a great deal to speak about, and little enough time. You have my oath, child, that nothing will happen to you. I won¡¯t allow it.¡± 10. Master and Apprentice Liv had to endure Sophie¡¯s scowl as the maid set the third trencher of beef and bacon pie down. She had her back to Master Grenfell and Magis Jurian, who she¡¯d served first, and so the two mages didn¡¯t catch it. ¡°Thank you, Sophie,¡± Grenfell said from where he was sitting in one of the three chairs kept in his chambers for classes. He and Jurian had dragged the chairs and desks around to form a rough triangle with the one Liv sat in, which was the same place she occupied everyday. ¡°That will be all.¡± Bristling with resentment, the maid stalked back across the chamber to the door and shut it behind her. Liv tried to relax and enjoy the meal, but she couldn¡¯t drag her mind away from the men waiting for her downstairs. ¡°This is very good pie,¡± Jurian remarked, taking a gulp of watered wine in between bites. ¡°Are these raisins and prunes inside?¡± ¡°I believe so,¡± Grenfell responded. ¡°Miss Brodbeck would know - her mother is the cook.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Liv said, putting her fork down. She couldn¡¯t even stand the thought of food right now. ¡°What do they want from me?¡± she asked. ¡°To have the sheriff lock me up? To take my hand for stealing?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jurian answered. ¡°None of that gets them anything. They want to frighten you enough that you sign your word of power away to them, Liv.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Is that short for anything? I do my best not to use nicknames with people I have just met.¡± ¡°Livara,¡± she said, before she could think better of it. ¡°But no one knows that. Just you two, and my mother and I.¡± ¡°Best to stick with what everyone knows, then,¡± the visiting mage remarked, though his eyes lingered on Liv¡¯s face until she had to look down at her soup to avoid his gaze. ¡°More to speak of later, I suppose. Let us focus on what you need to know before the second bell.¡± ¡°First,¡± Jurian continued, taking another bite and talking while he ate, ¡°I have checked all relevant records, Kazamir, as per your request. I can confirm that our young friend¡¯s word of power is not registered to any noble house of the kingdom. It is, however, licensed for limited and very specific use by the Merciful Society of Butchers and Drovers, which is the source of this trouble. Miss Brodbeck, did you use your magic to store or preserve meat for shipping?¡± ¡°No?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°Your table manners are atrocious,¡± Master Grenfell remarked to his colleague, but Jurian dismissed him. ¡°It comes of spending most of my time in rifts for the past few years,¡± he said. ¡°Did you use your magic to install cold storage in the castle, or any other structure, in return for compensation?¡± Jurian asked Liv. ¡°No, we just have the cold cellar beneath the kitchen,¡± Liv answered more confidently. ¡°And there¡¯s nothing magic about it. No more than the hot springs.¡± ¡°Very good. So to begin with, they really have no claim for damages or compensation,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Because their license to use that magic is very, very specific. And that is precisely why they are coming after you so hard, Liv, and why they don¡¯t want us in the room. They¡¯re going to ask for gold. A lot of gold - more than you or your mother could ever pay them. And then, they¡¯re going to offer to waive that fine in return for you signing full rights to that word of power over to them.¡± ¡°Which means they are no longer limited by their current agreement,¡± Grenfell concluded, nodding his head. ¡°I see. But if they did not license the magic from one of our noble houses, where did they get it from? Lendh ka Dakruim?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jurian said, shaking his head and taking a drink of wine. ¡°They licensed it from the Eld of the North.¡± Your magic, the baron¡¯s wife had told Liv. Whatever else you lack, your father gave you that. ¡°Do you know the name of the person they got the magic from?¡± Liv asked Magis Jurian. She¡¯d been trying her best to follow the dizzying pace of legal explanations, but she knew very little about how the guilds worked. This one piece, though, was very important to her. ¡°I do.¡± Jurian nodded. ¡°I am not certain that I should tell you at this time, however.¡± ¡°It is likely to come up downstairs,¡± Grenfell pointed out. ¡°And yet, if this young lady has not been told by her mother,¡± Jurian mused, ¡°It is hardly my place to be the one to say it. I cannot control what other people may do, but I can control what I do. I¡¯ll tell you what, Liv,¡± he offered. ¡°After this whole thing is over, I will speak with your mother, and we will go from there. As Master Grenfell says, I may be forced to use this anyway, but I would prefer not to say it out loud if we can avoid it. The first thing we need to do, in any event, is to establish beyond doubt that I am legally able to speak in your defense.¡± ¡°To that end,¡± Jurian said, setting aside his fork. ¡°I have a question for you. Miss Brodbeck, I would like to take you as my apprentice. If you accept this offer, you will legally be a member of the mage¡¯s guild, and I, as your master, will be legally responsible for you.¡± He slipped his silver ring off his finger, and offered it to Liv. ¡°What is your answer?¡± Liv stared at the ring. It would be easy to lose herself in the shifting whirls of blue and gold hidden just below the surface of the gray stone set in silver. ¡°If I said yes,¡± she asked. ¡°what would happen? Would you stay here? Would I have to go away with you?¡± ¡°No, and no,¡± Jurian said. He did not withdraw the ring. ¡°I am currently serving as a recruiter for the College of V?dic Grammar in Coral Bay. I do not have the means to provide a proper education to an apprentice while I drag you around from place to place, especially not while you¡¯re using a crutch. I would leave you here with Kazamir, until you are full grown.¡± Liv bit her lip. ¡°Then why would I not be Master Grenfell¡¯s apprentice? Won¡¯t he be the one teaching me?¡± ¡°I will have to teach you a little bit of something,¡± Jurian conceded, ¡°before I leave. Best if it¡¯s before we go back downstairs, in fact, so that you can testify your lessons have already begun when they challenge this. And Kazamir will do well teaching you the basics. But my name will give you a certain amount of protection.¡± Master Grenfell sighed. ¡°That is true enough. My colleague here is substantially younger than I am, Liv, but he does have something that I am embarrassed to admit I have always lacked.¡± ¡°What?¡± Liv asked. ¡°A certain recklessness and disregard for danger to his own life,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I would call it courage.¡± Jurian grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t look so upset, old man. If you had it, you would have pushed a lot further than you have. It¡¯s not the worst thing in the world; you¡¯re a lot less likely to die in some forgotten rift.¡± ¡°Regardless,¡± Master Grenfell continued, rolling his eyes. ¡°There is a certain amount of protection in having a master who has delved Godsgrave. And that reputation is not something I bring with me, child. He can be your shield in a way that I cannot.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°But I don¡¯t even know you,¡± Liv said, forcing herself to meet Jurian¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why would you do so much to help me?¡± ¡°Two reasons,¡± Jurian told her. ¡°And I will be completely honest. The first is that I want you to bring that word you used to the mage guild. It would be wasted on merchants,¡± he said, with a scowl. ¡°All they care about is coin. They can cut their costs by no longer paying the Eld for their license, if they get you. But our work is far greater, and far more important. Do you know what the mage guild does, Liv?¡± ¡°You use magic,¡± Liv said. ¡°And teach it. And cull rifts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jurian confirmed. ¡°It is our obligation, in return for a royal charter. Any member of the guild may be called on to cull a rift, and we have to accept. And that is of far greater importance than the profit margins of the Drovers¡¯ Guild. If that rift under Bald Peak were left to grow, it would overrun this entire town. No one here would survive. That is what we do, Liv. We go wherever is needed. When the local noble can¡¯t handle an eruption, we are there. If the Eld need help, we cross the mountains. Over the sea, in Varuna, there are things you can¡¯t even dream of - rifts left to fester for a thousand years, boiling with the power of the old gods. We are the only ones willing to fight the battles that need to be fought. Your word would give us another weapon in our arsenal. It would save lives - not just the lives of the guild, but innocent people who¡¯ve never had to lift a sword.¡± ¡°And that is the other reason I want you as an apprentice,¡± Jurian said. ¡°No one starts like you did. Spontaneous, uncontrolled magic? That simply does not happen. Everyone is taught, everyone takes months or years of practice before casting a spell. This talent you have? You owe it to the world to use it. Before some pampered Baron¡¯s son puts a ring on your finger and makes you raise a brood of his brats, I want you to see what is really out there. Because we don¡¯t just need your word, we need you. I need you to grow into what I think you can become.¡± He shifted his hand, holding the ring up nearly in her face. ¡°What is your answer, Livara?¡± Liv reached her hand up, then hesitated. ¡°I take this, and that¡¯s it? I¡¯m a member of the guild? For life?¡± Jurian shook his head. ¡°No. You are a child, and that wouldn¡¯t be fair. Those who attend the college must choose by the end of their first year, to join the guild, or not. I will record this as a provisional membership. After a year at the college, you will either confirm your membership, or leave. If you leave, I will ensure there is no penalty.¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t go there,¡± she said. ¡°We don¡¯t even have the coin to pay Master Grenfell. Gretta is helping us.¡± ¡°I hereby waive your fee,¡± Jurian said. ¡°As recruiter for the college. I will log it in our records as soon as I leave here and return to Coral Bay. You will attend, Liv. When you are- how old are you now?¡± he asked. ¡°Twelve.¡± Liv answered. ¡°Her blood,¡± Grenfell murmured to his colleague. ¡°The Eld.¡± ¡°She is half?¡± Jurian asked. ¡°My father,¡± Liv said. ¡°He was - is - one of the Eld.¡± ¡°Call it thirty six, then,¡± Jurian said, with a great sigh. ¡°So long. In twenty-four years, Liv, you will be expected in Coral Bay.¡± Could she really leave the castle? Liv thought about Mama, and Gretta, and Charlie the mouser who slept in her bed at night, and even Mean Archie. But if she did go, she would learn magic. Real magic, high magic, not just the charms of the kitchen. The word stirred at the back of her mind, and she could tell it wanted to get out, like a child who had been cooped up to long. She took a deep breath and held it, like Master Grenfell had been teaching her. The word settled, and went back to its slumber. Maybe she needed to go, so that it wouldn¡¯t get out by accident. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Gently, she took the ring from Master Jurian, and turned it over in her hand to look at it. It was too big even for her thumb. ¡°Put it on,¡± Jurian said, with a very faint smile. Liv slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand, and gasped when the ring shrank until it fit her perfectly. It was warm against her skin, and the stone tingled there so that she could not forget it was touching her. ¡°Excellent. Now, Apprentice Brodbeck, I am going to teach you something,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Give me your books. Good, you have a quill and ink here, as well.¡± He uncorked the bottle of ink. ¡°Use the bestiary,¡± Grenfell said, moving aside the grammar primer. Master Jurian flipped the book open, finding the blank page at the beginning, and dipped his pen in ink before setting it to the paper. Liv leaned forward, watching him write in an elegant hand. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± she said, recognizing her word. ¡°But - the rest¡­¡± Master Jurian blew on the ink, then flipped the book around so that she could read what he had written there: Celet¡¯co Scelis¡¯o¡¯Mae ¡°It¡¯s different,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ve conjugated the verb,¡± Jurian explained. ¡°Among other things.¡± He stood, lifted his staff from where he¡¯d leaned it against the wall, and walked across the room, where he braced the staff in front of him. ¡°Master Grenfell has taught you how to breathe, hasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°This is another example of that rash behavior we mentioned before,¡± Grenfell said, standing up and backing toward a different wall to clear space. ¡°She isn¡¯t ready, Jurian.¡± ¡°Given what she¡¯s already done, I would say that she is. Take a deep breath, and sing the words I wrote,¡± Jurian told Liv. ¡°Then thrust your hand toward me, like you were throwing something.¡± Liv looked back and forth between them both, then carefully stood, using her crutch to brace herself. She took one breath, then a second, to steady herself as much as anything else. The word was waking; she could feel it. Perhaps it could tell what was coming, like a cat scenting a meal. ¡°Celet¡¯co Scelis¡¯o¡¯Mae!¡± It came out of her in a rush of cold, the world nearly whiting out at the edges of Liv¡¯s vision as if a winter storm had swept her up in snow. She thrust her right hand toward Master Jurian, and the word vibrated up from her belly, thrumming along Liv¡¯s entire body before it exploded outward. A shard of ice coalesced in front of her hand, then shot forward, directly at Jurian¡¯s heart. Liv shrieked in fear, desperately trying to call it back, but the mage shouted words of his own, and a globe of swirling blue and gold magic sprang into being around him, looking like nothing so much as a soap bubble in the wash basin. The blade of ice hit the bubble and shattered, falling onto the carpetted floor of Master Grenfell¡¯s chamber in a glittering heap of broken ice and dust. Overcome by a sudden weariness, Liv sat back down into her chair and dropped her crutch to the ground. She lifted up her right hand, looked at her fingers, and then shivered. The hot pie in front of her suddenly looked very good, and she picked up her fork and began to shovel it into her mouth. ¡°That should not have been her first spell,¡± Master Grenfell objected. ¡°You cannot even pretend that was safe.¡± ¡°Everyone looks to be in one piece,¡± Jurian said, stepping around the pile of melting ice on the carpet and resuming his seat. ¡°I would say it was a successful lesson. And now she has a way to defend herself.¡± ¡°Twenty-four years to teach her sanity before sending her on to you is not enough time,¡± Grenfell grumbled. ¡°If you complain too much, I won¡¯t teach you the word we found in Godsgrave,¡± Jurian shot back, and it shut Master Grenfell up immediately. ¡°What happens next?¡± Liv asked, her cheeks full of half-chewed meat pie. ¡°Next,¡± Jurian said, ¡°we finish our wine. In just a little while, we are going to go downstairs, and send those merchants on their way. The sooner, the better, for we shall have very little time. I did not plan on coming here, and I have other places to be. But I do have an obligation as your master, so I must see to it you will be well-cared for while you are here.¡± ¡°Will you teach me more magic?¡± Liv asked. She looked down at the words written in her book. ¡°That wasn¡¯t anything like what I remember from the fair.¡± ¡°That is the difference between letting a word of power completely out of your control, and knowing how to use it appropriately,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Now pay attention, it isn¡¯t quite second bell yet. I¡¯ve never used your word, Liv. How did I write you an incantation that could do exactly what I wanted?¡± Liv looked between the writing in her bestiary, and her new master. Then, she reached for the grammar book that Master Grenfell had loaned her. She opened it, stuffing another bite of meat pie in her mouth while she found what she was looking for, and then flipped it around to show the two mages two pages of charts. ¡°You said you conjugated the verb,¡± she began. ¡°I can see that.¡± Liv put her finger on the righthand chart. ¡°Active present - he, she or it. I recognize that ending. But I don¡¯t know the rest of the words.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Jurian said, with a smile. ¡°This is why the rules Master Grenfell is teaching you matter. If you understand the rules, you can make any word do what you want. If you make a mistake, you can kill yourself, or someone else. I know that what he is teaching you may seem like it is not exciting, but it is the foundation of everything that will come after. Learn the rules, and you learn magic. Learn magic, and those men downstairs will never be able to threaten you again.¡± 11. Judgement When Liv and the two mages returned to the great hall, the footmen were just clearing away the last of the midday meal. Liv ran her thumb over the polished piece of Aluthet''Staia set into the ring on her finger; now that she was an apprentice, did that mean that three mages had walked into the hall? The thought made her smile, and she tried to walk a little straighter so that her master wouldn¡¯t think badly of her. ¡°Excellent,¡± Baron Summerset remarked, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Let us resolve this matter. First - the question of whether the mage guild is legally capable of speaking on Miss Brodbeck¡¯s behalf. Master Grenfell, Magis Jurian, is Liv Brodbeck, or is she not, a member of your guild? Yes or no, please.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Master Jurian said, clearly. ¡°With her consent, I have taken this girl as my apprentice.¡± He placed his left hand on her shoulder. ¡°This is nothing but a technicality,¡± Mayor Cooper sputtered. ¡°I object.¡± ¡°First of all,¡± Jurian said, ¡°neither the office of the mayor, nor any other guild, nor even Baron Summerset, has any authority over who the mages¡¯ guild chooses to accept or reject as a member. That is entirely an internal matter, as it is for every other guild in the kingdom. Certainly, the Hall of Bricklayers and Masons would never permit interference in regulating their own membership, would they Master Cooper?¡± The mayor¡¯s face flushed, and Lady Julianne turned to regard him evenly. ¡°That is a fair question, Mayor. Would you?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Alban Cooper answered, gruffly. ¡°But our apprentices are not taken on a whim, over a meal. They earn their positions with hard work, and are held to strict standards.¡± ¡°I also hold my apprentice to strict standards,¡± Jurian agreed, with a smile. ¡°Which is one of the reasons I saw fit to accept Apprentice Brodbeck. In fact, over a meal, she has learned to cast her first spell. I doubt many other apprentices in the kingdom could do the same.¡± ¡°Learning a spell is no quick process,¡± the baron broke in. ¡°When my father taught me to use our hereditary word of power, it took me months to master the incantations.¡± ¡°We are prepared to prove the claim,¡± Jurian said. ¡°If it is in doubt.¡± ¡°Proceed,¡± Baron Henry instructed. It took only a few moments for the castle guards to bring in a target from the armory, consisting of straw woven and bound into concentric circles, affixed to a tripod of wood to hold it about the height of a grown man¡¯s chest. The guards placed it just inside the door to the great hall, and Liv was told to stand alone at the foot of the high table, facing the target. At Mayor Cooper¡¯s insistence, to be certain there was no aid or interference, both Master Grenfell and Magis Jurian were forced to stand off to the side, leaving Liv to juggle her crutch and her open bestiary. It would have been much more convenient if she was confident in recalling the entire incantation, but no matter how much the word itself paced restlessly at the back of her mind, the rest of the phrase had not stuck in quite the same way. Liv supposed it made sense; some things were a great deal more difficult to scrub off a cast iron skillet than others, and it seemed foolish to assume words of power all behaved the same. ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Mayor Cooper scoffed, as Liv struggled to hold the book open. ¡°It isn¡¯t the girl¡¯s fault her ankle is broken,¡± Lady Julianne shot back. ¡°But I agree, this is ridiculous. Archibald, hold the book for her.¡± ¡°Me?¡± For the first time in Liv¡¯s entire life, the first footman lost his composure in front of the family. ¡°But it is magic, m¡¯lady,¡± he protested. ¡°It is perfectly safe,¡± Magis Jurian called from the wall at the side of the hall, where he¡¯d been exiled for the moment. ¡°Tell him, Kazimir.¡± Master Grenfell flinched. ¡°The danger is not extreme,¡± he said. ¡°I do not believe it likely you will be injured, First Footman.¡± With a great huff of displeasure, Archibald descended from where he¡¯d been standing close to the high table, approached Liv, and took the book from her, holding it out as far distant from his body as he could. ¡°A little lower, please?¡± Liv asked. Everyone always seemed to forget how small she was. Archibald lowered the book. Liv closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and held it. When she finally exhaled, she opened her eyes, and looked down at the page. ¡°Celet¡¯co Scelis¡¯o¡¯Mae!¡± she sang out, loud and clear, raising her right hand and thrusting it at the straw target. Once again, the words moved up through her body, from her belly into her chest, rumbling as they came, like peals of thunder in a storm. As it had upstairs, a glistening shard of ice, long and sharp, coalesced in the air in front of Liv¡¯s hand, floating there as if held by some invisible assistant. Only this time, the power roared through her like the Aspen River during flood. More and more ice built up in front of her, until the spell had created more of a jagged spear or sword than a dagger. Liv thrust her hand forward, trying to cut off the flow of magic before it grew completely out of her control. The frozen missile streaked forward, piercing the target with such force that it split in half, pieces of broken wood and tufts of straw falling to either side. The shard of ice, in the meanwhile, buried itself in one of the two wooden doors that hung at the entrance to the hall, and with a great crack, the wood shattered outward. Liv, exhausted, fell, and would have hit the floor if Archibald had not dropped the book and caught her up in his arms. ¡°I believe,¡± Magis Jurian said, striding forward, ¡°that we have sufficiently proved my Apprentice¡¯s talent. Liv Brodbeck is a member of the mage¡¯s guild, and she will attend the College of V?dic Grammar when she comes of age.¡± ¡°The girl is clearly a mage,¡± Summerset said, with a scowl. ¡°I will deduct the damage from her wages.¡± ¡°It was you who insisted on the demonstration,¡± Lady Julienne pointed out. ¡°Moving forward,¡± the baron said. ¡°Yes, as a member of the mage¡¯s guild, it is appropriate for Magis Jurian to speak on her behalf.¡± ¡°And, in fact,¡± her master continued, ¡°It is my obligation as her master, given that she is not of age. I request that Apprentice Brodbeck be excused from the remainder of these proceedings.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mayer Cooper asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°I am going to speak now, in detail,¡± Jurian said, ¡°of the contract between the drovers¡¯ guild and the Eld. I will be unable to avoid speaking of the girl¡¯s family. I would spare her that.¡± ¡°We all know her circumstances,¡± Baron Summerset declared. ¡°I hardly think anything you say will be a surprise to her - she knows she¡¯s a bastard.¡± Liv had regained her feet by this point, and thought that the baron¡¯s wife did not look pleased with his words. ¡°As you insist, then,¡± Jurian said. He reached into his coat and withdrew a sheaf of papers. ¡°I have here a copy of the agreement between the Merciful Society of Butchers and Drovers and the Eld of the North. The contract specifies use of two specific words of power, in conjunction, for the exclusive purpose of cold storage. Is my apprentice being accused of using her magic to preserve meat, Master Cooper?¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°No,¡± Alban Cooper admitted, his face even more red than before. ¡°Has she been selling enchantments to create cold cellars?¡± Jurian asked. This time, the mayor simply shook his head. ¡°Then Apprentice Brodbeck is not in breach of the guild¡¯s rights,¡± he concluded, raising his hands. Summerset looked to the mayor. ¡°If you have wasted my time, Alban, I am going to be cross. What do you have to say to this?¡± ¡°I would ask the baron to at the very least issue an injunction,¡± Cooper said. ¡°Enforceable by the sheriff. That she cannot, from this day, use her magic to those ends exclusive to the guild.¡± The baron shrugged. ¡°That is actually somewhat reasonable, Magis. She demonstrably has the ability to break the law whenever she wishes.¡± ¡°As do any of us!¡± Master Grenfell finally stepped forward. ¡°Even your footmen, my lord. Yet we do not judge an innocent before a crime has been committed.¡± ¡°Not any of our people wield magic that can do that,¡± Baron Henry said, gesturing to the broken door. ¡°I must apologize to you, Apprentice,¡± her master said, turning to Liv. ¡°I had not wanted to speak of this here and now.¡± He turned back to the high table. ¡°Such an injunction could not bind Apprentice Brodbeck in any case,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Were you informed, Master Cooper, which northern family negotiated these rights with the guild?¡± ¡°No,¡± Cooper admitted. ¡°That information was not considered relevant to this matter.¡± ¡°It is vitally relevant,¡± Jurian insisted. ¡°The guild¡¯s contract is with the House of Syv?.¡± ¡°...and that means?¡± Baron Summerset asked. ¡°This contract,¡± Jurian continued, ¡°was negotiated on behalf of his house by Valtteri Ka Auris, thirteen years ago.¡± The baron looked no less confused, but Archibald gasped. ¡°This name means something to you?¡± Summerset asked his footman. ¡°My lord,¡± Archibald said, glancing at Liv before returning his eyes to the high table. ¡°Thirteen years ago, a delegation from over the mountains enjoyed the hospitality of this castle for three nights before continuing to the lowlands. The leader of that delegation was named Valtteri Ka Auris.¡± Liv felt suddenly dizzy, and scrambled over to the nearest table, where she sat on the bench, letting her crutch fall to the floor. ¡°I was at Coral Bay at the time,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°But my father wrote of it. I had long since forgotten the name.¡± ¡°Let me be explicitly clear,¡± Master Jurian said. ¡°That contract does not relinquish any rights of a member of the House of Syv? to wield their own word of power within the kingdom. In fact, the contract reaffirms that the rights of the house supersede those of the guild. In short, my lord, the contract guarantees that you cannot restrict the rights of a descendent of that house to use their inherited magic.¡± ¡°That girl,¡± Mayor Cooper shouted, ¡°is not a member of an Elden House! She is the illegitimate child of a cook!¡± ¡°I believe that cook is still employed in this castle,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Perhaps we should ask her to come up here to tell us the name of Apprentice Brodbeck¡¯s father.¡± ¡°Enough of this,¡± Baron Summerset broke in. ¡°You are grasping at straws, Cooper. You brought this to me for arbitration, and now I find that you have even less knowledge of the particulars than the mages¡¯ guild? A guild that was not even involved in the original negotiation? We¡¯re not here to conduct an inquest into the girl¡¯s parentage, nor could her mother prove anything, if we asked her. You brought this to me for arbitration? Very well, this is my judgment. The matter is dismissed. If you don¡¯t like it, you can appeal to the duke, but I strongly recommend against it. He won¡¯t be as patient as I am.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the mayor said, after a moment. ¡°If I may be excused? The drovers¡¯ guild will be waiting for my message.¡± ¡°You may,¡± the baron said, and stood up. ¡°I believe we are finished here, sheriff. Mages.¡± He offered his arm to his wife, and Lady Julienne accepted. In short order, the great hall was empty, save for the three mages. Grenfell and Jurian approached the bench where Liv was slumped. She wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for days. She wanted to ask her mother about a name. ¡°Forced to cast twice in one day,¡± Master Grenfell grumbled. ¡°She hasn¡¯t even been practicing for a month. This is all too soon.¡± ¡°Come along, Liv,¡± Jurian said, offering her a hand up. ¡°Let us get you to your room. Kazamir, I presume you know the way?¡± Liv allowed herself to be hauled to her feet, and accepted the crutch from Master Grenfell. The older mages gathered up her books, and carried them for her. ¡°Do you know who my father is?¡± she asked them, once they¡¯d passed out of the public areas of the house and entered the servants¡¯ hall. ¡°I suspect that I do,¡± Master Jurian said. ¡°But I am not certain. I would only be making a guess, based on the evidence available to me. That is a conversation you should have with your mother, Apprentice. I would prefer not to interfere. In any event, we have a great deal to do before I leave.¡± ¡°Livy!¡± At the end of the hall, her hands covered in flour, Mama stood, her eyes moving between the two men standing to either side of her daughter. ¡°Miss Brodbeck,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°Allow me to introduce you to Magis Jurian of Carinthia. He has accepted your daughter as his apprentice.¡± ¡°Does that mean the trouble with the guilds is over?¡± Liv¡¯s mother asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you all come into the kitchen,¡± she said, stepping back to make way. ¡°There¡¯s no room in Liv¡¯s room for all of you, and you look like you could use a pot of tea.¡± Grenfell held himself awkwardly, and Liv tried to recall whether she had ever actually seen him in the kitchen before. It wasn¡¯t proper for a member of the family - or their court - to be spending time in the servants¡¯ quarters, any more than it would be proper for Sophie to be caught lounging around the hot spring baths. Jurian, on the other hand, sat down at the same table where the servants took their meals, utterly at ease. ¡°Thank you, Mistress,¡± he said to Gretta, accepting a cup of steaming tea. ¡°Talking so much is dry work.¡± Liv hadn¡¯t realized how cold her fingers were until she had them wrapped around her own cup. Instead of putting it down on the table after she took a sip, she continued to cradle it in her hands, absorbing the warmth. ¡°Am I going to feel cold every time I use that word?¡± she asked. ¡°Hard to say,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°It is not one that I have ever witnessed, until you. Something for us to keep an eye on. The next time you use it, you will take careful notes immediately on everything you feel.¡± ¡°This, too, is part of how we learn,¡± Master Jurian said. ¡°We try things, we see what happens, and then we record the results. Not only for ourselves, but for our colleagues. Even after we are gone, they can learn from our mistakes.¡± He took another sip. ¡°As to your question, Miss Brodbeck, yes, I believe the matter is settled. The baron has made his judgement, and it would be foolish on their part to take this to the Duke of Courland. He has had a good relationship with the guild since he attended college at Coral Bay as a young man.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Liv¡¯s mother said, visibly relaxing. ¡°Once Liv has had a moment to catch her breath,¡± Jurian said, ¡°I would like to take her into town, if you do not mind.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Mama looked Jurian up and down. ¡°She has her afternoon duties to attend to, still.¡± ¡°I understand that,¡± the mage replied. ¡°But I cannot remain here long, and I want to see your daughter properly situated with everything she will need before I leave. Is there a bookseller in town?¡± ¡°On High Street,¡± Master Grenfell answered. ¡°I imagine your apprentice will know where.¡± ¡°And a place to purchase mana-infused food?¡± Master Jurian asked. ¡°That will be more difficult,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°There are two people who supply the baron with that sort of food, for special occasions, but there aren¡¯t enough mages here to support a shop the year round. For herbs, nuts, berries and the like you would need to go downriver to Fairford, and ask for Aunt Rhea.¡± ¡°She¡¯s the local witch,¡± Liv supplied, helpfully. Gretta huffed. ¡°She isn¡¯t a witch,¡± the old woman said. ¡°She¡¯s a midwife, and she grows the best garlic around.¡± ¡°As to the meat,¡± Master Grenfell said, ¡°Apprentice Brodbeck has already met the best hunter in town.¡± ¡°Master Forester?¡± Liv guessed. ¡°If we go visit him, I could make sure his daughter is well, also.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Before we go, a matter of some delicacy. Mistress Brodbeck, it seems clear to me that your daughter¡¯s father is one of the Eld. I am not asking you to name him, but can you confirm for me that the man in question was full-blooded? Not partially human?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mama said, after a long moment. ¡°Liv is half Eld, half human.¡± ¡°Excellent. And I imagine your local chirurgeon has told you that she is not growing as fast as she should,¡± Jurian continued. ¡°And my bones,¡± Liv said. ¡°Master Chushing says I have brittle bones. That¡¯s why my ankle broke.¡± ¡°Let us see what we can do about that, shall we?¡± Jurian said. ¡°Kazamir, you¡¯ve never gone over the mountains to Al''Fenthia, have you?¡± ¡°I have not,¡± Master Grenfell admitted. ¡°Did you know,¡± Master Jurian said, turning to Liv, ¡°that when I went to Al''Fenthia, I noticed that all of the Eld eat food grown or hunted from near a rift? Mages do, when we can get it, because it helps to replenish us, but I have a theory, and you are going to help me test it.¡± ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Liv asked. ¡°You need to eat,¡± her master answered. ¡°And keep careful notes. Let us see what we can do about helping you grow properly, Apprentice.¡± 12. The Lower Banks and The Hill Before the afternoon of the Frost Fair, Liv couldn¡¯t recall ever having ridden in a carriage before. Now, for the second time in only days, she was bundled up in her winter cloak and helped up onto a padded bench. ¡°I will have her back to you for her supper,¡± Master Jurian promised Liv¡¯s mother, and then climbed in after her. ¡°Where to first, Magis?¡± the driver asked, his hand on the carriage door. ¡°The local bookseller,¡± Jurian answered. The door was shut, and they were off, rattling through the streets of The Hill. Liv was pleased to find that there were furs left on the benches, and she did not feel the slightest hesitation in laying her crutch on the carriage floor and wrapping herself up in a bearskin. She couldn¡¯t help but press herself to the glass panes of the windows, looking out at the people in the streets as they passed. ¡°I¡¯m always the one down on the ground,¡± Liv admitted to Master Jurian. ¡°Looking at the merchants in their fancy carriages, getting splashed by the muck from their wheels as they go by.¡± ¡°You have something the guildsmen can¡¯t buy with all their coins,¡± her master pointed out. ¡°My word,¡± she said, turning away from the window to face him. It stirred when she thought of it, then turned over and went back to sleep. Jurian nodded. ¡°A few of them manage to marry a daughter into a noble family, and have grandchildren inherit a word of power,¡± he explained. ¡°But the guilds only license enchantments. And while money might get someone into the college, only hard work and talent will see them all the way through. There is a reason that Kazimir is the only mage in this entire town.¡± The bookseller¡¯s shop was a stone building with two glass-paned windows in front and a painted wooden sign hanging over the door that read: ¡°Gaunt¡¯s Books.¡± ¡°Wait for us,¡± Master Jurian commanded the driver. ¡°We have at least two more stops to make, and there will be packages to load.¡± Liv followed the mage into the shop, then closed the door behind her. Above the doorframe, a set of wooden chimes hung from the ceiling, and it jostled every time a patron entered or left the building, filling the shop with muted tones. ¡°Good afternoon,¡± the shopkeeper said, stepping forward with a broad smile on his face. He was a heavyset man with great, sweeping mustaches that gave him something of the look of a hound. ¡°Master Gaunt, I presume?¡± Jurian asked. ¡°Indeed, Master Mage,¡± Gaunt replied, his eyes lingering on the staff that Jurian kept in his right hand. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°My apprentice needs as many of the following books as you have on hand,¡± Master Jurian said. Liv tried to keep up with the list of titles, but they came too quickly, as fast as the Aspen River during flood season. What was more, the extensive list quickly turned into titles and authors, shot back and forth between the mage and the shopkeeper. Gaunt would admit he didn¡¯t have a particular history of the kingdom, and propose a different book as an alternative. When he noticed that Liv¡¯s attention was wandering, Jurian pointed his staff at a shelf of leatherbound books with no titles or names on them. ¡°Pick one of those,¡± he ordered her. ¡°The one you like best. Make certain it is at least three fingers thick.¡± Liv leaned her crutch against the bookcase, putting all of her weight on her good ankle. She couldn¡¯t help but smile as she picked up one book after another. They were pleasantly solid, the leather of each smooth and soft to the touch. Nearly all of them had patterns or pictures stamped onto the front cover. There were trees, flowers, even a wolf howling at the moon. Every single book was a work of art. She opened one, brought it to her face, and inhaled the scents of new leather and paper. When she flipped through a few of the pages, she realized they were all blank. A quick check of two other books from the shelf confirmed that the entire collection was waiting to be filled with a customer¡¯s writing. This would be much easier than scrawling phrases in the margins of her beat up old bestiary. Liv held three of her fingers against each journal in turn, setting aside the ones which weren¡¯t thick enough to meet her master¡¯s requirements. Some of them had attached rawhide leather cords, which could be wrapped around and tied to keep the book shut when not in use. A few even had simple bronze latches attached, which she decided would be more convenient. Those weren¡¯t stamped, but Liv didn¡¯t need a pretty picture on the front: she wanted something sturdy, with as much room as she could get for notes. Taking the thickest of the latching books, she put all the others back as she¡¯d found them, put her crutch back under her arm, and turned to find that the shopkeeper and Master Jurian had stacked at least a dozen books on the shopkeeper¡¯s counter. ¡°All of those?¡± Liv asked, trying not to stare. ¡°Expect more to arrive after flood season,¡± Jurian muttered, and she got the impression that he was annoyed at the delay. ¡°Would this one be alright?¡± she asked, holding up the blank book she¡¯d chosen. Now that she was presenting it for judgement, Liv worried that she¡¯d been too greedy. It was likely one of the most expensive options, given how thick it was and the additional cost of the bronze latch. ¡°Perfect,¡± Jurian said, hardly even giving the book a glance. ¡°I¡¯ve already given Master Gaunt his money; let us be on our way. We have several more stops to make.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Gaunt,¡± Liv said, doing her best to curtsy, despite the crutch under one arm and the book in her hands. ¡°I am certain I will see you again, young miss,¡± the bookseller said, and helped them carry the purchased books out to the carriage. Because they were in The Hill, there were expensive-looking shops up and down both sides of the street, and while the books were packed, Liv found herself distracted by a dress-maker¡¯s shop, which occupied the next storefront over. The windows were two of the largest Liv had ever seen, and were used to display a beautiful piece on each side, both arranged on wooden frames. One was a merchant¡¯s dress, with all the outer skirts and the bodice a dark gray color, but the inner lining a brilliant purple. The other was clearly intended for a noblewoman, for no one else would be permitted to wear fabric patterned in bright crimson and deep black. Mirabel and Griselda couldn¡¯t wear that one, Liv realized, even if they could probably afford it. Out of everyone in town, only Lady Julianne was within her rights to do so. Perhaps the shopkeeper had put it in the window specifically to attract the eye of the baron and his bride. ¡°I¡¯m not buying you a dress today,¡± Master Jurian said, coming up behind Liv. She felt her cheeks bloom with heat, and she stepped back away from the window. ¡°I couldn¡¯t wear it anyway,¡± she said. Jurian narrowed his eyes. ¡°You know that laws are not the same everywhere, Liv, don¡¯t you? In the lands of the Eld, in Lendh ka Dakruim, or even across the sea in Varuna, you could wear whatever you liked, regardless of your birth.¡± Liv attempted to imagine herself in such a beautiful dress, but she couldn¡¯t make the picture come. Every time she tried, a dirty kitchen apron got in the way. ¡°Are we going to see Master Forester?¡± she asked, and her master nodded, helping her back into the carriage.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Master Forester, of course, did not live on The Hill. The carriage rumbled down toward the open-air market at the center of town, leaving behind the homes of wealthy merchants, the Temple of the Trinity, the Old Oak Inn, and Castle Whitehill. The Lower Banks was not a neighborhood Liv had been to before; when Mama took her shopping, it was always to the market. She could see the river pier to the east, past a row of warehouses. The carriage jostled past two additional inns, their signs proclaiming them the Laughing Carp and the Gilded Star. Liv saw a butcher, a potter, and a smithy, all too loud or foul-smelling to be permitted in the wealthier district. Finally, they rolled to a halt in front of a wooden house of two stories, with a few small windows and a sign hanging over the door that read: ¡®Forester: Game Meats and Furs.¡¯ Master Jurian knocked at the door, while Liv tried to keep her shoes from being ruined by the muck. In the Lower Banks, the streets were evidently not nearly as clean as up the hill, and she wrinkled her nose at a familiar stink. Did people really just empty their chamber pots in the street? That was what it smelled like. Liv looked up and down the street. Two houses down, a group of youths were clustered around the end of an alley. One of them was a skinny girl a bit older than Liv, with her head uncovered and her hair shorn close to her scalp. Liv was surprised that she recognized two of the boys. There was Little Whit, whose claim to fame in the town was that he was the only son of Big Whit, still undefeated at bare-knuckle boxing at every market day for as long as Liv could remember. The other was Bill, the former footman, no longer in his livery. Did he know that she was the reason he¡¯d lost his position at the castle? Liv wasn¡¯t quite sure until he turned in her direction and met her eyes. She¡¯d never been looked at so hatefully, and Liv suspected that when he spoke, it was to his friends about her. The short-haired girl and Little Whit both looked over, as well, and she wanted to crawl away and hide from their stares. At that moment, the door to Master Forester¡¯s home swung open, and the man stepped out into the street, frowning. The moment he looked past Master Jurian to Liv, however, his face broke into a great smile, and he laughed. ¡°Miss Brodbeck! Welcome, welcome. Who is your friend, here?¡± ¡°Magis Jurian of Carinthia,¡± her master answered, extending his hand. ¡°Miss Brodbeck has agreed to be my apprentice. I understand you are the best hunter and trapper in the town?¡± ¡°In the town? No!¡± Kale Forester said. ¡°In the whole blasted valley! Come in, come in. Emma, come see who our visitors are!¡± he called into the house, holding the door open for Liv and Jurian to enter. Once the walls were blocking the gazes of the youths in the alley, Liv felt a good deal better. A dark-haired little girl of perhaps five years bounced down the stairs and into the room. Liv was relieved to see that Emma Forester did not look sick or injured in the slightest. ¡°Hello,¡± she said, waving with the hand that was not gripping her crutch. ¡°Emma,¡± Kale Forester said, ¡°this is the girl who pulled you out of the river.¡± ¡°Liv Brodb-eek!¡± Liv stumbled backward and did her best not to fall as the child threw herself forward. Emma wrapped her arms around Liv¡¯s waist and squeezed. ¡°Thank you!¡± the little girl said. It was a strange experience, for Liv to see someone who was actually smaller than she was looking up at her. ¡°I remember falling, and how cold it was, and going to sleep, and then I woke up wrapped in furs in front of a fire, and then I had to take the longest bath ever, but I¡¯m fine now!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me,¡± Liv said, embracing the girl in return. If nothing else, it kept her from losing her balance. ¡°I was just the one who saw it happen. Anyone would have helped, in my place.¡± ¡°Well, we are grateful, in any case,¡± Master Forester said. ¡°How was that venison? Did you need more?¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Master Jurian said, ¡°that brings us to the point of our visit. I am told you are the person to see if one wishes to acquire game meat saturated by the Bald Peak rift.¡± ¡°Let me show you my dolls!¡± Emma said, taking Liv by the hand and dragging her toward the foot of the stairs. She was able to keep one ear on the negotiation between Kale Forester and her master, which seemed to involve regular deliveries to the castle kitchens in return for payments made by the mages¡¯ guild. It turned out they would not need to go to Fairford, after all, for the hunter knew Auntie Rhea. ¡°No, I see her regularly,¡± Forester explained. Liv was puppeting a stuffed bear of knitted wool, while Emma stalked it with a rag-doll hunter. ¡°I bring her any herbs or seeds I find on the lower slopes of the mountain. It¡¯s no trouble for me to pick up what you need from her. She¡¯s in Whitehill often enough, anyway - whenever someone needs a midwife.¡± ¡°Well, that saves us a bit of time,¡± Master Jurian said. ¡°Thank you. Do you happen to have anything here today?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in luck,¡± the hunter told him. ¡°The rift is getting near to an eruption, and there are more and more beasts roaming about. I¡¯ve got a mountain cottontail that would make a good stew, hanging in back. I¡¯d been planning to see whether Master Grenfell wanted it; he sometimes buys from me.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take it when we leave,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Will Master Grenfell mind?¡± Liv asked, looking up from the dolls. ¡°I don¡¯t want to inconvenience him.¡± ¡°You can always share the stew with him, if you like,¡± Master Jurian said, accepting the skinned rabbit. ¡°But if my theory is correct, you need this more than he does, Apprentice. Come along now.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Emma,¡± Liv said, using the crutch to help her stand up. ¡°It was good to see you, and I¡¯m pleased you¡¯re doing well.¡± ¡°Maybe you can come play again sometime?¡± Emma asked. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Liv said. ¡°Before I forget,¡± Kale Forester said. ¡°Take these - I finished them yesterday.¡± He handed her a pair of skates carved from the horns of the buck he¡¯d given her, along with rawhide leather cords to tie them onto her shoes. Once they¡¯d returned to the castle, Liv did her best to catch up on all the work that had accumulated for her in the scullery. She took her new ring off and set it aside so that it wouldn¡¯t be lost or ruined. Master Jurian pulled a chair over from the kitchen table, set it in the hall right outside the room, and put her new leather-bound book in his lap, with a bottle of ink on the floor next to him. ¡°I want you to know what I¡¯m putting in here for you,¡± he explained. ¡°So pay attention to me while you¡¯re scrubbing those dishes. I¡¯ll leave the front of the book for you to record your spells and notes; in the back, I¡¯m going to put some words that I think will be useful to you.¡± ¡°Just words?¡± Liv asked, putting her shoulder into the grime that had been baked onto one of the pie plates. ¡°Not full spells? What about that blue bubble that you made? That looked useful.¡± ¡°The word of raw magical force,¡± Jurian said, dipping his quill into the ink. ¡°That will be taught to you at the College, when you confirm your membership in the guild. We do not teach it to anyone who is not going to make a lifelong commitment to us. As to your other question,¡± he said, over the scratching of quill on paper, ¡°I do not intend to make you lazy, Apprentice.¡± ¡°You have the luxury of time,¡± her master explained. ¡°Twenty years, at least, before you travel to Coral Bay. No other apprentice will have such a lengthy introduction, so I expect you to make good use of it. I will not give you a single other spell, but I will give you something better: the tools to create your own. By the time you arrive for your first year of studies, I expect you to be able to demonstrate at least half a dozen new spells, using your word of power.¡± ¡°Six?¡± Liv repeated. It seemed like a lot, when she¡¯d never even created a single spell in her life. ¡°Six,¡± Jurian confirmed. ¡°In addition to the one that I¡¯ve already given you. You should give it a name, by the way. I¡¯m giving you a list of numbers in V?dic,¡± he continued. ¡°As well as a few shapes. I expect the word for ¡®wall¡¯ will be useful to you,¡± the mage muttered as he wrote. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do with a few body parts. I trust Grenfell to teach you the proper conjugations and cases, be certain you check your work with him before actually trying to cast anything. And by the Trinity, do not use any of these inside the castle. In fact, go out of the town entirely. Find yourself a place to practice where no one other than you can be hurt.¡± Outside of Whitehill? Liv had never been outside of Whitehill on her own before: only with Mama, as a passenger on the occasional sleigh ride, or for a market day picnic in the mountains. ¡°Master Forester said an eruption was coming,¡± she said. ¡°Will it be safe?¡± ¡°Once the rift has been culled, it will be safe,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Baron Henry can see to organizing that - it¡¯s his responsibility, after all. Make certain that Kazamir tells you about it when they¡¯re done; there¡¯s a great deal you can learn.¡± They both worked late into the night: Liv until there was not a single dish left to scrub, and her master until he¡¯d run out of ideas to write into the back of her book. Liv went to bed with a stack of books on her bedside table, her new skates on the floor, and a silver ring on her finger. It was as if her empty room had suddenly been filled with a treasure trove. She opened her new spellbook, and took a big breath of the scent of fresh leather and paper before putting it back and cuddling in with Rosie and Charlie. The next morning, she woke to find that Master Jurian had left before dawn. 13. Keremor Inkeris had been fasting for three days by the time they reached the shoals of the rift. His father, of course, had no need to fast. Watching the old man eat strips of dried caribou every evening around their campfire, and then in the mornings when they rose, was enough to make even the most patient son irritable. Added to the constant misery of camping in the snow, it all put Keri in the most foul mood he could remember. Even he knew it, though it didn¡¯t make his words any less sharp. ¡°There,¡± Ilmari ka V?inis, Elder of the Unconquered House of B?lris pronounced, pointing with satisfaction. ¡°Can you feel it, boy?¡± The northern wind whistled through the pine forest, carrying a cold spray of snow with every gust and tossing Father¡¯s white hair and beard about. ¡°What I feel is cold,¡± Keri grumbled, leaning on his N?v¡¯bel, which he¡¯d been using as a walking stick. He¡¯d never liked using a sword, but on this journey he could see the point of a weapon that could be sheathed and hung on a belt. ¡°But yes, Father, I can feel the edge of the shoal. It¡¯s like stepping into a wall of steam.¡± Unlike the elder, he was encased in a thick, hooded parka of caribou skin and an inner layer of fox fur. It was not enough, and to see the old man bare-faced and unmoved by the cold only exacerbated his frustration. ¡°Good,¡± Ilmari said. ¡°We will go to the edge of the shoal, in sight of the deadland. Be mindful of the mana while we walk; do not lose control. If you come back with mana-sickness, your promised will take it out on me. And that girl frightens me.¡± Keri grunted, and trudged after his father, following the path the old man broke through the snow. About this, he had no pride: the less attention he had to pay to his footing, the more he could focus on circulating the mana throughout his body. Father was right about one thing: if Keri returned to Menis Breim with weeping sores on his skin, Rika¡¯s temper would hurt more than the chirurgeon¡¯s knife. Eyes half lidded, Keri breathed in until he felt like his lungs would burst, then held for a count of ten before exhaling. The mana-rich air of the shoal was saturated with so much magic that it spilled out of his lungs and into the rest of his body. Keri¡¯s task was to keep it from running on uncontrolled. The mana needed to be circulated evenly, so that it didn¡¯t overwhelm any one part of his body. Inattention could be fatal, and this was his first time entering the shoals of a rift. Fortunately, the controlled breathing helped Keri to sink into a state of relaxation, nearly dozing. It was only when his father finally drew him up to a halt that he realized they¡¯d crossed the entire shoal, and he silently thanked the elders who had drilled mana-control techniques into him over and over again. ¡°You see?¡± Father asked, pointing out where the snow drifts dwindled, revealing the white bones of caribou, bear, wolves, and a dozen other types of beasts. Unlike the game he was used to hunting with his cousins, the skulls exposed by the heat of Keremor were enormous: true mana-beasts, grown to two or even three times the normal size of a non-magical animal. Even with the reach of the N?v¡¯bel, he would not have wanted to face that kind of threat alone. Past the field of bones and dead ground, a column of steam rose into the winter sky. It was so thick that Keri couldn¡¯t even see the rift itself, only the effect of it on the surrounding land. ¡°Have you ever gone inside?¡± he asked his father. ¡°Once,¡± Ilmari said. ¡°You are not ready. Not until you master Savel.¡± Even without incantation or intent, the word thrummed in Keri¡¯s blood and bones. He would not have dared to say it aloud, but then he did not have the long years of practice that had made his father an expert. ¡°Make yourself comfortable,¡± the old man commanded. ¡°I will stand guard.¡± A guard was no mere formality or ritual - they were deep within the influence of the rift, where monstrous creatures were likely to threaten them. Keri found a patch of ground where no snow remained, just at the border between the shoals and the depths, and a spear¡¯s length away from any bleached bones. No plants grew here, and even the rocks were bare of lichen. He was surprised to find that the ground was warm when he sat, and that after three days of hiking through the frozen taiga, he was beginning to sweat. He removed his gloves, then unfastened his parka and shrugged out of it. The temperature was closer to late flood, or early harvest, than winter. Setting aside his spear, Keri sat cross legged, his back straight. The posture had been drilled into him from his earliest years. ¡°You come here to prove yourself an adult, and not a child,¡± his father intoned. ¡°A free man of the Unconquered House of B?lris. It is time to set aside the ways of a child. A child can be reckless; a man cannot. A man must consider always not only the good of himself, but the good of his family. He must heed the words of the elders, and learn from their wisdom. He must protect his kwenim, for however long they walk by his side. He must teach and protect the children the gods see fit to grant him. He must use the words of the dead gods for the good of all, and not the good of one. Will you do these things, my son?¡± ¡°I will,¡± Keri said. Before the endless trudge through the forest, it had been easy to make light of the ritual. It was something that had to be done before he could join with Rika, just as she had her own rituals to undergo with the women of Menis Breim. A delay to be suffered through, so that he could get on with his life. Now, suddenly, it all seemed much more real. Children? How could he have a child - it seemed only yesterday he¡¯d been clambering over the wet rocks above the bathing pools with Rika and Sohvis. ¡°In the first age of the world,¡± his father continued, ¡°the V?dic Lords cast their eyes and their ears anywhere they wished. Across mountains and oceans, nothing was concealed from their sight and their notice, save by their own carelessness or complacence. The winds of mana whispered in their ears of things yet to come, things that might be. We are but children in their shadows, but some small measure of their power remains. You will remain here until B?lris sees fit to grant you a glimpse of what is to come.¡± Those words were dangerous. Keri closed his eyes, and fell back into the slow, steady breathing that let him filter mana throughout his body. B?lris, V?dic Lord of Light, had stood neither with Tamiris, Arvatis and Sitia, nor with the dead gods that had been thrown down. Instead, in disgust, B?lris had simply withdrawn from the world and left. That placed his descendants in an awkward position. Like their ancestor, Keri¡¯s family had stood aside, preferring to make a home for themselves at Menis Breim. One would have thought that over a thousand years later, the disagreement would have been forgotten, but the Vakansa had memories even longer than their lives. Every breath tasted of mana-rich steam; it was even more dense with magic here, at the edge of the depths, than it had been on the way in. Keri realized that he was struggling not to lose control; his entire body felt bloated with power. The easiest thing to do would be to cast a spell - probably more than one - and use up some of the magic coursing through him. But that was not the point of the ritual. Instead, he used as much as he could, soothing away the bruises of travel, the blisters on his feet, the soreness in his muscles. There was nothing but the breathing, and the mana. Everything else faded away. There was no earth and no sky, no wind through the pines of the taiga. The spear on the ground next to Keri was as far away as the stars and the ring overhead. He could not hear his own father, standing guard.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Finally, the wild surge of mana that flooded his body with every breath slowed, then ceased. His body was so utterly saturated with magic that Keri was now balanced with the power of the rift, around him. He breathed in and out, in and out again, and the world breathed with him. There was no separation between Keri¡¯s body and the magic that flowed out of him with his breath; it mingled with the wind, and was tossed throughout the forest, and it too was him. With the magic on the wind, Keri whirled through the taiga, gazing down at the dark pines. Menis Breim rose in the distance, rearing up between the forest and the coast, and whale-oil lamps gleamed in the windows of the Mountain Home built by his ancestors. But Keri¡¯s gaze did not stop there; it continued south with the wind, twisting through mountain passes. He caught a glimpse of Al''Fenthia, and then it too was behind him. South, ever south he blew, into the lands of the Kenth?oria. The towns and buildings of younger brother were strange, and their tongue had changed over many generations until it was unrecognizable. Keri had never been to their lands, but he recognized things that were not of his own people, and understood. Eyes opened, meeting his gaze. They were the blue of the winter sky, cracked over with frost. The delicate lashes put him in mind of a woman, though he could see no other part of her. Whoever she was, it was not Rika. The children of B?lris always had the light of their ancestor in their eyes, and his promised was no exception. Her eyes flinched away from him, like an animal who has endured too much pain. ¡°Who are you?¡± Keri asked. The only response was the sudden gust of snow, and his world became entirely white. The warmth of Keremor fled before the driving winds of a blizzard, and Keri came out of the vision, shivering. Slumped on the ground not four paces away was the corpse of a white northern bear, still smoking from where his father had burned it. The monster was larger than a whale calf, and Keri could hardly imagine how it had moved on land. The stink of burnt flesh and boiled blood was sickening. Keri shook himself, and a fine dust of snow and ice, already melting, fell from him. He rolled to the side and took up the N?v¡¯bel in one hand, in case the great bear had a mate. ¡°Good, you¡¯ve returned,¡± his father said, turning away from the beast. ¡°The corpse will only bring more, and we can¡¯t possibly eat it all. What did you see?¡± ¡°A woman,¡± Keri said, ¡°with blue eyes. She was like a winter storm.¡± ¡°Beautiful?¡± his father asked, squatting down next to the bear¡¯s carcass and pulling a skinning knife. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Keri admitted. ¡°I could only see her eyes.¡± ¡°Beautiful,¡± Ilmari repeated, peeling back white fur as he worked. ¡°I can tell from your tone. The eyes are enough to know it. Not your promised. Best not to tell Rika you had a vision of another woman before you¡¯ve even bound yourself to her. Wait a few years.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain you should be giving me advice about women,¡± Keri grumbled. Since there were no more threats in the immediate area, he set his spear down and pulled his parka back on. Despite the heat from the steam in the depths, the vision had left him half-frozen. ¡°Likely not,¡± his father admitted. ¡°Start a fire. We¡¯ll cook a few steaks. You need the fat for the walk back.¡± Keri had to hike back into the shoals to find wood, and even there it was difficult. He was fortunate enough to spot a fallen pine tree by its shape under the snow. Once he¡¯d dug down with his gloves, he found dead branches wedged between the ground and the snow above, and broke off as many as he could carry. By the time he¡¯d returned, his father had done good work carving up the bear¡¯s loin, so Keri arranged the pine branches carefully. ¡°Savelent ?m Deru,¡± he sang softly. The magic came easily, mana erupting up from Keri¡¯s belly like a geyser. A flash of sunlight, bright enough to blind anyone who did not have the blood of B?lris in their veins, erupted from his hands, and the kindling began to smoke, then quickly caught. With more effort than he was used to, Keri cut off the flow of mana, and the light dwindled. ¡°You could have used the spark charm,¡± his father chastised him. ¡°I could have,¡± Keri said. ¡°But it¡¯s a relief to use some of this mana.¡± They cooked the meat as quickly as they could, and Keri took a slice off the fire as soon as he was certain it would be safe to eat. It was savory, tender and juicy, and always reminded him a bit of caribou when it was cooked well. Because the beast was living in the shoal, raw mana burst onto his tongue and warmed his belly with every bite, pushing the exhaustion and weariness from his muscles with a wash of energy. He felt stuffed and hungry all at the same time, but ate until he couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. By the time Keri was done, his father had already packed up as much cooked meat as they could carry, and the two men set off back toward the edge of the shoal, away from the rift itself. ¡°Do you have any advice for me?¡± Keri finally asked, once they were back amongst the trees, with the steaming rift out of sight. ¡°I thought I was the last one who should give you advice about women,¡± his father teased him. The man still hadn¡¯t bothered to pull up his hood, which Keri found ridiculous. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I would follow it,¡± Keri shot back. ¡°You want to know what I think?¡± Imari said. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re both stupid children. I can hardly believe either one of you is old enough to be matched and bound. You¡¯re going to make mistakes. You¡¯re going to get under her skin, and she¡¯s going to make you angry. You¡¯ve never lived with a woman. The best thing you can do is to be kind to her, even when you¡¯re ready to tear each other¡¯s eyes out. You have time - more than most. The agreement is only for one child. If things don¡¯t work, you end it there, and move on. We live too long to be miserable with each other.¡± ¡°Father,¡± Keri said, drawing up to a halt. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked,¡± his the old man complained. ¡°The least you can do is listen to your elders.¡± ¡°No, there,¡± Keri said, taking his spear in both hands and breaking off from their path, heading crosswise through the taiga. ¡°There. It looks like...¡± Up ahead, a ring of stones broke the white crust of the snow. The scent of rot blood lingered where it should not. ¡°Let me go first,¡± his father ordered, sunlight flaring in his eyes. Keri only held back two paces, following his father off to the left. He wanted enough room between them that an ambush couldn¡¯t take both men at once. They stopped at the edge of the ring. The stones surrounded a dead pine, and the branches had been chopped off to a height of fifteen or twenty feet. Like the teaching-trees of Mountain Home, someone had shaped the trunk of the pine. Rather than the head of a wolf or an owl, however, the tree had been shaped into the form of a woman, with her arms extended up over her head, smooth and delicate until the carver had stopped his work, fading into the trunk above. Her legs, as well, extended down toward the ground, until the voluptuous swell of hips and thighs was replaced by the unworked wood at the base of the tree. In between, the carved woman was clearly nude, with swelling breasts and a rounded belly. The details were rough, but her face was sensuous, with parted lips and heavy eyes, and a mane of hair tumbling about her shoulders. It would have been beautiful if it wasn¡¯t encrusted with blood. Bones were scattered around the clear circle marked out by the stones, and the snow seemed not to dare to fall there. A great bowl of turned wood had been set in front of the carved tree, and it was thick with coagulated blood. Worse, it was piled with organs, preserved by the cold. Keri stepped past the stones and leaned down to examine one of the bones. ¡°This is not an animal,¡± he said, recognizing the shape of the hipbone. With the butt of his spear, he shifted the pile, and found a skull. ¡°Some of these were our people. Do you recognize the carving?¡± ¡°I know it,¡± his father murmured. ¡°Though I¡¯d hoped never to see anything like it again. It is an idol, made to receive sacrifice. It is one of the dead gods.¡± Keri rose to his feet. ¡°Whoever they were, they don¡¯t deserve to be left here.¡± ¡°We will return with more men,¡± his father said, turning to scan the forest. ¡°We must find who did this. It cannot be allowed to continue.¡± ¡°Which one is it?¡± Keri looked over the carving one more time. Was she bleeding from the eyes? ¡°Raktia,¡± his father said. ¡°The Lady of Blood.¡± 14. Winter鈥檚 End ¡°Almost done, child,¡± Master Chirurgeon Cushing muttered as he carved pieces of skin from Liv¡¯s right arm. It was very odd: she could feel the pressure, and a kind of tugging, but the old man had used an enchanted wand to make it so that she couldn¡¯t feel any pain. Halfway through cutting away the third patch of mana-sickness, the magic had started to wear off, and when Master Cushing noticed her flinching, he¡¯d used the wand again. Then he¡¯d let her hold it. ¡°I wish Master Grenfell would teach me the V?dic sigils,¡± Liv remarked. ¡°I¡¯d really like to be able to read this and see what words are used.¡± ¡°Kazamir has his reasons,¡± Cushing said, pulling off the last piece of her skin. She recognized the clink made when he set his surgical knife down, but decided to wait until he¡¯d finished bandaging the wound before she looked down. Even if she couldn¡¯t feel anything, the first glimpse of blood all over her arm, where the skin had been removed, had nearly made her throw up. Instead, she ran her fingers over the V?dic letters, first carved into the wood of the wand, and then filled in with silver. ¡°He says he won¡¯t teach me enchanting,¡± Liv complained. ¡°That it¡¯s better to learn that at the College. But I¡¯m going to ask him again in a few years. Maybe he¡¯ll change his mind.¡± ¡°There.¡± Cushing finished wrapping her arm in linen. ¡°That should do you for now, Miss Brodbeck. You¡¯re to come and see me every day to get the bandages changed, and you are absolutely forbidden from putting that arm into a dirty wash-bucket. Also, when the numbness wears off again, your arm is going to hurt quite a bit. I recommend getting some ice from the courtyard and using it to keep the wounds cold. That will ease things somewhat.¡± Liv handed him the wand back, pulled the sleeve of her shift back down, and carefully slid down off the chirurgeon¡¯s table, grabbing her crutch where she¡¯d left it. She scooped her books up and tucked them under her arm, then crossed the room. Using the crutch to move was second nature, now. ¡°Your ankle seems to be healing well,¡± Cushing called to her, before Liv could close the door behind her. ¡°And you¡¯ve grown half an inch since last I measured you. Keep eating what Master Forester brings you.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Liv assured him, and hurried off toward Master Grenfell¡¯s chambers for her lessons. In the month since Master Jurian had left, her days had settled into a new routine. She rose as early as she ever had, but now there was no time to dawdle in bed until her mother chased her out. If she woke up with half a bell to spare, she looked over her lessons before getting dressed. Her master had told her to create six spells of her own before she left for Coral Bay, and she had thoughts about what she wanted to do. When she wasn¡¯t cleaning chamber pots or dishes, or upstairs for her lessons, Liv continued to help her mother and Gretta cook. Gretta often asked her to read from the old recipe-book that had been passed from one head cook to the next for generations; the old woman insisted that her eyes weren¡¯t as good as they used to be. Liv didn¡¯t mind the reading; it helped her practice. It had also given her an idea, and she had been saving her wages to visit Master Gaunt¡¯s book shop. Some of the pages were so old and stained they could hardly be read, and most of the writing was messy or in a cramped hand. Both Gretta and her mother would have a much easier time if Liv copied the recipes into a new book, neatly. Master Forester made regular deliveries of special foods for Liv: venison, rabbit, duck, pheasant and quail, whatever he could hunt from the mountain slopes near Bald Peak. He brought spices from the midwife Rhea, as well, whom Liv had yet to meet in person: dried garlic, onion, sage, thyme and pepper, all brimming with mana. Cooking special meals added to the workload, and Liv often felt guilty about not eating the same thing as the other servants. Sophie gave her several sharp looks, and sharing the food with Master Grenfell didn¡¯t help, because the maid ended up being the one sent to deliver his food. Sophie was cautious enough not to say anything where the first footman could hear her, and Liv avoided the maid as much as she could. A new footman had been hired, to replace Bill, whom Liv had not seen since the day she went to the Lower Banks with Master Jurian. Edward was younger than Tom by two years, making him close to Liv¡¯s age, though he was much taller. Perhaps if she continued growing half an inch a month, that would change. Tom certainly seemed pleased with himself to now be second footman, and to have a junior. Liv knew there was talk of finally hiring a maid for lady Julianne, and a nurse for the coming child, which would make the servants¡¯ quarters busier than she could ever recall in the past. The baron¡¯s wife was now past the time she¡¯d been expected to give birth. The question of whether something was wrong with the pregnancy had become the gossip of choice downstairs, finally pushing aside all the excitement about Liv. First Footman Archibald maintained that Master Cushing had the matter well in hand, while Gretta and Mama had on several occasions given the opinion that Auntie Rhea should be brought up to the castle. ¡°She delivered you, dove,¡± Mama had remarked to Liv just that morning. ¡°No matter how much he learned from the guild, no man knows as much about childbirth as a woman.¡± Liv was just looking forward to seeing the baby, though she would have liked to meet the midwife and thank her for the steady supply of herbs. There hadn¡¯t been a child in the castle - other than her - for her entire life. She reached Master Grenfell¡¯s chambers before Mirabel and Griselda arrived, which was according to her plan, and took a seat at her desk, putting aside the question of whether the baby might be a boy or a girl. The mage had not emerged from the door that led to his bedroom, yet, so Liv carefully unfolded the sheet of paper on which she¡¯d been working for some days. Her blank book was so nice, perhaps the nicest thing she owned, and she wasn¡¯t willing to write anything inside until she was completely certain. Ice Knives Ice Blades Ice Daggers Frozen Shards Celent¡¯he (number) Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae Number: Dvo, Trei, Cetve, Encve, Svec¡­ Liv tapped her finger along the incantation as she read. She had conjugated her word of power so that, rather than specifying a singular shard of ice, it now allowed more than one piece. That meant changing Scelis to Scelim, pluralizing the noun, as well. The pronoun had to change from ¡®this¡¯ to ¡®these,¡¯ and she¡¯d written down the v?dic numbers two through six. Master Jurian had actually left her a list going as high as ten, but that seemed a bit of a stretch for someone just developing their first spell. If she had done everything correctly, however, she should be able to use this phrasing to summon not a single frozen shard, but as many as six, and fling them all at a target. ¡°Good work,¡± Master Grenfell told her, and Liv couldn¡¯t help but give a squeak and jump. It was lucky that she hadn¡¯t uncorked her bottle of ink yet, because she¡¯d been absolutely unaware of him entering the room and coming up behind her. She took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Though I wish Jurian had given you a spell for something other than killing things.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I would not attempt anything more than two, as of yet,¡± the mage cautioned her. ¡°This incantation will require more mana, the more of your-¡± he looked down at the page again. ¡°Frozen shards, was it? A poetic name, even if the more accurate translation is dagger or knife.¡± ¡°What happens if it takes more than I have?¡± Liv asked. ¡°And how do I use what¡¯s in the ring?¡± ¡°The answer to the first is that you would likely pass out and fall over,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°As well as give yourself another episode of mana-sickness. Unless you wish to be seeing our chirurgeon again so soon, you should temper your experiments. But that does suggest a particular topic for the day, that I suppose is overdue. Thank you for joining us, ladies.¡± Liv risked a glance at the door, where the two elder girls watched her with the attitude of an owl choosing the plumpest field mouse. ¡°Why does she get extra lessons?¡± Griselda complained. ¡°Miss Brodbeck arrived early and was hard at work on her studies,¡± Master Grenfell answered. ¡°If you did the same, perhaps I would take a moment with you, as well. Come in and sit down, please. We are going to begin today by speaking about measuring mana.¡± In a cloud of perfume, the two older girls bustled over to their desks and got their skirts in order. Liv quietly thought her clothes much more practical. Master Grenfell pulled the ring from his finger and held it up for all three of them to see. ¡°As you all know,¡± he began, ¡°these rings are set with cut and polished Aluthet''Staia - many of them mined from our own Bald Peak, though there are other deposits in the kingdom, as well. The guild gives every member an identical ring, each set with a standard sized, one and a quarter carat stone. These stones are the only objects capable of holding mana indefinitely, without degradation, allowing them to serve as reservoirs of power. They also serve as the foundation of how we measure mana.¡± Liv turned over the paper she¡¯d been doing her spellwork on, uncorked her bottle of ink, and began to write down what the master mage was saying. ¡°The Gift of Tamiris changed a fundamental truth about the existence of humanity,¡± Grenfell continued. ¡°When our ancestors were servants of the old gods, we did not have access to mana. Humans could not even use charms, to say nothing of high magic. The Lord of Potential gave us the ability to use spells, and therefore the ability to store mana within our bodies. However, we do not all benefit from The Gift equally. Most humans can only store enough mana to fill a single one of these rings. People at that level are not considered worth training by the guild.¡± ¡°How do we know whether we can hold more?¡± Liv asked. ¡°The answer to that,¡± Master Grenfell said, ¡°is simple. We drain all the mana from a ring, and then draw from your own body, refilling the ring. We do this repeatedly, counting how many times you are able to fill one of these stones. This will give us a measurement in rings. We generally speak of a mage as having attained four rings, or six, or what have you. Now, who wishes to be first?¡± Liv was not surprised that Mirabel Cooper stood immediately. The girl pranced over to Master Grenfell, clearly expecting to be praised as an exceptional example of magical talent. Liv, however, had more questions. ¡°How many rings do most members of the guild fill?¡± she asked, pausing her quill above her paper. ¡°Anyone who graduates the College of V?dic Grammar will be able to fill at least nine rings,¡± Grenfell answered her. ¡°And that would be a student of little talent, indeed. Someone who arrives for their first year with less than four is unlikely to keep up with their studies.¡± He walked over to his cabinet, and withdrew the same large hunk of unpolished mana-stone that Liv had witnessed him use the day she¡¯d nearly died at the Frost Fair. Softly, Grenfell began to chant in v?dic, and Liv leaned forward to watch wisps of brilliant blue and gold empty out of his ring, into the much larger rock. ¡°Very well, Miss Cooper,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Let us begin.¡± The mage filled and emptied his ring three times before he could draw nothing more from the mayor¡¯s daughter; Mirabel, by the end, was wavering on her feet. Liv couldn¡¯t quite feel sympathy, but she did know the feeling, and it made her wince. Griselda helped her friend back over to a chair, and then presented herself for testing. ¡°Not bad,¡± Grenfell judged. ¡°You have a few years yet before leaving for Coral Bay; you might make four rings by then.¡± He turned to and went to work. Griselda, to her clear and immediate displeasure, could only fill two rings. Liv tried her best to fasten her eyes on her notes, but a hint of her satisfaction must have escaped, for the older girl glared at her. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you do, then. There must be a lot of magic in scrubbing chamber pots!¡± Liv corked her inkpot, lifted her crutch, and walked over to Master Grenfell. ¡°Hand me your ring until the test is finished,¡± the mage instructed her. Liv felt a stab of anxiety at taking it off; she had been so careful not to lose the ring in her daily duties, she didn¡¯t like having it out of her sight. Her teacher brought the rough hunk of stone close to her chest, and Liv recognized the same words he¡¯d used on her once before. She wondered if she could write the spell down accurately, when he was done, or if she wouldn¡¯t be able to remember it right. ¡°Aluthos¡¯o¡¯Ea,¡± Master Grenfell sung, and the magic began to flow out of Liv, into the stone. When the second ring was filled and emptied, Liv felt relief. She was at least as good as Griselda Mason, then. A third ring was emptied into the massive piece of mana stone, and that meant Mirabel wasn¡¯t better than her. At the fourth ring, Liv felt the girls¡¯ eyes boring into her back. At eight rings, the mayor¡¯s daughter could no longer contain herself. ¡°She¡¯s cheating,¡± Mirabel cried out. ¡°It¡¯s a trick. She has more of those rings in her skirts or something.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Liv protested. ¡°Do not interrupt me,¡± Master Grenfell said, none of the usual quaver in his voice. ¡°I need to take an accurate measurement.¡± By the tenth ring, Liv was once again feeling that deep rooted weariness she had experienced after saving Emma Forester, and again after casting two spells in quick succession at Master Jurian¡¯s direction. After the eleventh ring, she was certain there could not possibly be anything left inside her. But it was only after the twelfth that Grenfell stopped, and returned her ring to her. ¡°All of you should be certain to eat a good meal and get full night¡¯s sleep,¡± he said, lifting the hunk of Aluthet''Staia he¡¯d used for the test and carrying it over to his cabinet. Where before it had been entirely dull, now a noticeable glimmer of mana flickered beneath the surface of the rock. Liv managed to hobble back to her desk and slump down into her chair. ¡°How many rings can you fill, Master Grenfell?¡± she asked. For a long moment, her teacher did not answer. Instead, he stared at her with such an expressionless face that Liv could not tell whether he was angry at the question, or even whether he¡¯d heard her at all. Just as she was about to apologize, he answered. ¡°Eleven.¡± Liv dropped her eyes to her desk, and hunched her shoulders against the inevitable scorn of the two other girls. Instead, the silence was interrupted by Griselda asking a question. ¡°What is that?¡± The other girl had half-stood from her chair, arm raised and finger pointed at Master Grenfell¡¯s window. Liv frowned: she couldn¡¯t see anything from where she was sitting. Grenfell gasped, and was across the room before Liv could reach for her crutch. Mirabel and Griselda followed, all three crowded around and in the way by the time Liv got there. She had to get up on her tiptoes to see out. At first, everything looked exactly how she would expect. To the right, the town of Whitehill stretched out down the slope from the castle, lining the west bank of the Aspen River. In the distance, the mountains surrounding the Aspen Valley reared up to all sides. The flood season thaw was just beginning, but in most places snow and ice remained, only now mixed with mud. Woodsmoke stretched up from scores of chimneys, and over it all the bright ring of the gods stretched up into the sky. To the left, Bald Peak was illuminated in a column of blue and gold fire, linking the mountain with the great ring above. ¡°Is that mana?¡± Liv whispered. ¡°The rift is erupting,¡± Master Grenfell answered. ¡°Your classes are cancelled for the day, and for the foreseeable future. Miss Cooper, Miss Mason, you may wait in the great hall for your carriage, so long as you keep out of the way. Miss Brodbeck, return to your duties, I am certain you will be needed. You may wish to tell your mother to prepare more food than usual for the evening meal. I must go and find the baron.¡± Without waiting for a response, the mage hurried out of the room and into the hall, leaving the three girls alone as the castle began to shake. It was the first time Liv saw anything other than contempt in the faces of the other girls, but she took no satisfaction in it: they were clearly just as afraid as she was. 15. Eruption The first time that Castle Whitehill trembled was the worst, but that didn¡¯t mean the aftershocks were any better. The third caught Liv halfway down the servants¡¯ stair and threw her against the wall, where she sunk down to sprawl on the steps so that she couldn¡¯t fall. The last thing she needed was to break another bone. Only when the final tremor had passed did she scoop her books back up, grab her crutch, and make her way down into the kitchen. It was a wreck: there were pots and pans scattered across the floor, a half-burnt log had tumbled out of the hearth, and Gretta was kneeling under the dinner table. ¡°Get over here, Livy!¡± the old woman called. ¡°Something could fall on your head.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s over now,¡± Liv told her. She dropped her books in her usual dinner place. ¡°And Master Grenfell said that I should tell you and Mama that we need to make extra food today.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be calling in the culling team,¡± Gretta said. ¡°And that means guests. Class cancelled for the day?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°We were learning something interesting, too.¡± She almost said that she could hold more mana than Master Grenfell, but her mother had always told her that no one likes a bragger. Not that Liv had ever had any reason to brag, before. ¡°Well, go down in the cold cellar and tell your mother it¡¯s done shaking,¡± the old cook said, crawling out from under the table. ¡°Then we can make a plan.¡± Liv used her crutch to hobble over to the cellar stairs, and called down: ¡°Mama, it¡¯s done! Master Grenfell says we need to cook a lot of food!¡± Her mother appeared at the bottom of the steps. ¡°It looks like a slaughterhouse down here,¡± Mama said. ¡°A side of beef nearly crushed me. You¡¯re alright, dove?¡± ¡°We were safe up in Master Grenfell¡¯s chambers,¡± Liv assured her, and moved out of the way so that her mother could emerge into the kitchen. ¡°So, Maggie,¡± Gretta began. ¡°Most of the knights, you figure?¡± ¡°Count on all twenty of em,¡± Mama agreed, crossing to the cutting counter and opening the old recipe book. ¡°Better to have more than not enough. Master Forester and Auntie Rhea.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll bring his daughter, too,¡± Gretta pointed out. ¡°No wife to watch her.¡± ¡°The family upstairs, plus downstairs, and of course the castle guards.¡± Mama said. ¡°Figure the sheriff and the mayor, as well. How many is that all together, Livy?¡± ¡°Fifty-six,¡± Liv answered, after making sure that she hadn¡¯t forgotten anyone. ¡°You¡¯re on full cooking duty with us today,¡± Mama said. ¡°Get a cauldron boiling with water to make brine, and then start measuring out the thyme and sage for it. Get the salt from Coral Bay, while you¡¯re at it. Gretta, go round up those footmen to carry meat up from the cellar for us. Everyone is going to have to pitch in.¡± It was the first time that Liv found herself treated like a cook, and not a scullion. The kitchen became a buzzing hive of activity, and anyone who stood in the wrong place was liable to be knocked over, burnt or scalded. She was fortunate that her broken ankle meant she couldn¡¯t carry much, and so while others moved around, Liv got the tasks that kept her in one place. She cleaned the potatoes, and stirred the batter for the cornbread. During harvest season, the slaughtered cattle and swine had been hung in the smoke-house to preserve meat for the winter; now, Tom and Edward were set to carrying enough from the cold cellar to provide for a feast. The smoked pork was put in a simmering pot of beans and sauce, to be pulled by hand when it was nice and tender. Gretta started a pot of sauce for the brisket, beginning by cooking down tomatoes, and then adding honey, apple cider vinegar, mustard, peppers, and a mix of other spices. She tasted it with a spoon from time to time, humming in satisfaction. Liv was gratified to see the cornbread coming out just like it always had, even though she¡¯d been the one to mix the batter this time, and not Mama. The biggest difference from a regular day, however, was that it simply didn¡¯t end. When a dish was done, they sent the pot off to be scoured. Liv wasn¡¯t certain who¡¯d been stuck with that duty, but suspected it might be Sophie. And once the pot was back, they made more. At some point, Archibald took the footmen with him, and all three of them were bringing dishes up to the great hall to serve. With her mother and Gretta, Liv fell into the mad rush of it all, focused only on each task in front of her until it was done. She had no idea what bell it was when the first footman put his hand on her shoulder; she hadn¡¯t paid any attention to the chimes from the kitchen horologe since the eruption began. ¡°You¡¯re wanted upstairs, Liv,¡± Archibald told her. ¡°For what?¡± Liv blinked, but didn¡¯t stop pouring melted butter across the top of a second tray of brined fingerling potatoes. Or was it the third? ¡°Baron Summerset has called for you,¡± he told her. ¡°You¡¯re to come up immediately.¡± Was she in trouble? Liv had avoided being in the same place as the baron since the day the sheriff and the mayor had come for her. She doubted it, however. The eruption was much more important than anything she¡¯d ever done. Liv grabbed her crutch from the floor under the table, and used it to help her stand. ¡°These potatoes are done,¡± she told Archibald. ¡°They can go up.¡± With an elegant ease born of years of service, the first footman balanced the platter on one hand, and even held the doors for her on their way up to the great hall. The double doors, replaced since she¡¯d broken the last set, were already standing open, held in place by wooden wedges against the floor. The hall itself was more full than Liv had ever seen it before, with all six of the low tables crammed with men sitting elbow to elbow, eating, drinking, and arguing. ¡°With me,¡± Archibald reminded her, and Liv followed him up the center aisle to the high table. ¡°Miss Brodbeck,¡± he announced. ¡°As requested. And another serving of the potatoes you liked, Lady Julianne.¡± ¡°There is no need for this,¡± Master Grenfell remarked, from his place at Baron Summerset¡¯s left side. Next to him sat the mayor, and then Master Forester and his daughter. On the baron¡¯s right, his wife had her head together with an older woman that Liv didn¡¯t recognize, and just past her was Master Cushing, the Chirurgeon, and then the sheriff. ¡°The laws of the kingdom are clear,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°And we shall follow them. When a culling is needed, all members of the mage guild within three days¡¯ ride shall present themselves to the local lord for service. Your student is, as you all demonstrated, an apprentice of the guild. She must be here, and for once, her place is at the high table. That is tradition, that mages are feasted in honor of their sacrifices.¡± ¡°Come sit next to Emma, Liv,¡± Kale Forester called. Liv felt as if everyone¡¯s eyes were on her - not just at the high table, but all of the knights from the surrounding countryside, all across the valley, who sat at the low tables, as well. As quick as she could, Liv rounded the end of the table and sat next to the little girl she¡¯d played dolls with in the Lower Banks. Why did everyone sit on only one side of the high table, facing the rest of the hall? There was no one to hide behind.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Liv!¡± Emma exclaimed, and gave her a hug. ¡°You have to come visit us again.¡± Liv wrapped an arm around the girl and squeezed her back. ¡°How about next market day?¡± she suggested. ¡°You¡¯re not seriously going to send the girl into the shoals, are you?¡± Lady Julianne asked her husband. A trencher was set in front of Liv - she was surprised to find the new footman, Edward, at her shoulder, pouring a goblet of watered wine. ¡°The law dictates that service shall be rendered,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°But the nature of the service is left to the lord of the territory, who has responsibility for containing the rift. No, I will not take an untrained girl into the shoals,¡± he said. ¡°She would be more of a danger to us than a help. Liv Brodbeck, your task is this,¡± he said, addressing her directly. Liv froze under the baron¡¯s gaze, her hand on the fork sticking out of a platter of brisket. ¡°My wife is with child,¡± the baron said. ¡°If she were not, she would come to the culling with us. As it is, Lady Julianne shall remain here to hold Castle Whitehill and command the knights we leave behind. Every eruption, a small number of beasts make their way to the town, and must be dealt with. Apprentice Brodbeck, you are hereby assigned, as a member of the mages¡¯ guild, to protect my wife.¡± ¡°Of course, m¡¯lord,¡± Liv managed to gasp out. ¡°Now that that charade has been played out,¡± the mayor said. ¡°Who will be on the culling team, and who will remain behind to protect the town?¡± ¡°I will lead,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°Kazamir, Rhea, and Kale will come with me.¡± ¡°Only four?¡± Sheriff Porter asked. ¡°That is not a full culling party.¡± ¡°We will bring eight knights to guard our camp and supplies,¡± the baron said. ¡°But they will not go into the shoals with us. If we had more people with words, I wouldn¡¯t even bring you, Master Forester.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be a fool not to, m¡¯lord,¡± the hunter said. ¡°I¡¯ve killed more mana-beasts than you have.¡± Ignoring the mayor¡¯s glare, he took another spoonfull of beans and pulled pork, slopping it onto his plate. ¡°Master Cushing, you will remain here to care for my wife,¡± Baron Henry continued, ignoring Forester¡¯s impertinence. ¡°Would it not be better for me to go, and Rhea of Fairford to remain behind?¡± Aldo Cushing spoke up. ¡°You may need the enchantments of the chirurgeon¡¯s guild, and a midwife should be more than adequate to birth a child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pleased you think I¡¯m adequate,¡± the woman Liv had not recognized spoke up, glaring at Cushing. ¡°You¡¯re too old now, Aldo,¡± Henry said. ¡°Even five years ago I would have taken you, but you won¡¯t be able to keep up. Give her a couple of your wands.¡± ¡°Those enchantments are licensed to the Order of Chirurgeons alone,¡± Cushing replied. ¡°If I gave any to her, I would be thrown out of the guild.¡± ¡°Then do your part, and see my wife safely delivered of an heir,¡± Baron Henry shot back. ¡°I expect to come back and find both her and my son healthy. Mistress Rhea will keep us alive.¡± ¡°I have charms enough to do that,¡± Rhea of Fairford said. ¡°And I know how to set a bone or stitch a wound well enough. The college saw to that.¡± ¡°I sometimes forget you finished a year at Coral Bay,¡± Master Kazamir commented. Liv, in the meantime, had filled her plate and was eating as quietly as she could, trying not to draw anyone¡¯s notice back to her. This was all very interesting, but she felt completely out of place in her dirty apron, fresh from the kitchen. Emma must have thought something of the same thing, for the little girl was occupied smooshing potatoes on her plate, rather than causing trouble. ¡°I¡¯d like to leave my daughter here while we¡¯re gone,¡± Master Forester said, and Liv felt Emma stiffen at her side. ¡°My sister-in-law is fine for a short hunting trip, but I can¡¯t ask her to take Emma on for this.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°We will take good care of her here. She can stay with me.¡± ¡°I want to stay with Liv,¡± Emma broke in. ¡°How long will you be gone, Papa?¡± ¡°Depends,¡± Forester said. ¡°Last time around it was maybe a week. Before you were born.¡± ¡°As long as it takes the flood of mana to recede,¡± Master Grenfell said, ¡°and the wave of maddened beasts to slacken. There was one eruption under the old baron that lasted ten days. The guild has records of major rifts lasting a fortnight or more, but Bald Peak is nothing like those. And then, of course, in Varuna there are places like Godsgrave, which is essentially under a constant state of eruption-¡± ¡°That is not relevant to us today,¡± Baron Henry broke in. Liv couldn¡¯t blame him; she¡¯d been there while the mage went off on a tangent during their lessons. He could go for hours once he got the bit in his mouth, but it was always interesting. She especially liked to see the sour look on Mirabel Cooper¡¯s face when it happened. It occurred to Liv that the two older girls would probably be furious that she was at the high table for this conversation, while they¡¯d obviously been left home. ¡°If we are not back in twelve days, send word to Duke Thomas,¡± Henry told his wife. ¡°I won¡¯t stop with Thomas,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°I¡¯ll send word to Father and Uncle Caspian, as well.¡± ¡°That may be a bit extreme,¡± the baron said. ¡°In any event, we leave in the morning. The rest of the knights will remain here to reinforce the town. Sheriff Porter, you will assist my wife. In the event she is incapacitated, you will take command until I return. Is everyone clear?¡± ¡°And if the sheriff is killed or wounded?¡± Mayor Cooper asked. Baron Henry simply looked at him in silence for a long moment, and Liv could swear the man wilted like a flower in the heat of early harvest season. ¡°So that there can be no confusion about the chain of command,¡± he stammered. ¡°The oldest surviving knight,¡± the baron said. ¡°Now let us enjoy the rest of this meal before we must throw ourselves into the shoals.¡± To Liv¡¯s surprise, no one told her to leave now that the planning was done. She¡¯d had little enough to do with it all in the first place, but the baron was a stickler for the law as written, and she supposed that included her right to remain until dessert. The final course was a surprise. Mama and Gretta must have been cooking it while she was eating up here, after Liv had left the kitchen. Fresh-baked apple and oat betty was brought up in dish after dish by the three footmen, beginning with the high table. The baron and Lady Julianne were served first, but there was still plenty to go around by the time it reached Liv and Emma, and her mouth watered when it came time for her turn. Steaming layers of rolled oats and apple preserves from the harvest, baked with cinnamon from Lendh ka Dakruim and drizzled with butter, were scooped onto her plate, and then Emma¡¯s. With matching grins, they each dug into the messy, wonderful treats. By the time they were done, people had started to slip away from the feast. Liv noticed the mayor was gone, for one, and Master Cushing, as well. At the lower tables, the knights and the guardsmen who were not on duty were drinking, getting louder as the hours passed. Lady Julianne rose from her seat, which meant that everyone at the high table stood, as well, and when that had been noticed, everyone in the entire hall. ¡°I believe it is time for me to turn in for the night,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said, loud enough for her voice to carry. ¡°Good evening,¡± Baron Henry told her. ¡°Get a full night¡¯s sleep.¡± With a smile for the hall, Julianne made her way around the table toward Liv and Emma. Rhea, the midwife, followed her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two girls come with us up to my sitting room for a moment.¡± Her voice was softer now, so that it was swallowed up by the noise of the feast resuming below. ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said, reaching under the table for her crutch and then rising. ¡°I want to stay with Papa,¡± Emma whined. ¡°It¡¯s late,¡± Master Forester told her. ¡°I need to speak more with the baron. Lady Julianne will see you put to bed. Perhaps Miss Liv will join you for a story.¡± ¡°If you like,¡± Liv told the younger girl. ¡°We might also be able to find one of the cats.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Emma said. ¡°If there will be cats.¡± She permitted Liv to take her hand, and the two girls followed Lady Julianne to her chambers. By the time they¡¯d arrived, Emma was already yawning, and Liv suspected that she was not used to staying awake so late in the evening. Liv saw that a cot had been brought into the sitting room and made up with sheets and a wool blanket, and into this Emma was deposited. ¡°Now that she¡¯s asleep,¡± Lady Julianne said, lowering herself into a cushioned chair, ¡°we can speak.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really understand what I can do to help,¡± Liv said, honestly. ¡°I can hardly use magic at all, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Julianne admitted. ¡°But I also think you have a good heart, Liv. And with my husband going off to cull the rift, I have very few people here that I can trust.¡± Liv frowned. ¡°But you¡¯re the baron¡¯s wife, m¡¯lady,¡± she said. ¡°Won¡¯t everyone do what you say?¡± ¡°If only it were that simple,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°I have enemies, dear girl. Here, and elsewhere in the kingdom.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t know who you are, does she?¡± Rhea, the midwife, asked. ¡°Girl, this is the king¡¯s daughter.¡± 16. The Princess that Never Was ¡°You¡¯re a princess!¡± Liv exclaimed. ¡°No,¡± Lady Julianne said, with a sigh. ¡°I am not a princess. My mother was the king¡¯s mistress, Liv. That makes me a bastard, just like you.¡± The baron¡¯s wife waved her hand at a finely carved wooden bench with stuffed cushions arranged atop it, and Liv took a seat, leaving her crutch on the floor at her feet. ¡°Begging your pardon,¡± she said, ¡°but unless you were scrubbing chamber pots in the palace, m¡¯lady, we¡¯re not entirely alike.¡± Rhea laughed out loud, taking another chair for her own. ¡°She has you there, Julie,¡± she said. ¡°The royal palace is not the same as a castle kitchen.¡± ¡°Perhaps I have misspoken,¡± Lady Julianne admitted. ¡°The point is that I am not a princess; I could never be a princess, and there was never any world in which I would inherit anything from my father. Any property, at any rate. My husband has been paid a handsome dowry, and Father was generous enough with wedding gifts. I¡¯m certain he¡¯ll wish to send a few things for his grandson, as well. In that way, we¡¯re similar. Let¡¯s say you were to go north, Liv, and find your father. What do you think would happen?¡± Liv shrugged, and looked down at the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. ¡°I would advise you to temper your expectations,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Men are all honeyed words when they¡¯re trying to get what they want, but they don¡¯t like the mess that comes after. Something to remember when you¡¯re older. Now. Do you have your book with you?¡± ¡°I left it down in the kitchen,¡± Liv said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure why I was being called for.¡± Lady Julianne looked over to Rhea. ¡°Would you mind ringing the bell?¡± ¡°It would do you good to walk around,¡± the midwife chastised her, but rose and crossed the room anyway. She gave a tug on the rope which would ring a bell in the kitchen. ¡°Has Kazamir taught you sigils yet, girl?¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv said. ¡°He won¡¯t let me. Says it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°He¡¯s drilled proper V?dic pronunciation into your head, at least?¡± The older woman settled back into her chair. ¡°C¡¯s are always hard, never soft? All of that?¡± Liv nodded eagerly. ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Rhea nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to write a few charms in your book for you. Low magic to slow bleeding, and to close a wound. If you¡¯re as sharp as everyone says you are, you won¡¯t have a problem using them.¡± ¡°We hope they won¡¯t be needed,¡± Lady Julianne broke in. ¡°But it is always good to be prepared. You aren¡¯t going to be fighting anything, Liv, you understand that? We have plenty of guards to protect the town, and knights to command them. Every man of age will take shifts on the walls.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Liv said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be very good at it anyway.¡± ¡°What we want you to do,¡± Lady Julianne said, ¡°is to pay attention, and to tell me about anything odd. You¡¯re clearly observant - you noticed the bat, that morning, and you were the only one who saw little Emma fall. Pay attention just like you normally would, but come to me directly if you think something is strange. Can you do that?¡± ¡°I can, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said. A knock came from the chamber door. ¡°Come in,¡± Lady Julianne called, and Sophie entered. As soon as she saw Liv, sitting with women above her station, the maid¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Sophie, dear, please run down and fetch Miss Brodbeck¡¯s books from the kitchen; we¡¯re going to need them up here.¡± ¡°Of course, m¡¯lady.¡± Sophie gave a perfect curtsy and ducked back out the door, but Liv could tell she was boiling inside. ¡°I¡¯m not happy with your husband,¡± Rhea said to Julianne, once they were alone again. ¡°The entire reason I never joined the guild is that I didn¡¯t want to be forced onto culling teams. I came here to birth a baby, not fight overgrown cave worms.¡± ¡°I know, and I apologize,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I do see his point. Aldo is getting a bit long in the tooth. Help me loosen my bodice?¡± She turned in her chair so that the midwife could get at the laces on her back. ¡°You¡¯ll be going to Coral Bay, in a few years?¡± Rhea asked Liv. She stood behind Julianne and began untying the knots that held her silk laces tight. Liv nodded, then realized the midwife wasn¡¯t looking at her. ¡°When I¡¯m grown, Master Jurian said. What is it like?¡± ¡°It is the best place to learn about magic in the world,¡± Rhea said. ¡°Though I¡¯ve never been north, so I suppose I can¡¯t speak to the Eld. I stayed for a year, which was long enough to understand the guild wasn¡¯t for me.¡± ¡°Have you ever regretted it?¡± Julianne asked. ¡°My uncle told me it was a waste to leave and get married.¡± ¡°No,¡± Rhea said with certainty. ¡°I¡¯ve delivered hundreds of children. I get to see them running around underfoot whatever neighborhood I visit. I¡¯m even delivering the children of the babies I delivered years ago, now, like this one.¡± She playfully batted her hand against Lady Julianne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s something satisfying about that.¡± Julianne turned to Liv and smiled. ¡°She won¡¯t ever let me forget it.¡± ¡°I was being tutored by Magia Annora when the king called for her,¡± Rhea explained, taking her seat again. ¡°She took me by waystone, which was an experience, let me tell you. Only time I¡¯ve ever been to the capital. I just kept my mouth shut, didn¡¯t look anyone in the eye, and caught this one on her way out. She had good lungs even then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually one of the reasons I accepted Henry¡¯s offer,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Annora told me that you lived up here in the mountains. I thought you would be at least one person I could trust.¡± Her eyes flicked back to Liv. ¡°If she¡¯s still there when you get to the college, go and find Magia Annora, and tell her I sent you.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said. There was another knock at the door, and Sophia delivered her books to her, then left, avoiding eye contact the entire time. ¡°Good,¡± Rhea said, holding out her hand. Liv handed her the leather book with all the blank pages. ¡°Julie, you have a quill and ink? I¡¯ll just put these in the back. I see your master has already left some notes for you there.¡± The midwife took Liv¡¯s book over to a small wooden desk set against one wall of the sitting room, and began to work. Liv had more questions than she could count. Who was Magia Annora, exactly? How did waystones work? What was the capital like? Why would Lady Julianne come all the way out here and get married if she could have been a mage in the guild? She kept her mouth closed, however. It wasn¡¯t the place of a servant girl to ask questions of the lady of the house. And a lady who was the king¡¯s daughter! Finally, the midwife finished writing, set aside her quill, and capped the bottle of ink she¡¯d been using. She blew gently over the pages of Liv¡¯s book, to make certain the writing was dry enough, then closed it and brought it over to where Liv was sitting.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t need to use those,¡± Rhea said. ¡°But it¡¯s best you practice them if you get the opportunity. If someone cuts themself on a knife in the kitchen, pull your book out and give it a try. You never want to be attempting magic for the first time when you¡¯re panicked.¡± ¡°Yes, mistress,¡± Liv said, clasping her books under her arm. She reached down to the floor to lift the crutch, and stood. ¡°Is there anything else, m¡¯lady?¡± ¡°No, go and get some sleep, dear,¡± Julianne told her. ¡°Rhea and I have more to speak about, and I think we¡¯re all going to be very busy for the next few days.¡± It really was quite late, by that point. When Liv made her way down the stairs and into the servants¡¯ quarters, she couldn¡¯t hear anyone else moving around. She¡¯d just got to her own room, and was juggling her books and crutch to reach the door handle, when she heard the creak of a door opening just down the hall. ¡°Don¡¯t get above yourself, little miss,¡± Sophie hissed. Liv flinched back into her door. The maid was dressed for bed, wearing only a shift and a night cap, but her eyes were hard. ¡°You aren¡¯t better than us. No matter how much time you spend upstairs.¡± ¡°Leave me alone,¡± Liv told her. She opened the door to her room, slipped through, and closed it behind her. For a long moment, she worried that Sophie would try to follow her, or start banging on the door, but the girl must have gone back to her own room. There was only silence, and then a meow from her bed. ¡°Charlie!¡± Liv called out to the cat. At least she wouldn¡¯t be sleeping alone. ? The next morning, Liv was drafted to help with the morning meal, while Sophie was set to cleaning the chamber pots again. It made sense: Sophie didn¡¯t know how to cook, and she wouldn¡¯t have been much help to Mama and Gretta. Liv was certain it was only going to make the older girl more angry with her. Liv was just pulling three fresh loaves of bread away from the hearth to cool when a knock came at the kitchen door. First Footman Archibald set aside his cup of tea and went to go and see who it was. A moment later, he called out, ¡°Miss Brodbeck, come out and speak with Master Grenfell for a moment.¡± She slipped out into the hall, where the mage waited for her. ¡°Master Mage,¡± she greeted him, and curtsied. She was really starting to get the hang of doing it with a crutch. ¡±What are you doing in the kitchen?¡± Grenfell asked her, with a frown. ¡°I looked for you upstairs in the great hall.¡± ¡±I was helping Mama and Greta,¡± Liv told him. Where else should she have been? Grenfell shook his head. ¡°The baron has assigned you a task as an apprentice of the mage¡¯s guild. That takes precedence over any other duties. Get your spell book and come along with me. You¡¯re wearing your ring?¡± She nodded. ¡°Leave the apron.¡± Liv ducked back into the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mama,¡± she called, ¡°Master Grenfell needs me upstairs.¡± She hobbled over to her room, threw the dirty apron on her bed, snatched up her book, and hurried back out to where Master Grenfell waited for her. ¡±Come along,¡± he said, and set off toward the courtyard. Liv saw that he was dressed differently than usual, in a heavy wool cloak and stout leather boots meant for trudging through snow. A pair of fur-lined leather gloves were tucked into his belt, and the metal-shod tip of his staff rung against the floor of the castle with every pace. ¡±The culling team is leaving as soon as the sleighs are loaded,¡± Grenfell explained. ¡°Which should not be much longer. Until we return, you should report to Lady Julianne every morning and do whatever she asks of you. Do you recall when I made you promise not to use magic without my permission, and not within the castle?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Liv said, following him out into the courtyard. There was a stiff morning breeze, and it caught up a scatter of snow and ice and swept it into their faces. If she¡¯d known that she¡¯d be going outside, she would have grabbed her winter cloak, as well. ¡°You are released from your promise for the duration of the eruption,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°You understand? These men on the walls should kill anything that makes it this far,¡± the master mage said, waving his hand up at the parapets of the curtain walls that protected Castle Whitehill. There were more men than Liv had ever seen up there before, all carrying crossbows. ¡°If something does come over the wall, the first thing you do is lock yourselves behind a door. If a mana-beast comes through the door, do not hesitate. Perhaps Jurian was thinking ahead after all.¡± The three sleighs which had been offering rides at the Frost Fair were lined up in the courtyard, with a pair of horses hitched to each. A bustle of castle guards were loading packs of supplies into each one, while a knot of people huddled together against the cold wind. Rhea was there, and she smiled at Liv when their eyes met. Master Forester was holding little Emma against his chest, and the two were speaking too quietly for Liv to hear over the wind. The woodsman had a hunting knife at his belt, a quiver of arrows on his back, and a great longbow next to him, leaning against the second sleigh. Of those going, Baron Henry and his knights were the most heavily armed. Each of them wore a jack of plate: a padded doublet with metal plates sewn into it for protection. Henry wore a rapier at his hip, while his knights carried a variety of weapons, including wicked looking spiked metal balls and hammers. ¡°Be safe,¡± Lady Julianne told her husband. Liv came to a halt next to Master Grenfell, only a few steps away. ¡°We will be back soon,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°I expect to find both my wife and my child in good health, Master Cushing.¡± ¡°I assure you, I will take the best possible care of them,¡± the old chirurgeon said, giving a bow. ¡°Very well. We are off!¡± Henry and the others began clambering into the sleighs. ¡°Take care of yourself,¡± Grenfell told Liv, hesitating a moment. ¡°If I do not return, I expect that Baron Henry will find a new court mage. You can learn from them as easily as from me. Until they arrive, however, make certain my rooms are sealed. There are objects in my possession that could be dangerous in the wrong hands.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Liv said, though she could not imagine how she would ever convince the baron to do anything that he didn¡¯t already want to do. Grenfell climbed into the leftmost sleigh, leaving only Emma and her father. ¡°Go with Liv now,¡± Master Forester said, attempting to set his daughter down on the ground. She clung to him with both arms and legs, refusing to be dislodged. ¡°Come along Emma,¡± Lady Julianne said, stepping forward to take hold of the girl. ¡°Liv, help me.¡± ¡°If you come downstairs with me,¡± Liv offered, ¡°you can meet my doll, Rosie. And we could find Charlie. He¡¯s a black cat who purrs very loudly. Would you like that?¡± Emma shook her head, but finally wrapped her arms around Liv¡¯s waist and clung to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon enough,¡± Kale Forester told his daughter. ¡°You¡¯ll be safe here. I¡¯m jealous! You get to live in the castle, while I¡¯m wandering around freezing my beard off!¡± Before Emma could run back to him, the hunter climbed into the nearest sleigh, settling his unstrung bow across his lap. In all the sleighs, the culling team pulled furs over their laps and huddled in their cloaks, to guard against the cold wind. With shouts, the drivers got the horse teams moving, and the sleighs scraped across the cold stones of the courtyard, and out into the street. Liv, Emma, Lady Julianne and Master Cushing watched them leave, until the castle guards swung the gate shut and blocked their sight. Liv couldn¡¯t remember the last time the castle gates had been closed during the day. ¡°Come along inside,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Have you eaten yet, Liv? There¡¯s plenty of food.¡± Emma, silently crying, allowed herself to be herded into the great hall, where she was eventually distracted by a plate heaped with sausages. Though she still wasn¡¯t comfortable eating upstairs, Liv was hungry, so she set her book down next to her plate and began the process of filling her belly. She flipped first to the charms Rhea the midwife had set down for her, the night before, whispering them to herself to try out the pronunciation. But no one had a cut or a bruise to practice on, so she flipped back to the bank of words that Master Jurian had provided her with. ¡°Master Grenfell told me I should report to you each morning,¡± Liv said, checking with Lady Julianne to make certain it was actually alright for her not to be downstairs. ¡°That is correct,¡± the baron¡¯s wife assured her. ¡°For the most part, I am going to be keeping you with me. For now, I wonder if you might introduce Emma to your mother? I suspect she would enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Why don¡¯t the two of you meet me back here for the midday meal? I have a few things to talk over with the sheriff, and he should be here shortly.¡± ¡°Of course, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said. She closed her book, grabbed her crutch, and turned to Emma. ¡°Let¡¯s leave Lady Juliannne to her business, shall we?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± Emma grumped. ¡°I want to go home.¡± She refused to take Liv¡¯s hand, crossing her arms. Lady Julianne and Master Cushing, in the meanwhile, were already on their way out of the great hall. ¡°What if I promise you a surprise?¡± Liv offered. Emma looked up with interest. ¡°What kind of surprise?¡± the girl asked. Liv smiled. ¡°How would you like to see magic?¡± 17. The Winter Garden ¡°I¡¯ll save you a special helping of dessert,¡± Liv offered. Piers groaned, and she was pretty sure she had him. She and Emma had waited until the guard was coming off duty, and caught him at the entrance to the barracks. He was still wearing his armor, a jack of plate in the white and green of Baron Henry¡¯s heraldry, and he¡¯d leaned his crossbow over his shoulder. ¡°What do you even need it for?¡± he asked the two girls. ¡°I need to practice my magic,¡± Liv said, leaving the details vague. ¡°I have permission from Master Mage Grenfell to do it inside the castle grounds, until the eruption is over. Anyway, you haven¡¯t used any of those old shields for years. I¡¯m surprised no one¡¯s gotten rid of them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re no good against modern crossbows,¡± Piers explained. ¡°Since they started making the windlass models in the capital a few years back, there¡¯s no point.¡± He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. ¡°I¡¯ll loan the two of you a shield, under two conditions,¡± the guard decided. ¡°First, I¡¯m going to check with Master Grenfell when he gets back, so if you¡¯re lying about having his permission, just understand he¡¯s going to find out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Liv said. She was nearly completely certain that the older mage wouldn¡¯t mind what she was doing, and that he might even approve. He¡¯d told her to make a spell that wasn¡¯t for killing things. ¡°Second,¡± the guard said, then paused. He looked around, found no one in earshot, and leaned down closer to Liv. When he spoke, he¡¯d lowered his voice. ¡°I want your help with Sophie.¡± ¡°Sophie?¡± Liv frowned. ¡°Help how? Has she been mean to you?¡± ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± Piers said. ¡°She just doesn¡¯t seem to pay me much notice. I want you to find out what she likes, and tell me. What¡¯s her favorite flower? What food does she like?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sweet on her?¡± Liv burst out. Were they truly talking about the same girl? The one who always looked like she¡¯d just bit into a lemon? Piers shrugged, looking down at the ground. ¡°I think she¡¯s pretty,¡± he said. At Liv¡¯s side, Emma giggled. Liv couldn¡¯t decide whether it would be better to give Piers what he wanted, or to warn him off before he found out what the grumpy maid was really like. On the other hand, it occurred to her, if Sophie was paying attention to someone courting her, perhaps she would have less time for bothering other people. ¡°You have a deal,¡± Liv said, extending her hand. A few moments later, she and Emma were walking away from the barracks, lugging a round wooden shield between them. It was a bit dusty, with visible rust on the metal rim, but Piers had assured her it was the best he could find. It wasn¡¯t so much heavy as bulky, and if Liv hadn¡¯t needed to manage the crutch at the same time, it wouldn¡¯t have been so bad. As it was, she held it on one side, Emma on the other, and they had to put it down to adjust their grip twice before they made it to the castle gardens. By the end of flood season, the gardens would be green and full of life, and come harvest the air would be heavy with the scent of herbs and fruits. At just the turn of the season, however, everything was still covered in snow and ice, and the slope of the gardens made for treacherous walking. When Castle Whitehill had first been built, on the heights overlooking the Aspen River, the masons¡¯ guild had to make compromises. Archibald had explained to Liv once that easily leveled ground was in short supply, and she recalled his words now as she explained to Emma. ¡°They need it to be flat in the courtyard, for instance,¡± Liv said, huffing and out of breath by the time they finally set down the shield at the highest point of the gardens. ¡°For sleighs and carriages and things to come in and out. They need it flat in the training yard, where the guards practice. But they didn¡¯t need the gardens flat, so they put them here.¡± Below them, icy paths of stones wound down among boulders that had been left artfully arranged. The paths separated small plots of land, so that potatoes were grown in one place, onions in another, then sage, thyme, garlic, mustard and so on. There were even two small groves of trees set aside, branches lined with ice that sparkled in the sun: one for peaches, the other for apples. ¡°You said there was going to be magic,¡± Emma reminded her. ¡°Not a stupid garden.¡± ¡°There will be,¡± Liv promised her, and retrieved a folded up piece of paper from where she¡¯d stuffed it into the pocket she wore beneath her skirts. On one side was her work on the Frozen Shards spell; on the other were the notes she¡¯d made before they set out to acquire the old shield. Unlike Frozen Shards, this time Liv was starting from scratch. The base was her word of power, of course. The second piece had come from a list of shapes that Master Jurian had left her: Belia, which was the word for a bowl. Mac was an adjective that described a noun as particularly long and thin. Once she had those three pieces, the rest was just working through the conjugation and cases. She hoped. Liv took a deep breath, held it, and released. When Master Grenfell had first started forcing her to perform the breathing exercises, she¡¯d thought them pointless, but they really did help to calm her nerves now. After the third breath, she stretched out her hand and sung from her belly, allowing the sounds to vibrate through her, down to the blood and bones, as the magic moved. ¡°Celet Aimac Belia o¡¯Mae.¡± The word roared up from the back of Liv¡¯s mind like the river in flood, and poured out of her. Before she lost the feeling, Liv dropped to her knees, throwing aside her crutch, and touched the ground. Mana spilled out through her hand, freezing as it went, like a drop of water running down the side of a goblet and leaving a trail behind. Within only the span of a few breaths, a long path of ice snaked its way down from the highest point of the garden, to the lowest, curving around trees and boulders. Rather than being flat, like the frozen river at the Frost Fair, the path was curved up at the sides, reaching two feet or more off the ground in some places. It was as if she had taken a bowl, melted it, and then stretched it with her hands. Next to Liv, Emma clapped her hands and grinned. ¡°Liv, that¡¯s amazing,¡± she cried. ¡°You¡¯re a real mage!¡± Liv dropped back onto her butt, breathing as heavily as if she¡¯d run up and down the servants¡¯ stairs five times. She tried to guess just how much of her mana she¡¯d just used. Could she cast the same spell again? Maybe. If she did, however, she had a sneaking suspicion that she would pass out. Call it six rings of mana - that was half of what Master Grenfell had measured her at. She had the sense that if she¡¯d used the spell for something smaller, it wouldn¡¯t have been nearly so much. ¡°Now,¡± she said, once she could speak again. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Together, the two girls wrestled the shield, face down, onto the ice. Liv crouched over Emma, both of them griping the leather straps of the shield with one hand, and keeping hold of the ice itself with the other. ¡°On three,¡± Liv said. ¡°One. Two. Three!¡± The girls pushed off the ice, and the shield shot off, fast as a crossbow bolt. Liv couldn¡¯t help but scream as they went, careening down the ice to the first curve, where the shield nearly went up and over the outer edge. She needed to make the outside of the curves higher, Liv noted in the back of her mind. It was too late to do anything now; she¡¯d just have to hope they made it safely down to the bottom.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The shield spun as it came out of the first turn, and didn¡¯t stop, so that Liv had to squeeze her eyes shut against a sudden wave of dizziness. Emma, on the other hand, never stopped laughing and squealing with joy. On the second turn, they came close enough to the lowest branches of a peach tree that Liv had to duck her head. Finally, the shield slid directly up the end of the ice with such great speed that, instead of slowing and sliding back down, they went right over the top and landed with a crash in the snow that covered a garden bed. Exhausted, sore, and thrilled, Liv rolled off the shield into the snow, unable to care that she was getting her clothes soaked. ¡°That was the best thing ever!¡± Emma shouted, leaping up off the shield and dancing around in the snow. ¡°Again! Again!¡± Liv raised her head and looked back up to where they¡¯d begun, and realized that she¡¯d left her crutch there. She groaned and let her head fall back into the snow. ? By the time the girls were wanted in the great hall for the midday meal with Lady Julianne, they had used the shield to slide down through the castle gardens at least half a dozen times. After being forced to half hop, half crawl her way back the first time, Liv had taken to sliding her crutch down the ice ahead of them, then picking it up at the bottom for the return trip. They lugged the shield back to the barracks, where they¡¯d left it leaning against the outer wall, and then dragged themselves back into the keep. Liv was just getting Emma¡¯s wet cloak off her when Lady Julianne, Master Cushing, and Sheriff Porter entered the hall. ¡°What in the name of the trinity has been going on here?¡± Cushing demanded. ¡°Liv used magic to put ice all down the gardens and then we rode a shield down! It spun us all around and we went so fast, it was amazing!¡± Emma shouted, bouncing up and down. Liv arranged their sopping cloaks near the great hearth, so that the wool could begin to dry out. ¡°Miss Brodbeck,¡± the chirurgeon began, rounding on her. ¡°You know that you are too delicate for such things. You broke a leg falling down half a flight of stairs when you were seven,¡± he reminded her. ¡°And your ankle has not even finished healing! Sit down and let me examine your bones.¡± ¡°I feel fine,¡± Liv said. ¡°Maybe the special food is helping?¡± She found a seat at the table, however, and sat still while Master Cushing began feeling along her arms and legs for a break. ¡°It has been one month,¡± the old chirurgeon said. ¡°If your ankle hasn¡¯t had time to heal, do you really think your entire bone structure has changed? Don¡¯t be foolish, girl. Does any of this hurt?¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv lied. She was pretty certain that she was only bruised: after the first run, they¡¯d piled up an especially deep cushion of snow at their landing spot. ¡°Now that is settled,¡± Lady Julianne broke in, ¡°how much of your mana did you keep in reserve?¡± The servants¡¯ door opened, and the footmen began carrying in dish after dish of food, laying the first course out at the high table. A few of the knights who were not currently standing a watch on the castle walls began to filter in, finding places to sit at the lower tables. ¡°About half, I think,¡± Liv answered. ¡°Good.¡± Julianne nodded. ¡°Eat a full meal, then, to help you recover. Make certain you have some of the garlic-crusted potatoes, here - I made certain your mother and Gretta would use the herbs Rhea brought over, so they¡¯re infused with a bit of mana. None of that for you, Emma, just Liv and I. Liv, I¡¯m making a rule for you right now, for the duration of the eruption: you¡¯re free to experiment with your magic, so long as you don¡¯t hurt yourself, anyone else, or break anything. But I don¡¯t want you to ever use more than half your mana. Keep the rest ready in case you need it.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said, watching as Tom spooned a great helping of the potatoes onto her plate. It felt very strange to have someone else serving her. ¡°Patients,¡± Master Cushing complained, settling in for his own meal. ¡°Patients are what drives me to drink. The both of you. Lady Julianne, you should consider my suggestion again.¡± ¡°When my husband returns,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I don¡¯t have time right now.¡± ¡°You are already days overdue,¡± Cushing argued. ¡°And your husband could be gone for a ten-day or more. If labor does not begin within two days, you need to let me perform surgery.¡± ¡°Four days,¡± Lady Julianne countered. ¡°Two,¡± Cushing shot back. ¡°This is not a negotiation, it is your life, and the life of your child.¡± ¡°I can handle the guards,¡± Sheriff Porter said. Liv had noticed the man hardly ever spoke, unless he was asked a question directly. ¡°The walls will hold, m¡¯lady. Do not put yourself at risk.¡± ¡°We are all at risk until this eruption is over,¡± Julianne grumbled. ¡°Fine. Two days. Liv, I am interviewing candidates to serve as my lady¡¯s maid this afternoon. You will attend me.¡± ¡°I want to play with Liv more,¡± Emma complained. ¡°You,¡± Julianne said, ¡°will go with Master Cushing for an examination, as long as you are here anyway. Until your father returns, I shall take my responsibility to him seriously. It is the least I can do while he is fighting for us. Aldo, you will inform me immediately if you find anything to be concerned about.¡± ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± the chirurgeon said. ¡°Sheriff, you have the command while I am conducting interviews,¡± Lady Julianne said. The meal passed quickly after that, and Liv did find that the herbed potatoes helped her to feel a little more full. She went back for a second helping: if they were making it so that she recovered mana more quickly, then eating more would only speed things up. After everyone had finished, and the footmen began clearing the table, she followed Lady Julianne up to her sitting room. ¡°Come and sit next to me,¡± Julianne said, patting the cushioned bench. Emma¡¯s bed was the only thing in the entire room that did not speak to wealth and luxury; Liv worried that the skirts she¡¯d worn outdoors to play with Emma would stain the cushions, but the lady of the castle didn¡¯t seem concerned. Even the candles were scented with spices! ¡°First Footman Archibald will bring one candidate up at a time,¡± Lady Julianne explained. ¡°You will watch and listen. After each woman leaves, you will tell me your thoughts.¡± ¡°If you like, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said, but she didn¡¯t understand why the baron¡¯s wife would want her opinion, of all people. ¡°If you are going to be a mage,¡± Julianne explained, ¡°you are going to need to judge people. Some can be trusted, and some cannot. The sooner you learn to notice which is which, the better.¡± The process was tedious, and it took hours. Liv soon realized why Lady Julianne had set aside an entire afternoon for interviews, and even why she might have been avoiding the process until now. Frequently, Liv wished that she had brought her books, so that she could occupy her mind puzzling how to put a new spell together. Instead, after every applicant, Lady Julianne quizzed her: ¡°What did you notice about her clothes,¡± she might say, or ¡°Think about the way she talked. What does that tell us?¡± ¡°The hem of her skirt was fraying,¡± Liv answered, describing a middle-aged woman named Meredith. ¡°And the sleeves of her shift. They¡¯re old.¡± ¡°And she would have worn her best here, today,¡± Julianne pointed out. ¡°She¡¯s desperate.¡± ¡°Does that mean you shouldn¡¯t hire her?¡± Liv asked. ¡°That depends. Helping her now could earn her loyalty forever,¡± the baron¡¯s wife mused. ¡°Or, if she¡¯s in great debt, she might be tempted to steal from us, like Bill did.¡± To Liv¡¯s surprise, Sophie was one of the women applying for the job. When she entered the room, their eyes met for an uncomfortable moment, and then Liv looked down at her lap. Afterward, when Lady Julianne asked her what she thought, she had a difficult time choosing what to say. Finally, she decided to just be honest. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been very happy with me, lately,¡± Liv said. ¡°I used to think she was nice, but she¡¯s been jealous. Oh, and Piers, the guardsman? He likes her. He wants to court her, I think.¡± ¡°I can handle jealousy,¡± Julianne promised. ¡°In fact, regardless of my decision, I will have a talk with her. I will not allow strife under my roof. Best to end trouble while it is small, before it becomes something greater. Next,¡± she called, and the door swung open again. Liv gasped, then struggled to keep her expression blank. The girl who¡¯d come through the door, and offered a perfect curtsy, was just a little older than she was, and skinny. Liv was certain that if her cap was removed, her hair would be cut very close to her head. It was the girl she¡¯d seen in an alley in the Lower Banks, talking to Little Whit and Bill. 18. A Beast at the Walls ¡°Thank you for coming to speak with me today,¡± Lady Julianne said. They were the same words that Liv had heard her repeat half a dozen times, for every woman who came through the sitting room door. ¡°Thank you for giving me this opportunity, m¡¯lady,¡± the girl replied, making a curtsy. Liv judged her to be a year or two older than Mirabel and Griselda, but no more. She was nearly as skinny as Liv was, with large dark eyes that seemed to take all the attention from the rest of her face. The eyes might have been the prettiest thing about her, if they weren¡¯t so cold. ¡°Your name?¡± Julianne asked. ¡°Josephine, m¡¯lady,¡± the girl from the alley replied. ¡°But everyone calls me Jo.¡± Liv ignored the rest of the conversation: if Lady Julienne wanted her to pay attention to what she saw, then she was going to look for every scrap of information she could. The girl¡¯s fingernails looked like they¡¯d been bitten down, rather than neatly trimmed. Her clothes were clean, but they didn¡¯t quite fit. Either she¡¯d just bought them, Liv decided, or she¡¯d borrowed them. It certainly wasn¡¯t the same dress she¡¯d been wearing in the alley: that had been old, worn, and filthy. She didn¡¯t smile with her teeth showing, and that was odd. Open your mouth, Liv found herself thinking. What are you hiding? Finally, when Jo told the baron¡¯s wife, ¡°I left Carinthia because it was just too hot there,¡± Liv got a look. The girl¡¯s teeth were horrible - yellow and crooked, as if they¡¯d never been scrubbed a day in her life. They were the teeth of a beggar in an alley. As far as Liv was concerned, Josephine couldn¡¯t be gone soon enough. The moment the door was closed, she spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve seen her before,¡± Liv said. ¡°In the Lower Banks, with Little Whit and Bill, who used to be a footman here. She was wearing a different dress, not nearly as nice as this one. Did you notice it doesn¡¯t fit her right? I wonder if she borrowed it just to come here. Her nails are bit down, not trimmed, and her teeth are horrible.¡± ¡°Well, that is quite a lot,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Bill, you say? The footman who helped rob us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± Liv said. ¡°I saw them all huddled together in an alley when Master Jurian took me to Master Forester¡¯s home. I don¡¯t trust them. What should we do, m¡¯lady?¡± ¡°Well, the first thing is that I¡¯m certainly not going to hire her,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°I don¡¯t know that I would have, anyway, but you¡¯ve settled it. Thank you for speaking up, Liv. This is exactly the sort of thing I wanted you to be paying attention to. Just to be careful, I¡¯ll tell the castle guards she isn¡¯t to be admitted if she comes around again, either.¡± Liv let out a sigh of relief, and found she was finally able to relax back into the cushions. ¡°That makes me feel better,¡± she admitted out loud. ¡°She makes me nervous. Have you decided on a maid, then, m¡¯lady?¡± ¡°That is going to depend on the outcome of a conversation,¡± Julianne explained. ¡°One that you should not be present for. I am going to give Sophie a choice.¡± ¡°Sophie?¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help herself, even though she had no right. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°She is either going to walk out of this room a lady¡¯s maid, having put her foolishness behind her, or she is going to leave the castle dismissed from service,¡± Lady Julianne said, and her tone of voice made Liv shiver. ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate jealousy or grudges among the staff. Either way, Liv, she won¡¯t be bothering you any further. Why don¡¯t you go see how Emma got on with Master Cushing, and then perhaps take her down to the kitchen for a treat?¡± ¡°As you like, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said. She fetched her crutch from where she¡¯d stashed it under the bench; she was sick and tired of always having to find a place to put the thing. The day she got rid of it couldn¡¯t come soon enough. She fetched Emma from Master Cushing¡¯s chambers, with a promise to the chirurgeon to make sure she ate more fruits and vegetables. ¡°Her father¡¯s likely been feeding her almost entirely on game meat,¡± the old man was grumbling as the two girls left. In the kitchen, they found that Sophie was absent, and Liv wondered how her conversation with Lady Julianne was going. In some ways, it would be easier if the maid left the castle and never came back, but Liv didn¡¯t know what she would do for work without this position. She didn¡¯t like Sophie much, but she also didn¡¯t want the girl to starve on the street. Mama and Gretta were in the middle of making the evening meal, and they were happy enough to let Liv and Emma help. The younger girl was mostly confined to stirring things, while Liv was put to work chopping vegetables. She¡¯d just emptied a pile of carrots into the stewpot when Sophie made her appearance at the kitchen door. ¡°Lady Julianne wants you upstairs. She said you should fetch your winter cloak, as well.¡± The maid looked as if she was chewing on something she didn¡¯t like. She must have been told to leave, Liv decided. She grabbed her crutch from where she¡¯d leaned it against the table, and headed for her room. It would be good to bring her book, in case she was in for another few hours of sitting quietly while the baron¡¯s wife handled the business of the castle. ¡°Liv.¡± Sophie caught her by the shoulder, on her way into the servants¡¯ hall. ¡°I won¡¯t give you any more trouble.¡± Surprised, Liv froze. She¡¯d been expecting the girl to leave, but it didn¡¯t sound like that was going to be the case. ¡°You¡¯re going to be Lady Julianne¡¯s maid?¡± ¡°I want that more than I care about you,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I still think you¡¯re getting above yourself, and that it won¡¯t end well. But if I have to hold my tongue to advance myself, then I¡¯ll do it.¡± Sophie released her arm, turned, and hurried down the hall and into the kitchen. It wasn¡¯t an apology, exactly, but Liv decided that if it meant the girl would no longer bother her, that was good enough. She grabbed her book, then headed to the great hall, where her cloak had been drying since the midday meal. When Liv caught up with her, Lady Julianne was pulling on a heavy cloak and leather gloves while Master Cushing argued with her. Liv slipped into the sitting room and waited for it to be over. ¡°...no matter what happens, you cannot use any words of power,¡± Cushing said. Liv had missed the beginning, so she wasn¡¯t entirely clear on what he meant by that. Come to think of it, she¡¯d never seen Lady Julianne use magic at all. But words of power, plural? Did she know more than one? Perhaps she¡¯d learned them at the college. ¡°I understand that,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°You may be certain that I am fully educated on the risks.¡± ¡°If you are, you should leave that wand here in this room,¡± the chirurgeon shot back. ¡°Enough!¡± Julianne nearly shouted. ¡°I¡¯ve been asked for at the northern wall, and I shall go. I will not go unarmed in the middle of an eruption. But you may be assured I will do nothing save in the last defense of my life. That is the end of it.¡± Cushing rounded on Liv, crossed the room, and seized her arm, lifting it up. ¡°Mana sickness,¡± he said, and Liv flinched. Her flesh was still raw and tender beneath the bandages, and his grasp hurt. ¡°You know what it does, you¡¯ve felt my knife.¡± The old chirurgeon dropped her arm, and pointed at Lady Julianne. ¡°Do not let her use magic. The mana could spill out of control and hurt the child. You understand?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Liv tried to imagine Master Cushing holding a screaming infant down on a table, cutting skin from its arm. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she promised. ¡°I¡¯ll use my own spell first.¡± ¡°No one is going to have to cast anything,¡± Julianne grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s what we have crossbows for. Come along, Liv.¡± The baron¡¯s carriage was waiting for them in the courtyard, and two of the castle guards rode on the sides as they thundered through the streets of Whitehill. The carriage driver screamed at people to make way, and the ride shook even worse than usual with the speed they moved over the cobblestones. ¡°Is this good for the baby?¡± Liv shouted over the racket. ¡°If a carriage ride gets the child out sooner, all the better,¡± Julianne shot back. Liv felt like her teeth were about to fall out by the time they made it to the northern wall of the town, at the foot of the hill. There, she followed Lady Julianne up to the parapet. It was the first time she¡¯d ever been up on the walls that surrounded the town. Liv and her mother left the castle only rarely, with their duties keeping them busy save for on market days. When they did have time for themselves, they spent it picnicking in the mountains, swimming in the river, or shopping. Even if they had wanted to climb the walls to get a look at the surrounding valley, the town guards would never have let them pass. Getting up the steps was difficult with her crutch, but one of the guards took Liv¡¯s arm and helped her. Once she got to the top, she saw a cluster of armed men with crossbows trained on something down below, just outside the walls. Sheriff Porter was there waiting, and pointed out what everyone was watching once Liv and Lady Julianne had come over. ¡°There,¡± he said. ¡°Prowling about the base of the walls. It was first sighted an hour ago, but it¡¯s gotten braver since then.¡± Liv craned her neck and leaned out through between the crenellations to get a look. She saw what they were talking about immediately: a red fox, it¡¯s fur a bright splash of color against the snow. Like the great bat that hung, preserved, in the old baron¡¯s Room of Curiosities, it was enormous, grown much larger than any natural animal. Liv guessed that it was nearly the same size as one of the horses that pulled the baron¡¯s carriage. Over the shoulders, along the spine, and at the top of the skull, the vibrant fur was broken by ridges of gray stone. Liv narrowed her eyes. ¡°Even the claws are made of manastone,¡± she said, and the conversation paused at her words. ¡°I thought the rift would be all underground creatures? Bats and cave spiders?¡± ¡°When a rift erupts,¡± Lady Julianne explained, stepping up to Liv¡¯s side, ¡°raw mana spills out into the surrounding countryside - like how the river here floods in spring. You¡¯ve seen that, haven¡¯t you? I imagine it spills right over the banks, and causes a good bit of damage. And then when it recedes, does it leave things behind?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°A rift is like that,¡± Julianne continued. ¡°Places where the old gods walked, before they were cast down. Places touched by their power, to a greater or lesser extent. We¡¯re lucky that the Bald Peak rift is a small one, weak in power. That fox must have been on the slopes of the mountain, and it was caught up in the flood of mana.¡± ¡°Why would it come all the way here, though?¡± Liv asked. ¡°There must be plenty of other things for it to eat between the mountain and Whitehill.¡± ¡°They can smell mages,¡± Sheriff Porter broke in. ¡°Like you, and the lady.¡± ¡°More specifically, they are drawn to mana,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Like the stonebats,¡± Liv said, recalling the lesson from Master Grenfell. ¡°It won¡¯t leave, then. It wants to get in, at us.¡± ¡°Yes, though that won¡¯t stop it from hunting other prey, out of convenience,¡± Sheriff Porter said. ¡°It won¡¯t be safe for anyone to leave the walls while it¡¯s out there.¡± ¡°Have you tried the new crossbows, yet?¡± Julienne asked him. The sheriff shook his head. ¡°We were waiting for you,¡± he admitted. ¡°In case they don¡¯t work. I don¡¯t want the thing running off and losing us in the woods. I want it dead here.¡± ¡°Master Cushing has been very clear that he does not wish me to use magic,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said, with a grimace. ¡°The crossbows will have to do.¡± ¡°I might be able to help,¡± Liv offered. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it to get away, that is.¡± The eyes of everyone in earshot settled on her again, and she fought the urge to duck her head and hunch her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t want to put you in the position of trying to kill a mana-beast yet,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°You¡¯re too young, and you haven¡¯t had enough practice with your magic.¡± ¡°What if I trapped it?¡± Liv suggested. ¡°I could use the spell from this morning, only instead of stretching it out, I could just make the outside really high.¡± ¡°Foxes can jump,¡± Sheriff Porter pointed out. ¡°You would have to be quick, girl.¡± ¡°Time it for when the men shoot,¡± Julianne suggested. ¡°They still take their shot. If the windlass crossbows kill it, good. If they don¡¯t, and Liv stops it from getting away, they can reload and take another shot. If it jumps the ice, we haven¡¯t lost anything. As long as it¡¯s wounded, at least, we can send men to track it and follow the trail of blood.¡± ¡°Alright. All you men, ready,¡± Porter ordered. A dozen men set their crossbows on the stone of the wall, each standing in their own space between the crenellations. ¡°Aim for the fur, not the stone,¡± Lady Julianne told them. ¡°It will be like shooting a curtain wall, otherwise. Liv, tell us when you¡¯re ready.¡± Liv leaned her crutch against the wall; she could keep her weight on one leg long enough to cast a single spell. Liv laid her book on the stone between the crenellations, and flipped to the back. She didn¡¯t need to stretch the bowl out into a long path, this time: she simply needed it to form as quickly as possible. Was the fox male, or female? It looked too bulky to be anything but a male. She flipped back to Master Jurian¡¯s notes and found what she wanted: Veh could be used to modify a spell, making it happen more quickly. It was a bit nervewracking to be modifying something on the fly, but she would make it work. She would show everyone that she could be useful. Liv took three deep breaths, holding each in turn. ¡°Ready,¡± she said. ¡°On the count of three,¡± Sheriff Porter told the men. ¡°One. Two. Loose!¡± A dozen bolts were released at the same time: Liv heard them fly, but her mind was on the words she needed to say perfectly. ¡°Celet Aiveh Belia,¡± she shouted. Below, most of the crossbow bolts hit the fox, with only one whistling off to the side and sinking into the snow. Half of them, however, hit along the ridges of mana-stone. Most of those broke, and the other rebounded off the dense magical rock and bounced off away from the fox. Of the five bolts that struck fur and embedded themselves into the beasts¡¯s flesh, none seemed to have found anything vital. The fox looked up at the wall, bleeding but undaunted, and bared its teeth. The sight was terrifying. Before it could run off or - as seemed more likely - attempt to leap up the wall at them, Liv¡¯s magic surged through her. A cup of solid ice rose around the monstrous fox in gentle curves, thick enough that you couldn¡¯t see through it. Liv poured her mana into the spell, building the walls higher and higher until she felt absolutely empty, like a rag wrung dry. Without anything left to fuel it, the magic ended, leaving an uneven, half-built top to the curved walls encircling the fox. Liv collapsed forward onto the stone wall. It would have been easier to let herself fall, but she didn¡¯t want to take her eyes off the monster until it was dead. ¡°Load!¡± the sheriff shouted. Liv supposed there was no point in being quiet now that the thing had already been wounded. All around her, men slid bolts into place and began cranking their mechanisms. The fox threw itself up against the ice, scrambling, but its claws could find no purchase on the slippery surface. ¡°Loose!¡± Porter called, once the men were ready. Another dozen crossbow bolts sank into the beasts¡¯s body: this time, none of them missed. The fox yelped, its flanks streaming with blood, and Liv saw that one of the shots had taken it in the neck. A second time, the animal threw itself at the wall, but Liv¡¯s ice held. A third volley finally put the fox down for good. When she saw it drop out of sight behind the ice, Liv allowed herself to collapse back onto the parapet, with her back to the wall. ¡°You did well,¡± Lady Julianne said. Liv frowned when she saw that the baron¡¯s wife was putting her wand away again, sliding it back into place in her belt. ¡°And you weren¡¯t supposed to use that, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I was simply ready in the event it was needed. Come along - let¡¯s get you back to the castle. You must be exhausted.¡± Lady Julianne knelt down and handed Liv her crutch, then took her by the elbow and helped her to the stairs. As they passed, the town guards nodded their heads, and called out their thanks. Liv blushed, and lowered her head. ¡°You earned it,¡± Julianne told her. ¡°Don¡¯t be ashamed. But the eruption isn¡¯t over; this was only the beginning.¡± 19. Wings at Dusk CHAPTER CONTENT WARNING This chapter contains depictions of childbirth, and the threat of violence/things going wrong during that process. It¡¯s not my intent to traumatize anyone; I hope you enjoy the level of tension present in this chapter, but if its too much for you, its ok to skim past the parts that make you uncomfortable, skip them, or whatever you need to do. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Over the next two days, the walls of Whitehill proved sufficient to ward off the handful of stray mana-beasts that came south. Liv learned what she could from the castle guards and knights when they took their meals in the great hall. Several wolves had spent an entire night howling outside the city, until they¡¯d finally been killed. ¡°The worst was the cottontail,¡± Piers told her, when she delivered him his extra helping of peach pie. ¡°You think those things can jump normally? The thing leapt the entire wall, and it was the size of a mastiff. Fast, too. Took us hours to kill it.¡± Liv tried to imagine a rock encrusted, monstrous rabbit racing through the city streets, and decided that she was better off not thinking of it. Inside the castle, they were doubly insulated: first by the walls around the town, and then by the higher, stouter curtain walls of the castle itself. Anything that got into Whitehill would still have a difficult task to get at them in the keep. By the end of the third day, Lady Julianne¡¯s child had still not come. ¡°Master Cushing said that he¡¯s going to cut the baby out,¡± Liv told her mother and Gretta. She¡¯d been sent to bed by the baron¡¯s wife, but went to the kitchen first, where she helped wipe down the table and counters so that they would be clean in the morning. ¡°That¡¯s not a good thing,¡± Gretta said. ¡°Only a Master Chirurgeon would even make the attempt. It usually means letting the mother die to save the child.¡± ¡°Lady Julianne¡¯s going to die?¡± Liv asked. She knew that sometimes women did not survive having a baby, but she¡¯d never known anyone it actually happened to. ¡°No,¡± Mama assured her, coming up and placing a hand on her back. ¡°Stop frightening her, Gretta. If Master Cushing thinks he can do it, he has reason. The man delivered you, he knows what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯ll have wands and charms ready to stop the bleeding and close the cut.¡± ¡°It sounds terrifying,¡± Liv said, with a shudder. ¡°Come along to bed now, dove,¡± her mother said. ¡°We¡¯re done here for the night. I expect they¡¯ll want Emma here with us tomorrow, to keep her out of the way, but you might be asked for. Lady Julianne seems to have taken a shine to you.¡± In bed, by the light of her candle, Liv looked over the words Master Jurian had left in her book, and tried to think how she could use ice to save a woman¡¯s life. Could she freeze a wound shut? She had a feeling that would go badly in all sorts of ways. Finally, she flipped to the charms that the midwife, Rhea, had left her in a different hand. Silently, she mouthed the words. Liv resolved to take the book with her in the morning, and not let it out of her sight. And perhaps, next market day, to get some kind of belt pouch, so that she could wear it always. When she woke, it was still dark, and someone was shaking her roughly by the light of a candle. ¡°Up, my love,¡± Mama told her. ¡°The bell¡¯s rung from Lady Julianne. It¡¯s going to be a long night.¡± ¡°Is it the baby coming?¡± Liv asked, rolling out of bed and reaching for the skirt she¡¯d left in a pile on the floor. ¡°I have to get up there,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± her mother told her. ¡°She¡¯ll be a while yet. Sophie¡¯s taking some tea up, now; get yourself dressed, and then go see if there¡¯s anything else they need. Gretta and I will be cooking down here, and we¡¯ll keep a pot each of water and wine boiled for bandages.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but rush despite her mother¡¯s words, and she hated having to use a crutch all the more on her way up the stairs. There were oil-lamps lit in the hall outside Lady Julianne¡¯s chambers, and two guards at the door who let her pass without question. Inside, she found Julianne in a shift and an open robe lined with rabbit fur, pacing around her sitting room in circles with Sophie at her side, holding her arm. Master Cushing was sitting in one of her chairs, sipping a cup of tea. ¡°Oh, good, Liv,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have gotten you all up in the middle of the night,¡± she said. ¡°It looks like Master Cushing isn¡¯t going to have to perform surgery after all.¡± ¡°Can I do anything to help?¡± Liv asked. It turned out that what she could do was, for the most part, be company so that Julianne wasn¡¯t alone. The long hours that followed were a peculiar combination of long, boring stretches of waiting, and busy-work. Master Cushing was little help; after his cup of tea, the old man dozed in his chair, having absconded with pillows from all over the room. Liv and Sophie took turns helping Julianne pace, or sitting down with her and rubbing her back when it hurt. It was Sophie who ran back and forth to the kitchens with trays of tea, and eventually a light breakfast, which the chirurgeon roused himself for. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything else we should be doing?¡± Liv demanded. It didn¡¯t seem like the old man even cared what was happening. ¡°It is Lady Julianne¡¯s first child,¡± Cushing said. ¡°We¡¯re like to be here all day. Do not wear yourselves out now, children. But if you want to do something, why don¡¯t you draw her a hot bath. It will help relax the muscles.¡± Preparing the bath, of course, was a lot of work and took a good deal of time, and mostly Liv couldn¡¯t help at all. A parade of castle guards carried buckets of boiled water up from the kitchen, where Mama and Gretta had been preparing for this since Liv woke. What she could do was put a fresh lining of clean linen on the wooden tub, and add Lady Julianne¡¯s favorite herbs and dried rose petals. Once the bath was full and steaming, all of the men were summarily ejected from the room at Julianne¡¯s command, including Master Cushing, despite his protests. ¡°It¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t seen before,¡± the old man grumbled. ¡°And that I won¡¯t see by the time we¡¯re done. I¡¯m going to find myself a bite to eat then, send for me if anything changes.¡± ¡°Finally,¡± Julianne said, the moment the door was closed. ¡°I don¡¯t know I¡¯ll stand him until this is over.¡± She shrugged out of her robe, and then pulled her shift up over her head. When she dipped her foot into the water, she hissed. ¡°Still a bit hot.¡± ¡°Let me help,¡± Liv said. She flipped to the back of her book, nodded, and then set it aside and reached her hand out to the water. ¡°Celet Aen¡¯vedia,¡± she murmured, and did her best to hold back the flood of mana inside her, releasing only a trickle. It was almost a physical pain when she cut the flow off, but she managed to do it. ¡°Try it now, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°Much better,¡± Julianne said, and sunk into the tub with a sigh of relief.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Sophie and Liv stayed by her side, their tenuous truce holding for the moment. Perhaps it helped that they had something to do, to work together, Liv reflected. Every time the baron¡¯s wife tensed and groaned, she wondered if the baby was coming, but then the moment would pass. Julianne stayed in until the water had grown cold, and even then they had to chide her to get the woman out. She seemed less and less aware of what was happening around her; if Sophie had not put the robe back over her shoulders, Liv didn¡¯t think she would have even noticed that she was still naked. When Liv looked down at the bathwater, she was shocked to see spots of blood floating in it. ¡°Is that normal?¡± she asked Sophie, lowering her voice so that Julianne wouldn¡¯t hear her. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Master Cushing.¡± In the meantime, Liv stayed with the baron¡¯s wife and held her hand. Each time Lady Julianne¡¯s body tensed, she squeezed Liv¡¯s fingers so tightly that she worried they would break. ¡°I wish Henry was here,¡± Julianne panted, when her body had relaxed again. Her forehead was slick with sweat, and Liv patted her with a clean linen cloth. ¡°He¡¯ll be back soon enough,¡± Liv said, though they both knew it wasn¡¯t true. ¡°Perfectly normal,¡± Master Cushing pronounced, once he¡¯d been brought in to look at the water in the tub. ¡°I''ll have men come to take it away. Why don¡¯t we get you over to your bed, my lady.¡± When he thought no one was looking, however, Liv caught the old chirurgeon frowning. As the hours passed, Lady Julianne grew more and more exhausted, and yet the baby still did not come. Every time her body tensed, she screamed in pain, tears leaking from her eyes. ¡°I just want it to stop,¡± she begged. The midday meal had come and gone, and the cloudy sky out the bedroom window was painted shades of orange, pink and purple, and still it was not over. When Master Cushing slipped out of the bedroom into the sitting room, Liv grabbed her crutch and followed him, leaving Sophie to comfort Julianne alone for a moment. Gently, Liv swung the door to the bedchamber closed behind her. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked the Chirurgeon. Cushing, his back to her, unrolled a long leather case of metal instruments on the sitting room desk. ¡°The child is not coming,¡± he said. ¡°I think her hips may be too narrow. Whatever the case, this cannot go on. I am going to have to take the baby out.¡± The old man turned to meet her eyes. ¡°You should go down to the kitchens, Liv. This will be bloody. Someone as young as you should not see it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been kind to me when she didn¡¯t have to be,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± As she watched, he pulled a long wand out of his bag: she recognized it from when he¡¯d taken the corrupted skin off her arm. A second wand, of a darker wood and with different sigils, came out next. ¡°That one will help close the incision,¡± Cushing explained. ¡°It is more powerful than a charm.¡± Outside the castle, bells began to ring. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Liv asked. ¡°The temple?¡± ¡°The signal for everyone in town to take shelter in the castle,¡± Cushing said. He strode over to the hallway door and jerked it open. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± he asked the two guards. Liv¡¯s eye had been caught by something on the horizon. She stepped up to the sitting room windows, to get a better look. Against the sunset and the bloody clouds, black flecks swirled, swooping, diving, and rising again. ¡°Look!¡± she said, pointing. ¡°Stonebats,¡± the older guard said. ¡°Close and bar the shutters. In the bedroom, as well. Quick, girl!¡± Liv limped back into the bedroom; she didn¡¯t even know where her crutch was, any longer. When the old baron had torn out large chunks of the second floor walls, to put in the new glass windows, back when Liv was so young she could hardly remember, he hadn¡¯t completely discarded defense. Every window was set with two shutters of stout wood, on the inside wall. Most of the time they hung forgotten, so that the light could come in, flat against the stone. ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie asked, looking up from Lady Julianne¡¯s side. Liv swung the shutters closed, one after the other, and then struggled to lift the heavy wooden bar. ¡°Stonebats,¡± she said. ¡°Come and help me.¡± While Julianne screamed, lost in her own pain, the two girls got the windows barred. By the time they¡¯d finished, Master Cushing was in the room, the two guards carrying over the desk and setting it by the bed. ¡°All of you stay in here,¡± the older guard said. Liv thought his name might be Mark, but she wasn¡¯t certain. ¡°Bar the door to the sitting room, and don¡¯t open that, or the windows, until we call in to you.¡± ¡°Will they get in the castle?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Are we safe?¡± ¡°We won¡¯t let them through the door,¡± the younger guard assured her. Liv and Sophie followed them back out into the sitting room. Something was stirring at the back of Liv¡¯s mind. ¡°Do they let anyone in when the bell rings?¡± she asked, before the guard could leave them. ¡°Anyone who makes it before they close the gates,¡± the older guard assured her. ¡°Whoever you¡¯re worried about, so long as they don¡¯t dally, they¡¯ll be safe. Now bar the door behind us girls, you understand?¡± It was a struggle to get the heavy wood in place, and by the time they were locked in, both girls were panting. ¡°Sophie, Liv!¡± Master Cushing shouted from the bedroom. ¡°Come here. I need you both.¡± When they got to the doorway, Liv stopped. The old chirurgeon had the numbing wand in hand, and was passing it over Lady Julianne¡¯s swollen belly. ¡°Hold her arms down,¡± he said, and Sophie rushed over to the bed to follow his instructions. The sigils along the length of the wand lit up, and Liv remembered the cool, detached feeling that came with its touch. It was an effect that had not lasted long enough for her. The chirurgeon raised a knife, and the blade caught the light of the oil lamps. Liv¡¯s stomach roiled when he drew the edge across Julianne¡¯s belly, and a line of red blood welled up. The room was too hot, and it was all Liv could do to choke back vomit. She backed out of the bedroom, into the sitting room. She didn¡¯t think she could go back in there. Something thumped against the door to the hall, and Liv jumped. The guards were shouting, and she could half-make it out through the wood. There was some kind of hideous screeching, as well. ¡±They can sense mana,¡± Liv said out loud, before realizing that no one was listening to her. They know we¡¯re in here, she realized. They¡¯ll want to get to me, and the wands, and Lady Julianne. Liv scooped her book up from where she¡¯d left it on the bench, and flipped the back, where Master Julian had left her lists of words to try out. She ran her finger over the ink and the page, muttering to herself as she went, until at last she found what she was looking for. ¡±Kve,¡± Liv whispered. ¡°Wall.¡± She set the book aside, and turned to the door. In the time she¡¯d been searching for the right word, the shouts of the guards in the hall had stopped, but the screeching continued. Something was battering itself against the door, and as she drew in a deep breath, the wood began to splinter. The stone bats were coming through. ¡±Celevet Aen Kveis,¡± Liv sung, touching the door with her fingers. Mana poured out of her onto the door, flowing up the the ceiling and down to the floor. The wood froze over, but the spell did not stop there. The ice piled on, thicker and thicker, until a solid wall of ice blocked off the entire doorway. The thumping from without was muffled now, but did not abate. Liv turned back to the bedroom, where Julianne was screaming. ¡°Don¡¯t open this door for anything,¡± she shouted in, and then closed it. Repeating her invocation, Liv covered the inner door with ice, as well, trapping herself in the sitting room between the people within and the bats without. Liv faced the frozen outer door, with her back to the bedroom, and tried to judge how much mana she had to work with. Two frozen shards in one afternoon had exhausted her, a month ago - but she¡¯d had practice since then. She wished Master Kazamir had measured her right away, and then before he left, so she¡¯d know how many rings she¡¯d gained since then. Could she cast Frozen Shards once? She thought that she could. The ice cracked. Liv took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out again. There had to be more guards coming. Someone would have noticed the bats break into the castle; they would be fighting to drive them off. Guards could be out there right now. Perhaps the stonebats wouldn¡¯t even make it in before being killed. A great shard of ice snapped off the door and fell to the floor. Beyond it, the stout wood door was splintered and broken. The face of a stonebat, monstrous and huge, filled the gap, and it screeched. For a moment, Liv considered trying to aim a shard through the hole, but she didn¡¯t trust her ability to hit something so small, and she couldn''t afford to waste any mana. The stonebat reared back, and Liv got a glimpse of the hallway beyond. She didn¡¯t see any guards. A cold stone settled at the bottom of her stomach. With a great crash, the ice gave way, broken planks of wood collapsing inward. Tucking its wings, the stonebat came through the door into the sitting room. Blue-gold wisps of mana sparked off its stony back, its claws and fangs, and the v-shaped casque on its head. For a frozen moment, everything was still, and Liv met its eyes with her own. Then, the stonebat threw itself at her. 20. Eruption鈥檚 End Ice and wood rattled to the floor, ruining Lady Julianne¡¯s expensive carpets in an instant. The stonebat knocked one of the chairs aside in its rush forward, and it¡¯s hot breath filled the sitting room with a sour stench. ¡°Celent¡¯he Dvo Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae!¡± Liv screamed the words, in more of a panic than she would ever want to admit. She thrust her hand forward, and a voice in the back of her mind told her that she was going to lose it if the magic didn¡¯t come. She needn¡¯t have feared. The word of power coiled inside her and sprung, like a guard dog or a mother wolf leaping to protect its young. Mana roared up from Liv¡¯s belly, vibrating through her so that every bone in her body sang out with its hum. Two glistening knives of ice appeared in front of her, and before the stonebat could reach her, they shot forward as fast as any crossbow bolt. The frozen shards took the monster in its chest, hurling it backward in a spray of dark, stinking blood. The bat hit what was left of the door, then slumped to the ground, eyes blank and staring. Liv lowered her hand and dropped to her knees, feeling utterly empty. Three spells on top of each other; she had never cast so much at once before. She felt frozen through, as if she¡¯d spent hours outside playing in the snow, and she couldn¡¯t help but begin to shiver. Her teeth chattered, and she curled around herself. At least it was over. She¡¯d killed the bat, somehow. It was the first thing in her life she¡¯d ever killed. A horrid screeching came from the hallway. Wearily, Liv forced her head up and her eyes open. A second bat was forcing its way through the door. When it found the corpse of its companion, the creature lowered its head and sniffed once, twice. With its snout, it nudged the corpse. Then, it raised its head and fixed its eyes on Liv. She couldn¡¯t cast that spell again. If Liv had any Mana left, it was the barest hint. But she did have the ring on her finger. That was another thing she needed Master Grenfell to have taught her, that he hadn¡¯t yet. If she survived this, she was going to have to make a list. ¡°I need you,¡± Liv whispered to the ring, like a prayer. There was no possible way there was enough mana in there for another casting of Frozen Shards. But maybe if she stripped the spell down to its most basic elements¡­ ¡°Celet¡¯co Scelis,¡± Liv gasped. There was nothing left in her, but the word wanted to be free. It scratched and clawed at her insides, scraping her raw and empty, and then it kept looking. For a breath, she didn¡¯t think it would work, and the stonebat stalked closer, dragging itself over the corpse that lay across the doorway. Then, the spell caught on something in the ring. In an instant, Liv understood why the ring was made so that the back of the stone rested against the skin of her finger. The mana sucked through her finger, then up and out, just enough to fuel the spell. A single shard of ice appeared in Liv¡¯s right hand. It was so cold that it felt like it was burning her hand. She didn¡¯t have the strength to get up, but maybe she had enough left to stab the thing a few times. The stonebat closed slowly, this one more cautious than its dead companion. It leaned down to sniff her, once, like it had taken in the scent of the corpse. Then, it nudged her with its nose. It isn¡¯t certain whether I¡¯m dead or alive, Liv realized, and kept as still as she could. If it lowered its head just a little more¡­ The moment the bat¡¯s eye was within reach, Liv stabbed it with the shard of ice, as hard as she could. The bat screeched and batted her aside with its wing. Liv was thrown across the room into the stone outer wall of the castle, not far from the window, and felt something snap in her chest. She couldn¡¯t breathe. The bat clawed at its eye, scrambling away from her in a panic. It was hurt, but it wasn¡¯t dead, and that was it. It was going to kill her; there was nothing left. Liv couldn¡¯t even move. Her eyes fluttered; she was so tired, and all she wanted to do now was to go to sleep. There were shouts at the door, and men in jack of plate rushed in. The bat was pierced by spears, and battered by hammers. That¡¯s good, Liv thought to herself. They won¡¯t get the baby. That meant she could finally close her eyes. ? ¡°Liv! Liv, wake up.¡± She was wrapped in blankets and furs, and a hand was shaking her by the shoulder. The movement jostled something in her side, and she couldn¡¯t help but moan at the stabbing pain. With that, she was fully awake, and Liv opened her eyes. Mama and Master Cushing were on either side of her, but she wasn¡¯t in her room downstairs in the servants¡¯ quarters. A quick glance around was enough to tell Liv she was in the small bed that had been moved into Lady Julianne¡¯s sitting room for Emma. The room was lit by oil lamps, and she didn¡¯t see any stonebats - dead or alive. The furniture was a wreck, though. ¡°Are you alright, dove,¡± her mother asked her. ¡°Tired, Mama,¡± Liv said. ¡°And my side hurts, like something broke.¡± ¡°Let me have a look,¡± Cushing said. The Chirurgeon pulled back the blankets, and felt along Liv¡¯s side. When he pressed on her ribs, she flinched and cried out in pain. ¡°Cracked, I would say,¡± he told them both. ¡°I¡¯ll wrap them up tightly. She needs to eat mana-rich food to recover her strength.¡± He looked down at Liv, meeting her eyes for a long moment. ¡°You saved our lives, Liv Brodbeck. Thank you.¡± ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have had to,¡± Mama complained. ¡°That¡¯s what guards are for.¡± Carefully, she leaned in to give Liv a hug. Liv closed her eyes and let herself enjoy it while it lasted. ¡°I need to go help Lady Julianne, love,¡± her mother eventually said. ¡°She needs someone to teach her how to feed the baby, and I¡¯m the only woman in the castle who knows.¡± ¡°They¡¯re both alive?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I was worried, when I saw the knife. I was going to stay, but I just couldn¡¯t, and then the bats came¡­¡± ¡°Alive, and doing well,¡± Master Cushing said. ¡°Though she shouldn¡¯t be walking for a few days. I¡¯ll send Sophie down to the kitchen to tell Greta to have something prepared for you. The bats have all either been killed, or driven off, so it should be safe enough now.¡± He made her sit up, and helped her get out of her bodice. Then, he wrapped her torso tightly in long strips of linen. Liv wasn¡¯t certain how it was supposed to help, but it did seem to keep her cracked ribs from shifting so much. Liv let herself doze, until Sophie returned with a trencher of food. ¡°Gretta cooked up some of the smoked venison for you,¡± she said. ¡°In a bit of fried garlic. It isn¡¯t much, but Master Cushing says you need something in your belly.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said, and began stuffing her mouth with bite sized chunks of meat. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a groan of relief when the first sparks of mana began to hit her body. It felt like weeks since she¡¯d eaten anything. ¡°Is it true you killed two of those monsters, out here?¡± Sophie asked her. ¡°The guards had dragged them away by the time they let us out, but it looked like a wreck.¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°I was only able to kill one,¡± she managed, around a mouthful of food. ¡°Stabbed the other one in the eye, but the guards killed it.¡± Sophie looked away from her. ¡°You saved my life,¡± she admitted. ¡°Why would you do that, when I¡¯ve been so nasty to you?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you deserve to die,¡± Liv said, taking a moment to swallow so she could speak with an empty mouth. ¡°Anyway, Lady Julianne and the baby. I couldn¡¯t let anything happen to them. Is it a boy or a girl? Has she given it a name?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a boy,¡± Sophie said. ¡°And his name is Matthew. He has beautiful eyes, you should see them.¡± Liv smiled, and grabbed herself another bite of venison. ? She did see the baby soon enough; once both Liv and little Matthew had eaten their fill, Mama helped her into the bed chamber to see Lady Julianne and the infant. He was red and wrinkled, and swaddled so tightly in linens that he looked like nothing so much as a potato. Liv was permitted to hold him while he slept, so long as she sat in a chair next to the bed. ¡°I¡¯m told that we owe our lives to you,¡± Lady Julianne said. She had a few pillows under her back, so that she could sit up without straining the healing incision. Master Cushing had absolutely forbidden the new mother from sitting up herself, without someone to help her. ¡°That you faced down two of those bats by yourself, after the guards at the door were killed.¡± Liv avoided making eye contact by looking down at the baby. Carefully, she touched his cheek with one finger. ¡°He¡¯s so soft,¡± she murmured. It was uncomfortable for everyone to be pointing out what she¡¯d done; and truthfully, she¡¯d rather forget it all. The stink of the stonebats¡¯ breath, the terror when the first one had rushed her. Something had been bothering her, though. ¡°How did they get in?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Did they break the shutters?¡± Julianne shook her head. ¡°One of the shutters wasn¡¯t closed properly, it seems. If I ever find out who¡¯s at fault, they¡¯ll be sacked immediately, but no one is admitting to it.¡± ¡°It did all happen rather quickly,¡± Liv said. ¡°But I had a thought. Where was the open window?¡± ¡°On the second floor, just down the hall,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Or so I am told. The reason the guards were overwhelmed was that it was so close to us, and of course they came right for the room with everyone who could use mana together. An irresistable meal, I imagine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rather unlucky,¡± Liv said. ¡°Very unlucky. And the bells meant that anyone who wanted to take shelter in the castle could, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said. ¡°I see where you¡¯re going, but say it out loud, why don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Do we know whether that girl, Josephine, was let into the castle?¡± Liv asked. ¡°We do not,¡± Lady Julianne admitted. ¡°But now that you¡¯ve said it, I am going to see that we find out.¡± It didn¡¯t take long; the fact that the girl had entered once before, and that Lady Julianne had told the guards not to let her back in, had made certain all the guards knew who was being asked about. It was a young guard named James who admitted to it, shuffling his feet in front of the bed while Sheriff Porter watched. The baby was tucked in Lady Julianne¡¯s arms, while Liv and Sophie both waited off to the side in case they were needed. ¡°Aye,¡± James said. ¡°My apologies, m¡¯lady, but when the bell rung, I thought that meant anyone was allowed into the castle. We knew you didn¡¯t want her about, but I couldn¡¯t leave her outside the walls with those monsters coming.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t punish you for showing mercy,¡± Julianne said wearily, closing her eyes. ¡°Sheriff Porter, find that girl if you can. I suspect she¡¯ll have fled the town, but perhaps you¡¯ll get lucky. If you do get her, I want her brought here for questioning.¡± Lady Julianne was correct: despite two days of searching, no one could turn up any trace of the girl. Sheriff Porter even questioned Little Whit and Bill, at Liv¡¯s suggestion, though both boys insisted they had no idea where she was. They¡¯d been competing for her affections, apparently, which Liv found positively revolting; but then she hadn¡¯t had a good impression of either one of them to begin with. As the days went by, beasts from the rift were spotted less and less frequently. The stonebats had been the highpoint of the eruption, it seemed, at least so far as the townspeople were concerned. Already, operations were underway to recover the monsters¡¯ droppings. ¡°The guano is rich in mana,¡± Master Cushing explained, as he checked on Liv¡¯s ribs three days after the attack. ¡°It makes excellent fertilizer, and it results in produce that also contains trace amounts of mana. After every eruption, we have a crop that brings more coin than any four normal years combined. The last time, we had Eldish merchants all the way from Al''Fenthia, buying as much as they could transport. You won¡¯t remember; you were too young.¡± Liv had been prescribed rest, much like Lady Julianne. She spent much of her time working in her book, where she recorded Wall of Ice. She¡¯d agonized for hours trying to find a name that sounded better, but it truly wasn¡¯t anything complex, and the simple name seemed to fit the spell best. As the days dragged on, the worst part was that no one knew where the culling team was. The season had officially turned from winter to flood, and as soon as the sun rose every part of the castle was dripping water, while the banks of snow shrunk daily. The Aspen River was already running high, but still no word came from the rift. Baron Henry had left orders to send for help if the party had not returned in twelve days, and it seemed by the lack of further assaults that the eruption had ended in half that. However, no sleigh came south from Bald Peak. Emma grew increasingly unmanageable in her father¡¯s absence, but when her tantrums had ended, she often collapsed in tears. To Liv, at least, she had admitted that she was afraid for her father. On the eleventh day since the eruption, finally, the guards raised the alarm. Sophie was changing Matthew, while Liv worked out an idea on a few sheafs of blank paper. She didn¡¯t ever want to be caught and thrown aside again; if the bat had been left alone with her, she would be dead now. That meant she needed a thicker wall, or some other way of restraining any beast that attacked. She¡¯d considered a cage of ice, or chains, or even whether she could lift herself up on a pillar, high enough that nothing could reach her. Unfortunately, Master Jurian hadn¡¯t left her all of the words she might need to construct the spells she wanted. ¡°Lady Julianne,¡± Sheriff Porter said, rushing into the room. ¡°Two sleighs have been spotted approaching from the north.¡± ¡°Only two?¡± Julianne said. They all knew that three had departed Castle Whitehill the day of the eruption. ¡°They will be coming here. Be ready to treat the wounded - get Master Cushing and give him whatever he needs. And send word down to Maggie and Gretta to have as much hot food ready as they can. Any guards you can spare should draw baths, as I¡¯m certain those will be wanted as well. Sophie, Liv, help me dress. I need to be in the courtyard when my husband arrives.¡± Liv¡¯s spellwork was set aside in the bustle of activity, and not half a bell later, all three of the women were waiting in the courtyard, wrapped in thick cloaks and furs, along with Emma, the Sheriff, and Master Cushing. Even baby Matthew was there, swaddled tightly and warm in his mother¡¯s arms, when the two sleighs rattled in. So much of the snow and ice had melted, Liv observed, that it must have been tough going for the horses who did the pulling. Kale Forester leapt out of the sleigh as soon as it had come to a halt, ran over to his daughter, and lifted her into the air, swinging her around and clasping her to his chest. Emma giggled in relief, and grinned; Liv hadn¡¯t seen her so happy since her father had left. ¡°Where is my husband?¡± Julianne asked. ¡°I need help to move him,¡± Rhea, the midwife called from the second sleigh. Liv counted the knights that had gone with the team, and found that only two had returned. Rhea staggered out into the courtyard, clutching what looked like a trimmed branch, and using it as a walking stick. It was obvious to everyone that she was limping. ¡°What happened?¡± Julianne asked, starting forward with the baby in her arms, but Master Cushing put a hand out to stop her, and marched over to the sleigh with more speed than Liv would have expected from the old man. ¡°His back is broken,¡± Master Grenfell said, climbing out of the sleigh. Liv saw that his head was wrapped in bandages, and that blood had soaked through. ¡°He cannot walk.¡± 21. Lessons The pronouncement of Baron Henry¡¯s injuries threw the entire castle into turmoil, and Liv would have been willing to bet that extended to the rest of the town, as well. She couldn¡¯t know for certain; she had no time to leave. ¡°It was a bear that did it,¡± Master Grenfell explained to her in his chambers. ¡°We managed to handle everything up to that point, with the exception of the bats that got by us. We didn¡¯t have enough ways to deal with fliers. In all honesty, he should have called for help from the guild, but Henry didn¡¯t want to pay for it.¡± ¡°A whole flock of them got to us here,¡± Liv said, perched at her usual chair. It was much more comfortable in the room without the presence of Mirabel and Griselda. ¡°I suspected as much, from how charged with mana your body is,¡± Grenfell commented. He¡¯d already thrown his cloak aside, and now he eased his boots off. From the smell, Liv guessed he¡¯d been wearing them the entire time he was gone. ¡°You had to fight, then?¡± ¡°They got in through one of the windows on the second floor,¡± Liv explained, ¡°while Lady Julianne was giving birth. I froze both doors shut, but two of them got through into her sitting room anyway.¡± ¡°Given that you are still alive, it seems Master Jurian made the correct choice in what he taught you.¡± Grenfell leaned back in his chair, raised his hand to his bandaged head, and closed his eyes. She thought that he looked very tired, and it wouldn¡¯t have surprised Liv to see him fall asleep right then in the chair. ¡°I think I owe you an apology, Liv,¡± Grenfell said, finally sitting up and meeting her eyes. ¡°I have been training you in the same manner I¡¯ve trained those two girls - which is to say, hardly at all. I think that if you had not survived, I would have been to blame. That changes now. You will be taught every discipline offered at the College, as best we can arrange here. It would be na?ve of me to assume that you can make it through the years between now and when you leave without being placed in danger again.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Not just with me, but with Baron Henry. If there¡¯s another eruption, he can¡¯t go, can he?¡± ¡°No, he cannot,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Not unless Aldo Cushing can work a miracle, but I don¡¯t have much hope of that. It¡¯s doubtful he¡¯ll ever be able to walk again. And to be honest, he is most of the reason the rest of us survived. His word of power is formidable.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Can I know?¡± With a wince, the mage levered himself up from his chair, went over to his bookshelf, and removed a leather journal of the same general type that Liv used to write her spells in. ¡°Ters,¡± Grenfell told her, after finding the correct page. He carried the book over, put it before her, and pointed with his finger at a set of sigils. ¡°It can be roughly translated as, ¡®to thirst,¡¯ or perhaps ¡®to dehydrate.¡¯ In the hands of a skilled and merciless wielder, it can shrivel the very flesh into a desiccated husk. There are very few defenses against; in fact, it¡¯s rather horrifying to witness. I imagine he will be teaching it to his heir, in due time; it¡¯s been passed down by the Summerset¡¯s for centuries.¡± ¡°Am I going to get in trouble for knowing this?¡± Liv asked, recalling the day she¡¯d been questioned by not only the baron, but the sheriff and mayor as well. Grenfell shook his head. ¡°The guild maintains records on all the noble families, and their magic. Most of them send their children to us to learn to use their words better. What you cannot do is attempt to learn it yourself, or use it. Not that it would be an easy task, without a teacher.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t just conjugate it and make a spell?¡± Liv asked, frowning. ¡°You¡¯re underestimating how long it takes to imprint a word of power,¡± Grenfell chided her. ¡°Your own experience with Cel was extraordinary. Do you think that I could use it?¡± He picked up the book, closed it, and carried it back over to the bookshelf, where he returned the volume to its proper place. ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Liv asked. Grenfell shook his head. ¡°It can take days, even months to imprint a word onto your mind. Without a guide to tell you about the proper visualizations, to steer you in matching your resonance to the word, it is a process of excruciating trial and error. You will learn for yourself if you choose to stay with the guild permanently; all who join us are taught Aluth, the word of raw magical force and direct manipulation of mana. Which brings me to the next thing we need to do.¡± Grenfell opened his travelling pack, and reached inside, and pulled out the enormous mana stone she¡¯d seen him use on multiple occasions before. ¡°Both you and I have used a great deal of magic over the course of this eruption,¡± he said. ¡°We are both risking mana-sickness. I say risk, but I suppose it is nearly certain. Still, it is best if we empty our bodies of all mana, to prevent further damage. Keep an eye out for any blemishes on your skin over the rest of flood season; I¡¯m sure Aldo will be examining both of us regularly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand how the same thing that powers our spells can also hurt us so much,¡± Liv grumbled, pulling her chair over to sit with the stone between Master Grenfell and herself. It was awkward, with the crutch, but she managed. ¡°It is because, for all the guild has rediscovered, we are still woefully ignorant,¡± the mage admitted. ¡°We are like children at play, wearing the clothes of our parents as a costume, no matter how ill-fitting. The language of the V?dim, the very nature of mana and the Gift¡­ we¡¯ve lost more knowledge than we retained. A thousand years of shortsightedness and belligerence has seen to that. Jurian thinks the Eld know more than we do; I suppose he may be right, but they aren¡¯t sharing.¡± ¡°The plain truth,¡± Grenfell said, ¡°is that uncontrolled mana twists and corrupts anything it permeates. And that includes our bodies. The more control you have, the less danger you will be in from mana sickness. But at your level of skill, you are wasting as much mana as you actually channel into your spells, and it is spilling out of you in a mess of energy, hurting your own body as it leaves. One of the reasons we use wands and staves is to aid us in directing that flow, and I think that once the snow has melted it will be high time for us to get you one. Now hush with your questions, and let me do this.¡± It was exhausting, to be drained of mana yet again, but it was also beautiful to watch the blue and gold wisps rise from her body. It was also starting to become familiar, almost soothing. Liv noticed that the massive piece of stone was utterly gray and dead, until their mingled mana began to flow into it at Master Grenfell¡¯s direction, and she found it slightly terrifying just how much power he must have used up fighting at the rift. In the days that followed, Liv¡¯s previous routine was entirely upended. ¡°You¡¯re no longer a scullery maid,¡± Lady Julianne told her. With her husband severely wounded and confined to bed for the moment, she was the one running the affairs of the barony. ¡°It was somewhat ridiculous to keep you in that position before, given your potential, but after what you did during the eruption, it would be downright ungrateful of us not to make adjustments. We cannot take you on as a Court Mage, as you have not completed two years at the college, nor finished your time as a journeyman. Instead, I am naming you a maid of honor.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. It was an unseasonably warm day, and Liv suspected the last of the snow in the courtyard and grounds would be gone by the time the sun set. A table, rocking crib, and chairs had been fetched out to the gardens, where Sophie served tea. None of the peach or apple trees had begun to bud yet, which meant there were no leaves to shield them from the sun. Instead, a cloth had been stretched above the table to provide shade. ¡°What is that, m¡¯lady?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Only the queen and an official princess are permitted ladies-in-waiting,¡± Julianne explained. Mathew had just finished a feeding, and promptly fallen asleep in the crib. ¡°As the wife of a baron, I may employ a small number of maids of honor, however, supervised by a mistress of the robes. Most families don¡¯t have the funds to support so many court ladies, so the custom is not often used, but it seems the most fitting thing for our situation. You will be paid a salary of forty golden crowns annually, but I won¡¯t actually give you most of that. Instead, I will see it deposited in your name with the Most Noble Bankers Guild. Ah, that reminds me.¡± She handed Liv a scroll sealed in wax. ¡°What is this?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Your reward for saving my life,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I wrote to my father, and he has awarded you a pension of ten golden crowns annually, for life. You can read the whole thing later, it is in overblown court language, but it conveys his thanks. Don¡¯t take it for more than it is; this is the sort of reward for service to the crown that he hands out on a regular basis. Don¡¯t expect him to remember your name.¡± Liv grinned. The king had sent her a reward! ¡°Do I thank him, m¡¯lady?¡± she asked. ¡°If I have anything to say about it, you¡¯ll never meet my father,¡± Julianne told her. ¡°Or at least not until you¡¯ve finished your time in Coral Bay. Now, your duties will be to attend me when required, but most of the time you are going to spend learning. You¡¯re done taking lessons with those two spoiled girls. Instead, you¡¯ll see Master Cushing in the morning for lessons in medicine and anatomy.¡± ¡°I thought the college taught magic?¡± Liv said. ¡°Healing magic requires a basic understanding of medicine and the human body,¡± the baron¡¯s wife explained. ¡°You begin learning that now. In the afternoon, you will have direct instruction with Master Grenfell in spellcasting. When you are not with them, you will attend me, and I may pull you from your lessons when I have need. You can expect that we will spend much of our time discussing law, particularly as it relates to magic, with an emphasis on the rights of the nobility, the responsibility of the mages¡¯ guild, and the particulars of how the other guilds license magic from the aristocratic families.¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Can I still help out in the kitchen, from time to time?¡± ¡°You may go and visit with your mother whenever you are free from your duties,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°I expect that you will have plenty of time until you are healed up, at which point we are adding additional training.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± Liv exclaimed. ¡°Indeed. Master Forester will teach you to butcher mana-beasts,¡± Julianne said. ¡°You will need that knowledge when you go into a rift. As punishment for allowing that girl into the castle, guardsman James will be responsible for your physical conditioning, once Master Cushing judges you healed. Too many mages have died not because of a lack of magical power, but due to a weakness in physical stamina and endurance. I will correct that deficit in you before it has time to set in.¡± Liv took a sip of her tea. ¡°It all sounds like quite a lot,¡± she said. In truth, the very thought of so much work was overwhelming. It would have been simpler, and more familiar, to go back to scrubbing out chamber pots. ¡°You saved not only my life, but the life of my son,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I will see you sent to Coral Bay as the most prepared student of your year. You¡¯ve worked hard all your life, Liv. This is merely a different kind of work. Do not disappoint me.¡± The new lessons began the very next day, which meant that she was able to avoid any nastiness from Mirabel and Griselda. Instead of heading to Master Grenfell¡¯s chambers, Liv attended Master Cushing, who sat her on his table and began by examining her ankle, ribs, and beneath the linen wraps on her arm. ¡°The skin we took away has healed up well,¡± he said. ¡°I do not think you need a fresh set of bandages there. I don¡¯t yet see any signs of mana sickness from your most recent exertions, but it often takes weeks to manifest, and we shall be cautious. Your ankle and ribs are healing up nicely. All in all, I could not expect a better recovery, and I see no signs of complication. I wonder whether it has anything to do with your Elden blood.¡± Liv shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. All of that is good, though, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°So it is,¡± Cushing said. He walked over to his bookshelf, and pulled out an old book as cumbersome as the volumes that Master Grenfell referenced during his lessons. ¡°We begin with anatomy. Given that you have a habit of breaking them, you will learn the names of each and every one of the two-hundred and six bones in the human body.¡± The open pages of the book were filled by a lengthwise drawing of a skeleton, with cramped writing next to the largest bones. Liv bent over it, reading a few, and then looked up. ¡°They each have a name? All of them?¡± He couldn¡¯t be serious. Master Cushing gave her such an evil grin that she knew he was going to enjoy her suffering a great deal. ¡°Wait,¡± Liv said. ¡°You said that humans have two-hundred and sixteen bones-¡± ¡°Two hundred and six,¡± Cushing corrected her. ¡°Is that how many the Eld have, as well?¡± Liv asked. ¡°An interesting question,¡± the chirurgeon said. ¡°I have never had the opportunity of examining a complete Elden skeleton. I do have a femur, somewhere in here,¡± he said, rising and going over to his desk. After much shuffling, he pulled something long and dark out of a lower drawer and brought it over. ¡°Is it supposed to be that color?¡± Liv asked. On the one hand, it was revolting that the bone in front of her had once been inside a living, breathing person who was now dead. On the other hand, there was something fascinating about it. It had come from the Eld, from one of her father¡¯s people. It may well have been the closest she had gotten to them in her entire life. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she reached out and touched the bone with a finger. ¡°Much darker than a human¡¯s,¡± Cushing agreed. ¡°You¡¯ve been in the Room of Curiosities. Does it remind you of anything you have seen before?¡± Liv furrowed her brow. The only bones in the old baron¡¯s collection had been animal bones. This didn¡¯t even look like the wyrm skull. Rather, it reminded her of- ¡°A casque?¡± she said. ¡°Good.¡± Cushing nodded. ¡°Yes, this bone has many of the same properties as the kind of casques we see on mana-beasts that have been transformed by a rift. It raises a number of questions, does it not? Are the Eld born with bones like this? If so, they would have a much greater capacity for storing mana than any human. Or is this a transformation that occurred due to extended proximity to mana from a rift? I don¡¯t have an answer for you, Liv,¡± he admitted. ¡°If you ever learn the truth, perhaps you will let me know, so that I can add it to my records.¡± Liv thought back to when Master Grenfell had tested her with her ring and the stone. She¡¯d been able to hold even more mana than he had, and he¡¯d been a mage for decades, while Liv had only just begun learning to use magic. She wondered what color her bones would be, if they cut her open and looked. Light, like a human¡¯s, or dark, like one of the Eld? Or perhaps somewhere in between? ¡°Enough distractions,¡± Cushing said. ¡°You are not going to learn these things by dawdling. Repeat after me¡­¡± By the time Liv left the chirurgeon¡¯s chambers, her head was splitting. If she¡¯d thought that memorizing cases, tenses and pronouns was tedious, this was worse. At least learning those things had a direct impact on the kinds of spells that she could create. This was a great deal of work, all for the thought that someday she might need to learn healing magic. She couldn¡¯t help stewing on it, which meant she didn¡¯t notice the First Footman until he called her name. ¡°Miss Brodbeck,¡± Archibald said, breaking into her thoughts. He must have been waiting for her outside of Master Cushing¡¯s door. ¡°Baron Henry wishes to speak to you. Please follow me.¡± 22. Aspen and Silver Liv had never been in the baron¡¯s suite before, though she¡¯d lived at Castle Whitehill for her entire life. She¡¯d sometimes imagined how luxurious it must be; but she¡¯d never expected to recoil at the smell of sickness the moment she entered. Someone had lit honey-scented candles, but they could not conceal the mingled odors of blood, pus, and vomit. Henry Sumerset was propped up in his bed on a pile of pillows, with a blanket stretched over his outstretched legs. His arms were wrapped in bandages, and spots of blood had soaked through the linen. Liv remembered Master Cushing working on her own body with a surgical knife, and did not envy him. Liv gave a curtsy, then kept her eyes lowered. ¡°You sent for me, m¡¯lord?¡± First Footman Archibald hovered at her shoulder, and Liv was shocked to realize that his attitude reminded her of nothing so much as how Mama acted when she was sick. ¡°I did,¡± Henry said. Even his voice was weak. ¡°I owe you my gratitude, Miss Brodbeck. I have heard stories from several people I trust, and every one of them agrees that you risked your own life to protect my wife and child. As you can see, more than ever before, I cannot afford to spurn loyal service.¡± ¡°Anyone would have done it,¡± Liv said. ¡°I just happened to be there.¡± Henry laughed. ¡°Do you hear that, Archie? Anyone would have done it. Miss Brodbeck, most people would have run or hidden themselves in a wardrobe. And of the few who chose to fight, nearly all of them would have met the same end as the guards who died at the door. You happened to be the only one in the castle capable of making a stand in that room, and you chose to do so. You paid a cost, as well,¡± he said. ¡°I hear your ribs were broken. I suspect you¡¯ll spend some time under Aldo¡¯s knife, as well.¡± Liv bit her lip, mustered her courage, and then asked her question. ¡°Most of the stonebats were killed by men with crossbows,¡± she began. ¡°They weren''t very powerful, were they? Could you have killed two of them?¡± ¡°I killed half a dozen before they flew too far south for me to finish any more,¡± Henry said. ¡°You are correct, young lady. The bats are some of the least of the beasts that spilled out of Bald Peak during the eruption.¡± ¡°If Lady Julianne had been in a state to fight, she would have destroyed them herself, wouldn¡¯t she?¡± Liv asked. ¡°She could have, yes,¡± the baron confirmed. ¡°And they almost killed me,¡± Liv said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like I did very much, then.¡± ¡°You did what was needed, in that place at that time. I¡¯m told my wife has already arranged to reward your service, in her own ways.¡± ¡°Lady Julianne has been very generous,¡± Liv said. ¡°Good. But I am the Baron of Whitehill, and I would be remiss to allow her gratitude to outshine my own. Service must be rewarded.¡± Henry shifted on his pillows; the movement must have brought him pain, for his face twisted in an effort to remain silent. ¡°More willow-bark tea, Archie. In my father¡¯s Room of Curiosities,¡± Henry said, when he could continue, ¡°is a very old book. It was written by the founder of my line, Semhis Thorn-Killer, after the war against the old gods. I hereby grant you permission to study that book, so long as it is not removed from the room.¡± The first footman approached the bed with a cup of tea, and Henry paused to take a drink. ¡°You will find it contains records of Thorn-Killer¡¯s spells,¡± the baron continued. ¡°As well as his battle against Ceria, the V?dic Lady of Thorns. Permission to study the book was one of the conditions of Kazimir¡¯s employment here as Court Mage, and now I grant you that same right. Whatever components you can pull from those spells, with the sole exception of my family''s word of power, are yours. May it aid you in your studies.¡± ¡°Thank you, m¡¯lord,¡± Liv said, giving the baron another curtsy. ¡°With your permission, then, I¡¯ll leave you to rest.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± Henry said, waving his hand at her in dismissal. ¡°Go out and be alive. There is only death in this room.¡± Liv backed away, and Archibald followed her. After he¡¯d shut the door behind them, he leaned in to speak to her in hushed tones. ¡°The pain overwhelms him,¡± the first footman said. ¡°The back was not the only wound he suffered. Sometimes he does not know what he is saying.¡± ¡°Will he get better?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Master Cushing says that in some ways, he will,¡± Archibald said. ¡°But he will never walk again. I knew him from the time he was a little boy,¡± the footman muttered. ¡°To think he should suffer like this. Go on. I know you have a great deal to do. I will stay with him for a while.¡± ? The servants quarters filled with new hires. Meredith, one of the women who had applied for the position as lady¡¯s maid, was hired to be little Matthew¡¯s governess. Two younger women, Agatha and Joan, were brought on to fill Sophie and Liv¡¯s former positions, respectively. With Edward, the new footman, Liv found that she only knew half the people around the table in the kitchen. It was with mixed feelings, therefore, that she saw her few possessions moved upstairs to a room on the second floor, down the hall from Masters Cushing and Grenfell. ¡°I don¡¯t feel I belong up here,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Nonsense,¡± Lady Julianne said, throwing the windows open to let in the afternoon light. ¡°This castle has been half empty the entire time I¡¯ve lived here. As my attendant, you need to be near me when I call. This room would have been for a daughter,¡± she explained, ¡°but I will not be having any more children, so there is no point in letting the place gather dust.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Liv said. ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Julianne told her. ¡°And it is between my husband and I. You know, when you agree to be wed, that eventually there will be pain. Some wives die in childbirth; some men¡¯s hearts give out when they are young. I didn¡¯t think it would be this, and I didn¡¯t think it would be so soon, but I knew we wouldn¡¯t both be young and healthy forever. This is what the agreement is, dear girl. Keep that in mind when it comes your turn. Now, the footmen will bring your things up. You can still go down and visit your mother whenever you like, as you have the time.¡± And she did. Liv made certain to go down and help Gretta and her mother with the cooking whenever she could. Partly, it was to make certain they didn¡¯t grow apart; but it was also because she enjoyed it, and that she still felt more comfortable in the servants¡¯ kitchen than in the main hall. It also gave her an opportunity to tell Gretta she no longer had to pay Master Grenfell. ¡°Between the pension, and the salary from Lady Julianne, I can pay thirty myself,¡± Liv told her while rolling out a pie crust on the counter. ¡°And Master Kazimir agreed to put aside the remaining two crowns. So you can go back to putting your coins away for retirement,¡± she assured the old woman.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°That leaves you no money at all, as far as I can tell,¡± Gretta grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t need it for anything, anyway,¡± Liv assured her. ¡°I spend all of my time studying, or here in the kitchen with you. I don¡¯t need to pay for food or anything like that.¡± ¡°You can help me buy clothes for her, if you like,¡± Mama offered with a nudge to Gretta¡¯s hip. ¡°We can¡¯t have her eating in the great hall upstairs dressed as a scullion, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± the old woman said, and brightened. ¡°We have to uphold the standards of the family, after all. We couldn¡¯t have her shaming us when visitors come.¡± So it was that Liv found herself the owner of three new dresses, all in dark gray. They were merchants¡¯ dresses, like Mirabel or Griselda might wear, with bright linings that peeked out from the sleeves, or when the skirts moved. One was lined in blue, one in pure white, and one in forest green. She wore the blue on the first day that Master Grenfell took her out of the town walls and into the woods that lined the lower slopes of Bald Peak. It was full melt season by then, and the mage chose a warm day to have a carriage bring them north. His bandage was gone, but the culling expedition had left Master Grenfell with a new scar along his scalp. Liv examined it during their journey, and wondered what sort of creature had gotten him with its claw, and how close it had come to killing the mage. The mine-road followed the river, but they turned off long before the camp maintained by the workers of the Hall of Bricklayers and Masons. ¡°Is it really safe?¡± Liv asked, following Master Grenfell uphill along a deer-path. Master Cushing had finally allowed her to set aside her crutch, and the plaster had been knocked off her ankle. While she could walk, she didn¡¯t yet feel very confident about it. Even the skin around her ankle and calf was pale and tender. Her ribs had stopped aching, at least. ¡°We killed just about everything that was corrupted by the eruption,¡± the mage said in a dismissive tone. ¡°If we do come upon something, consider it further training. But now what we want is a good, healthy young aspen. Something a bit thicker than your arm, perhaps. A sapling.¡± ¡°We could have gotten that a lot closer to Whitehill,¡± Liv complained. ¡°But then it would not be infused with mana,¡± Grenfell pointed out. ¡°Which is what we want. Wood that has been steeped in power since the moment it sprouted from a seed. We¡¯re in the shoal, now - can you feel it?¡± Liv stopped walking for a moment, and the older mage waited for her. She frowned, trying to feel if something was different in this part of the forest. ¡°It¡¯s harder to breathe,¡± she said, at last. ¡°Like the air is thick. Or like we¡¯re under a blanket.¡± ¡°That is the mana,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°The shoal is permeated with it, all the time. During the eruption, this whole area was flooded with just as much magic as you would find in the depths. Even now, this amount of power is dangerous. It can cause mana sickness if you stay too long, so we must be quick.¡± He must not have been all that worried about speed, Liv decided a bell later, because the first three saplings she¡¯d pointed out had failed to pass some incomprehensible test. The fourth, however, Master Grenfell found acceptable. ¡°Good,¡± he said, finding himself a large boulder to sit on. ¡°Now, cut it down.¡± ¡°With what?¡± Liv asked him. ¡°Your magic, of course,¡± the mage said with a smile. ¡°Consider it a test.¡± Liv scowled, then squared herself up to the tree. If she could kill a stone bat, she could cut a tree down. The only question, she decided, was how many frozen shards to use. She¡¯d found that it took less mana to cast her modified version of the spell Master Jurian had first taught her, and fling two or even three shards at once, than to try to cast a new spell for each shard. With an eye toward not using all twelve of her rings before they left the shoal, she decided on two shards, aimed as close together as she could manage. ¡°Celent¡¯he Dvo Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae,¡± Liv intoned. With every day of practice, the magic awakened more easily, and bent to her will with less of a struggle. Two daggers of ice shot forward, right next to each other, and carved out more than half of the sapling¡¯s trunk. Splinters flew in every direction, and the shards continued on, whistling off into the underbrush. The sapling creaked and swayed for a moment, then came down. Liv had to jump back to avoid being sideswiped by a branch. ¡°Good,¡± Master Grenfell said, rising to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll trim the branches; tests are all well and good, but we don¡¯t want to be here all day.¡± With a muttered incantation, an arm-length blade of bright blue mana surrounded his hand. It must have been as sharp as a kitchen knife, for he began lopping branches off one after the other, as easily as chopping carrots. When the sapling was trimmed sufficiently, they hauled it back down the slope together. By the time they¡¯d dropped the tree on the ground next to the carriage, Liv could do nothing but pull herself inside and collapse on the bench. The driver spent a few moments lashing the cut sapling to the top of the carriage, and then they were off. Now that it had been pointed out to her, Liv felt it the moment they left the shoal. ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous to stay there for long,¡± Liv said, once she¡¯d had a drink from a wineskin, ¡°how can the miners work?¡± ¡°There is a reason they are paid well,¡± Grenfell said. His face was red, and he loosened the collar of his doublet. ¡°Most of them die young from mana sickness, or from bad air in the depths. Sometimes a tunnel collapses. That is the worst.¡± They managed to get back to the castle in time for the evening meal, but only just, and then Liv had to attend her lessons with Master Cushing the next morning, so it wasn¡¯t until nearly a day later that any work could be done on the aspen wood. ¡°I¡¯ve told you that I won¡¯t teach you enchanting, and I mean to hold to that,¡± Master Grenfell explained to Liv when she joined him in his chambers. ¡°I have neither the resources, nor the expertise that you will find at the college. I was never more than a middling enchanter myself, and I do not want to give you bad habits. But I have enough skill to do this.¡± ¡°What do we do first?¡± Liv asked with a grin. ¡°First,¡± Grenfell said, ¡°you remove the bark.¡± He handed her a dished blade with three cutting edges. ¡°This is called a spud. Get to work.¡± The bark was not removed that afternoon, and Liv didn¡¯t see how breaking her back for two days in a row was teaching her anything about magic. On the second day of working with the spud - what a stupid name! - she got the last of the bark off, revealing the green wood beneath. She also managed to get herself blisters all over her hands; apparently, scrubbing pots and pans was a quite different kind of work. From there, Master Grenfell took over, though he did allow her to watch. With a variety of tools, he carved V?dic sigils in the wood. Once that was done, Liv accompanied him into town for meetings with both a blacksmith and a silversmith. The first was to cap one end of the staff with steel, so that it would last longer. The other was to fill the sigils carved into the wood with molten silver, which was at least interesting to watch. The final step of the process was the best. The older mage gave Liv strict instructions to stay quiet and out of the way, but he at least permitted her to watch. He sat with the staff in his lap, cradling it in both his hands, and chanted. Liv recognized a form of Aluth, which Master Grenfell had told her was the word used to manipulate raw mana itself. Pressure built in the room, similar to what she¡¯d felt in the shoal, and then sparks and lashes of blue-gold fire cracked up and down the staff, flaring from the silver sigils. When it was done, the master mage slumped, breathing heavily, as if they¡¯d taken another trip up the mountain slope. ¡°It is done,¡± he said, after getting his breath back. ¡°Come over and take it, apprentice.¡± Liv scrambled to her feet and hurried across the room. When she took the staff, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. The wood of the staff was so pale that it might be mistaken for white, with a faint brown grain that was hardly noticeable after it had been polished. She set the steel-butt on the carpeted floor of Master Grenfell¡¯s chamber, and it took her weight easily. ¡°This is much better than a crutch,¡± she observed. ¡°How does it work?¡± ¡°A properly enchanted staff or wand,¡± Master Grenfell explained, ¡°such as this, provides a path of least resistance to the flow of mana. I¡¯ve told you that you are wasting much of your power, and why that is dangerous. The mana that escapes your control leaks out in all directions, much of it through your own flesh and blood. That uncontrolled magic is what causes mana sickness. Casting with this staff as an aid, that excess mana will be drawn into the wood, forced forward by the sigils, and focused into the spell you are casting. You will waste less, and infuse your spells with more mana at the same time. The biggest adjustment you will have to make is in the amount of mana you use: you will need less than you are used to.¡± Grenfell rose. ¡°Come along,¡± he said, lifting his own wand from his desk. ¡°There is no time like the present to practice. Let us go to the courtyard, and see what you can do.¡± 23. Steam in the Courtyard As she stepped out into the afternoon sun, Liv felt more and more nerves nibbling at the base of her stomach. It would have been one thing if Master Grenfell had taken her outside of the town, so that they could practice alone. As they made their way through the castle, however, it seemed they picked up every person who didn¡¯t have something to occupy them at that particular moment, dragged along like dead leaves in a current. There were a half dozen castle guards, the ones who weren¡¯t on duty or sleeping at the moment. Liv recognized Piers coming out of the kitchen, where he¡¯d no doubt been scrounging for something to snack on before the evening meal. Master Cushing came out of the keep and found a place to stand, and his presence at least made Liv a little less worried about someone getting hurt. The horologes had rung the third bell of the day on their way downstairs, and that meant that every one of the three footmen had an hour of liberty before they needed to even begin setting tables in the great hall for the evening meal. Liv wasn¡¯t surprised to see Edward and Tom loitering about the edge of the courtyard, but she hadn¡¯t expected First Footman Archibald to be watching her. Mama and Gretta would be busy cooking, but even Lady Julianne and Sophie stepped out onto one of the keep¡¯s second floor balconies, affording them the best view of things. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous,¡± Master Grenfell told her. He reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. ¡°This is not a competition; no one is being judged here. You cannot fail. We are here to find out what your magic can and cannot do. You aren¡¯t going to hurt me, or anyone else - and if there is an accident, you can see that Master Cushing is waiting right over there.¡± ¡°Everyone is watching me,¡± Liv said. She fought against the instinct to hunch her shoulders and make herself smaller. During all the time she¡¯d been a scullion, and before that when she was only the cook¡¯s bastard daughter, the smartest thing to do had been to avoid attention at all costs. ¡°That is because most of them have never seen high magic before,¡± Grenfell explained. ¡°And I imagine they¡¯ve heard rumors of what you can do. You likely know even better than I do how quickly gossip spreads among servants.¡± That made Liv grin, and nod her head. Master Grenfell released her shoulder, turned, and walked ten paces away from her, until he was well across the courtyard. It wasn¡¯t exactly warm yet, but neither was it chilly. Liv set her new staff of pale wood and silver in front of her, and gripped it with both hands. It felt reassuringly solid, like a tree rooting her into the earth. ¡°Before now, you¡¯ve managed no more than four spells before complete exhaustion,¡± Grenfell called across the distance between them. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done that without drawing on the ring,¡± Liv pointed out. Grenfell nodded. ¡°Do not do that today. Leave it as an emergency reserve. You¡¯re going to find the staff helps you to cast without wasting nearly so much mana. Let us aim for three spells this afternoon, and hope that doesn¡¯t wear you out completely. Show me the attack spell you used against the stone bats.¡± Liv looked around for a straw archery target, but didn¡¯t see one. ¡°Where am I aiming?¡± she asked. ¡°At my chest,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about hurting me. Just do your best to break my defenses.¡± Liv closed her eyes, and fell into the breathing patterns that Master Grenfell had begun drilling into her during her first lesson with him. In, hold, and out - three times, she repeated the process, until she felt her heart slow. The voices from the people gathered to watch them faded away. When she opened her eyes, the word of power was already stirring in anticipation. ¡°Celent¡¯he Dvo Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae,¡± Liv sung, lifting the staff of aspen wood and pointing it at Master Grenfell¡¯s chest. If the mana had been eager to rush out of her before, now it felt positively sucked out of Liv¡¯s body into the staff. One by one, the silver sigils in the length of the wood began to spill out blue light, streaked with gold. Two frozen shards appeared in front of Liv, hovered there for a moment, and then shot forward at Master Grenfell. ¡°Aluth¨­ ais¡¯veh Novis perae Mae!¡± But as soon as the ice began to coalesce, the older mage shouted his own incantation in return, raising his slender wand of dark wood. Faster than Liv would have believed possible if she hadn¡¯t seen Master Jurian use the same spell, a round shield of pure blue mana, rippling with golden waves, sprung up only a few feet in front of Master Grenfell. The two blades of ice hit the shield and shattered, raining splinters of frozen debris down onto the stones of the courtyard. Around them, those watching broke into a soft murmur of chatter. Liv saw one of the guards collect a few coins from the others. Above, on the balcony, Lady Julianne watched silently. ¡°Good,¡± Grenfell called back to her, allowing the shield to flicker and fade away. ¡°We will find a balance between how many shards you summon at once, and how many times you can cast the spell. We will test how many shards it takes you to break one of my shields, as well. But for now, let us measure your defenses. You created two walls of ice, to block the doors, I believe?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°But they didn¡¯t hold.¡± ¡°Make one here, now,¡± Master Grenfell instructed her. ¡°Right in front of you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to anchor it to,¡± Liv protested. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t matter,¡± the older mage pressed her. ¡°You will not always have a convenient structure to build your defenses upon. Do as I have told you, Liv. Take your time.¡± Perhaps Grenfell or Master Jurian could cause a wall of sheer ice to appear right in front of them, with nothing to attach it to, but Liv didn¡¯t think she could handle that just yet. Instead, she looked down at the stones of the courtyard. It wasn¡¯t much, but she thought that she could build up from there. She set her staff down on the ground, so that she had both hands, and flipped through her spell book until she had the right page. Not that there were very many with ink on them, at the moment. Liv set the book back on the ground, where she could see the writing, then crouched next to it, lifting her staff. She touched the tip of the wood to a stone to her left and a few feet in front of her, making sure to choose a spot within easy reach. ¡°Celevet Aen Kveis,¡± she sang, and drew the staff across the stones, from left to right. Mana hummed through her, and then out through the staff, sparking up in wisps. For a moment, Liv doubted that it would work. Then, a long strip of ice solidified across the stones. It built up in layers, as thick as her hand and anchored to the ground. The process was not by any means quick, and it was a constant drain on her, but slowly, the wall rose. By the time Liv was finished, the barrier was as tall as she was, as wide as she could stretch out her arms, and slightly less thick than at the base - perhaps three of her fingers, held together. Toward the edges, the ice was nearly clear, glinting in the rosey light of the setting sun - but in the middle, it was nearly solid white.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Good,¡± Grenfell called, again. ¡°Now step out from behind it. Get off to the side, Liv, so that you are well out of the way.¡± Liv ducked down to pick up her book, closed it, and scampered off to the edge of the courtyard, to take a place next to the guards. ¡°Five coppers says he breaks it in the first try,¡± Piers said. ¡°You want in, Liv?¡± ¡°You¡¯re betting against me?¡± she scolded him. ¡°I¡¯m never bringing you dessert again.¡± ¡°Aluthent¡¯he Dvo Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae!¡± Master Grenfell shouted, lashing his wand toward the wall of ice, the motion as sharp and quick as a kicking horse at the summer fair. A pair of shimmering blue knives, flickering with golden light, appeared in front of him and shot forward, striking the wall of ice. The first impact cracked the wall, and for a moment Liv thought her spell might hold. The second mana shard, however, shot right through the ice, breaking it into pieces that fell down onto the stones of the courtyard like winter hail. Another of the guards handed Piers a fistfull of copper coins, and Liv scowled. ¡°Come back over here,¡± Grenfell called over to her. ¡°You have nothing to be ashamed of, Liv, we are testing your capabilities. Keep in mind that I¡¯ve had decades of practice, and you¡¯ve been doing this less than a season. Though your wall did not hold, it does have several advantages over a shield of raw mana, such as the one that I use. Can you think of any?¡± ¡°Well, I could walk away from it, for one,¡± Liv said, getting close enough that she wouldn¡¯t have to shout. ¡°Like we just did. That means I can leave one behind, to protect someone else, and not worry about it. It doesn¡¯t seem like the one you used lasts that long.¡± ¡°No,¡± the master mage agreed. ¡°You are summoning a physical object into being; that object then persists, until some other force acts upon it. Given enough time and access to stored mana, I suspect you could build an entire fortification from ice, then leave it to be defended by men like these.¡± He motioned with his wand in the direction of the loitering guards, and they flinched back. ¡°A mana shield, on the other hand, lasts only so long as I continue funneling mana into it. It is an immediate defense, not a persistent one. Now, what disadvantages does your wall have?¡± That was easy. ¡°It¡¯s slower to make,¡± Liv said. ¡°Though I could try using Veh, like I did with the fox outside the wall. I heard you use it in your spell.¡± ¡°You can,¡± Grenfell said, ¡°and another day, I recommend that you do; it will draw more mana from you, but the staff should offset that somewhat. Today, we are focused on comparing raw power. Last time, I had you set a wall and walk away, because I was attacking with sudden, shattering force. Now, we are going to test your endurance. Set yourself a new wall, and then continue using your mana to make it as thick as you can. I will do my best to melt it.¡± Liv nodded, then returned to the spot where she¡¯d stood before. Part of the frozen base was still attached to the stones of the courtyard, and she intended to use it to build upon. She repeated her invocation, drew her staff over the remnant of the first wall, and began to build up a replacement. She hadn¡¯t even finished before Master Grenfell called over to her. ¡°I cannot recall whether I¡¯ve ever told you,¡± the mage said. ¡°But I was born the youngest son of the late Baron of Ashford. Let me show you my family¡¯s word of power.¡± He raised his wand, and pointed it directly at Liv¡¯s head. There wasn¡¯t even anything between his eyes and hers, yet: her wall had only reached chest high. ¡°?teret Fleia o¡¯Mae!¡± Grenfell shouted, and a lance of fire shot forward from the tip of his wand. Liv ducked down beneath her wall, but the heat burst around her as steam billowed out from the melting ice. Just in front of her eyes, the wall¡¯s color faded from solid white to clear, with drops of water running down it. In a matter of heartbeats, the fire would finish melting the ice. When that happened, it would hit her. In desperation, Liv took a step back and set the end of her staff against the wall. ¡°Celevet Aen Kveis,¡± she muttered. ¡°Celevet Aen Kveis.¡± Over and over again she repeated the words, her staff flaring to light as she forced as much mana as she could into the length of aspen wood, then through it into the only thing between her and a scorching hot plume of flame. The ice thickened, welling up around the point where the end of Liv¡¯s staff touched the wall. Steam billowed around her in clouds, leaving Liv utterly unable to see anything that was happening around her. There was no way she could keep this up for long; she could already feel her body emptying of mana. Should she just jump aside, and hope Master Grenfell¡¯s fire missed her? She could pull mana from her ring, but he¡¯d told her to save that for an emergency. If this continued much longer, Liv decided, it would become one. She had just decided to make a run for it when the blast of fire stopped. Trembling, Liv gasped for breath, huddled behind her deformed slab of ice. Only when the steam had cleared enough for her to see did she emerge. The wall of ice no longer resembled anything of the name. It was more like a bowl or a cup turned on its side, curved inward. If Liv hadn¡¯t kept adding more and more layers, making it thicker and thicker, the jet of fire would have long since burned a hole straight through it, and on to her. ¡°Livy, dove,¡± her mother¡¯s voice broke across the courtyard, and suddenly Liv found herself wrapped up in an embrace, the staff awkwardly trapped between her body and her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°That was terrifying. Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°Just tired, and sweaty.¡± ¡°Master Grenfell,¡± Maggie Brodbeck said, turning on the mage. ¡°How could you? You¡¯re supposed to be teaching her, not killing her.¡± ¡°I understand what it looked like, Mistress Brodbeck,¡± Grenfell said, approaching. ¡°But your daughter is safe. I could have cut off my spell at any moment, and Master Cushing is right here. We had no intention of letting any harm come to Liv. I believed that she could withstand that attack, and she proved me correct.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mama,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d been entirely as safe as Master Grenfell was saying, but she also didn¡¯t want to stop learning about magic. She didn¡¯t want her mother to try to put a stop to her lessons. ¡°A bit too sweaty for dinner, however,¡± Lady Julianne said, crossing the courtyard with Sophie in tow. They must have come down from the balcony while Liv wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°Everyone else, get back to work. The entertainment is over for today. Go along, now.¡± ¡°The journey of a mage is one of constant experimentation and reflection,¡± Grenfell said, once Liv¡¯s mother had finally released her. ¡°Your mana control is much better when you are using the staff, apprentice. Over the coming days we will precisely measure the improvement. By the time we are done, you will be able to tell me exactly how many rings of mana each of your spells requires, both with and without your staff. In a true fight, you need to be able to track what you can still cast as your reserves are depleted. I will drill it into you until it is second nature. And when you have developed a new spell, we will do it all over again.¡± ¡°But none of that will be done this evening,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Come along with me, Liv. You¡¯re entirely unfit for dinner. I apologize, Mistress Brodbeck, but I am absconding with your daughter. Perhaps you could send one of the girls to fetch clean clothes from her room, and bring them down to the hot spring.¡± ¡°I have a roast to finish, in any case,¡± Mama said. ¡°Go and get cleaned up, dove.¡± Liv followed the baron¡¯s wife back into the keep, and then down a stone stair that led beneath the great hall. Deeper than the cellars they went, to a place that she had never been permitted in before. ¡°Is it alright for me to be here?¡± Liv asked, her voice hushed. She had hardly ever had an actual bath; usually, she just used a wet cloth to clean herself. ¡°If I say it is permitted, it is permitted,¡± Julianne said. Followed by Sophie, they stepped out into a large room, all carved from stone, with a vaulted ceiling. The floor descended in a series of concentric steps, on all four sides of a rectangular pool. In the light of the oil lamps on the walls, the water was sharp and clear, tinted a slightly odd shade that Liv couldn¡¯t quite put a name to. The entire room smelled faintly of eggs. ¡°Master Cushing wouldn¡¯t allow me down here the entire time I was pregnant with Matthew,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°But now that¡¯s over with, I can enjoy one of the best parts of Castle Whitehill once again. Go ahead, dear. Get yourself cleaned up. Your clothes will be brought down shortly, and you can meet us in the great hall for dinner.¡± ¡°Thank you, m¡¯lady,¡± Liv said, and made a curtsy. ¡°I¡¯ve only bought you a reprieve,¡± Julianne said, turning to leave. ¡°Make certain to bring your book, a quill and a pot of ink to the table. Kazimir will be waiting for you, I should guess, and he¡¯ll make you work while you eat.¡± Liv waited until the two women had gone back up the stairs, then shucked her clothing and slipped into the pool. The waters boiling up from beneath Whitehill were hotter than any bath she¡¯d ever had before, and they loosened muscles Liv hadn¡¯t even realized were stiff. Perhaps she could be a few moments late for the evening meal, she decided. 24. Varuna Wren could almost smell the jungle, if she closed her eyes and ignored the salt-scent of the ocean, and the myriad flavors of humanity¡¯s stench that permeated Calder¡¯s Landing. Behind her, the Swan of the Sea was already in the process of unloading sorely needed supplies from Lucania, but she was glad to finally be leaving the square-rigged ship behind. She¡¯d packed away the winter clothes she¡¯d worn during her mission, and dressed in a loose cotton blouse, sandals, and a skirt. With a shrug of her shoulders, Wren settled her pack on her back, hefted the unstrung longbow in her left hand, and dove into the streets of the settlement. Calder¡¯s Landing had been hacked out of the jungle only eight years before, and compared to the established castle-towns and cities of Lucania, it looked like little more than an armed camp. The streets were packed earth that turned to mud every time it rained - which was often. The eastern coast and surrounding jungle got more water in a season than places like Whitehill received in a year. Wren¡¯s boots squelched as she turned away from the rows of tents crammed with new arrivals, and walked in the direction of the Sign of the Dancing Lady. Wren would have preferred to just walk out through the stockade gate, wait until she was out of sight, and then take to the air. By The Mother, she would have rather flown the entire way, but the ocean between the continents was simply too wide. She would have fallen out of the sky from exhaustion and drowned long before she made it halfway. No, she was going to be cautious. Wren had been gone for months, and who knew what had happened while she¡¯d been away. Taika would, that was certain, so Wren kicked the dirt of the streets off her boots against the wooden steps that led up to the common room of the inn, then found herself a seat at the bar. ¡°Wren Wind Dancer,¡± Taika greeted her, with a broad smile and a mug of hot cacao. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Red Shield. I half expected to never see you again - easy for a country girl to get swallowed up by the big city. Dinner and a room, before you head out?¡± ¡°Just dinner, please,¡± Wren said, accepting the mug and taking a sip. The bite of ground Varunan peppers mixed into the cacao brought a smile to her lips, and she didn¡¯t try to fight it. ¡°No one in Lucania gets this right,¡± she said. Calder¡¯s Landing wasn¡¯t quite home, but it was a lot closer than the cold winter of Whitehill. ¡°There¡¯s just something about the way the Drovers¡¯ Guild freezing works,¡± Taika agreed. ¡°Ruins the taste.¡± The Eldish woman fetched a slate with the day¡¯s prices listed, and set it on the counter in front of Wren. If the inkeep¡¯s pointed ears hadn¡¯t been a clear enough sign of her heritage, her white hair and the way her porcelain skin blushed a light shade of lavender, rather than pink, made it certain. The old gods had designed the Eld for beauty, and the aesthetic tastes of the dead V?dim were said to have run to the exotic. Wren ran her finger over the menu, and her stomach rumbled. Over forty days at sea, with little more than ship¡¯s biscuits during the last leg, had left her with more than one sort of appetite. ¡°All of this looks incredible,¡± she admitted. ¡°The soup, the octopus, and the cornbread.¡± She reached into her belt pouch, counted out twenty copper pennies, and set them on the counter. Taika raised an elegant eyebrow. Everything about the Eld was too perfect by half. ¡°That¡¯s quite a hefty tip,¡± the innkeep remarked, not yet touching the coins. ¡°I¡¯ve been gone for too long,¡± Wren said. ¡°I need to know what¡¯s happening before I go back into the jungle.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Taika said. ¡°Calder and Wildheart are out on the Dawn Runner, somewhere south down the coast. The Triplets lost their healer in the jungle a week back, and are trying to hire a new one. There¡¯s a group of fresh mages from Coral Bay, just finished their journeyman culling, went out about a week ago and haven¡¯t been back yet.¡± ¡°Silica been ahunt, at all?¡± Wren liked to keep tabs on the comings and goings of the closest wyrm. Iravata¡¯s children weren¡¯t exactly enemies, but they weren¡¯t exactly friends, either. A thousand years had made for a lot of drifting among the old alliances. ¡°Not since last flood season,¡± Taika assured her, with a shake of the head. ¡°No news from the Red Shield Tribe, either. Your father hasn''t even been in to trade. Let me get your food together.¡± Wren sipped her spiced cacao. A few mage guild teams off exploring the jungle was nothing new, and no concern to her. They would either get themselves killed, or clear out the worst of the mana beasts around Calder¡¯s Landing. That would make her journey easier, though there weren¡¯t a lot of threats that could trouble her once she took to the air, in any event. The problem was that she hadn¡¯t had a source of blood for the entire voyage. After a meal, that was going to be the first thing she had to take care of. Without blood, it would be a long trek on foot through the jungle. Taika brought her a bowl of soup first, and it was as tasty as ever: a simple turtle soup with eggs, and a bit of onion and lemon juice to add flavor . The Elden woman¡¯s success began with the fact she ran the only inn in the settlement, but she was smart enough to know she¡¯d eventually be displaced if she didn¡¯t offer something more than that. Her solution was to serve the best food around. Wren blew on her spoon to cool each bite just a little, but other than that she ate steadily until it was all gone. By that time, the main dish had arrived: grilled octopus, dusted with Varunan pepper, with fresh baked cornbread on the side, both drizzled in fresh honey. Wren hadn¡¯t eaten so well since that fair in the mountains. When she was done, Wren left the Dancing Lady and found the local butcher, a Courland man named Geoffrey who¡¯d come over on the second set of ships. In Lucania, it would have been dark by now, but Varuna was a land of sun and heat, and the sky over the western jungle was still full of clouds painted in all the shades of dusk. ¡°Mistress Wind Dancer!¡± Geoffrey greeted her, with a broad grin. He didn¡¯t stop slicing bacon off the carcass of a pig while he talked. ¡°Wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d ever see you again. Figured you¡¯d finally been eaten by some monster in the jungle.¡± ¡°Nothing in there more dangerous than me,¡± Wren told him, though they both knew it was a lie. ¡°Got any fresh blood for me, Geoffrey?¡± He nodded. ¡°I only just started this boar. One moment.¡± The butcher set aside his knives, wiped his meaty hands on his apron, and fetched a stoppered clay bottle, which he set on his work table. ¡°Take a sniff and check.¡± Wren lifted the bottle, pulled the cork, and sniffed. It was fresh pig¡¯s blood alright, no more than an hour old. ¡°The usual price?¡± she asked. When Geoffrey nodded, she put a silver down, and took the bottle. The high price was as much for his silence as for the blood itself. The butcher was already back to work before she¡¯d turned around.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. With her pack over her shoulders, the unstrung longbow in one hand, and her bottle of fresh blood in the other, Wren headed over to the west gate in the stockade. There were two men guarding it, and one raised his hand as she approached. ¡°Night¡¯s a dangerous time to be leaving,¡± he warned her. ¡°None of your business what happens to me out there,¡± Wren told him. ¡°Gate doesn''t close until dark, and the sun isn¡¯t down yet.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t open it if you come running,¡± his partner called after her, but she just walked past them. The settlement had originally been built along a high ridge that descended to a natural harbor, though Calder¡¯s Landing had gradually filled in the eastern slope of the ridge as it grew, down to the sea. The jungle was cleared for a mile in every direction past the stockade, giving the guards on watch a good view of any trouble that might be on the way well before it arrived. That was one of the reasons they¡¯d survived the first year. The moment Wren stepped into the jungle, the air changed. It was somehow both more fresh, and heavier, layered with the scents of flowers, fruits, and the fertile earth that supported so much life. She let the ferns brush her bare legs, and simply enjoyed the feeling of coming home at last. Then, she uncorked the bottle of pig¡¯s blood, raised it to her lips, and tipped her head back. The blood was only lukewarm, but it coursed down her throat like fire. When it hit her belly, the warmth spread, tingling, out through every bit of Wren¡¯s body, from the soles of her feet to her fingertips. She rolled her head to crack her neck, filled with power for the first time since she¡¯d taken passage on the Swan of the Sea. With a thought, Wren¡¯s body, and everything she wore or held, collapsed in. It took only the space between heartbeats to turn into blood, and then back. A single downstroke of her wings, and Wren was soaring up through the jungle canopy into the twilight sky. She opened her mouth to send out a sound that no human could hear, and her bat-ears read the way it bounced and returned to her as easily as a book. She¡¯d been travelling blind for far too long. She flew west and then turned north, not halting until she¡¯d found the banks of the great Airaduin?, and by that time the stars were out. The moon was dark, but the ring that split the sky overhead gave more than enough light to see by, even on two legs. Wren fluttered down in bat form, then shifted once more to the shape of a human woman. Then, she set her pack and bow down next to the water. She dug through the bag, beneath her spare clothes, until she found a packet of dried herbs she¡¯d been saving the entire time she¡¯d been gone, along with a small turned wooden bowl. With water from the river, and a bit of clay, Wren crushed the herbs in the bowl to prepare the dye. Then, she braided back all but a single strand of her hair, to get it out of the way. That last lock, she soaked in the dye, taking the time to let it dry and set into a kind of paste. She would return to her people looking like one of them, not like an easterner. While she waited, Wren removed a bundle of clothing from her pack, and carefully unwrapped it. Inside the bundle rested a statue of a voluptuous woman, carved from white stone. ¡°Ractia,¡± Wren murmured, beginning a prayer she¡¯d known for as long as she could remember. ¡°Lady of Blood. Great Mother, hear me. Grant me your blessing. Watch over me and bind my wounds; bless my womb; strike down my enemies. We are born in blood, and we die in blood. I offer mine to you.¡± Setting the statue down on the mud, Wren drew her hunting knife. She lifted her skirt high enough to prick her thigh, then smeared the drop of blood that resulted on the stone statue¡¯s belly. For a moment, the single drop lingered, dark against the pale stone, and then it seeped into the statue like soup into a piece of bread. A moment later, there was no sign it had ever been there. Wren wrapped the statue up again and carefully stowed it in her pack, then knelt at the bank of the river to wash the dye from her hair. It was too dark to see her reflection now, even by the light of the ring in the sky, but she knew there would now be a streak of deep purple in her dark hair. She unbraided the rest, shook her head, and let it all settle back in place. Then, she shouldered her pack, lifted her bow, and took to the skies once again. North Wren flew, all that night, and stopped only to eat the next day when she found a grove of mango trees. There, she landed and ate as a bat, until she felt enough strength return to her wings that she could press on. The jungle passed away, as the land grew more dry, until she finally came in sight of the mountains, hunched like the shoulders of green giants. She was halfway up the slope when she crossed into the shoal of the rift. From talk she¡¯d overheard at the Dancing Lady, Wren knew that both the Eld and the Lucanian mages were able to sense the transition due to the density of mana. For her part, she had to pay attention to the change in plant growth and the kinds of animals below her. Not far in, Wren caught the scene of woodsmoke and cooking meat, and followed it to the camp. This wasn¡¯t the usual flood season camp of the Red Shields; no, as Wren had expected, the bloodletters were waiting for her at the shrine, which had been built at the very center of the rift. She didn¡¯t know how long they¡¯d been at their sacrifices - it couldn¡¯t possibly have been the entire time she was gone. Perhaps they¡¯d seen portents of her coming in the entrails. In any case, it wasn¡¯t the bloodletters she wanted - it was her father. Nighthawk Wind Dancer, chief of the Red Shield tribe, followed her descent with keen eyes. He was sitting in front of a cook fire on a makeshift bench made from a fallen tree trunk, gutting a large, dead peccary. Until she¡¯d seen Lucanian pigs, she¡¯d never understood why the easterners called them ¡®skunk pigs,¡¯ but there was an undeniable similarity. The corpse must have been seventy pounds, Wren figured, as she swooped in, shifting forms in midair to land on two feet. ¡°Daughter,¡± Nighthawk said, greeting her with a warm smile. ¡°It has been too long since you left us. We have all missed you dearly.¡± He set aside the half-dressed animal, wiped his hunting knife on a piece of cotton cloth he¡¯d had ready for the purpose, then sheathed it and rose. ¡°Was your hunt successful?¡± ¡°I found the icon,¡± Wren assured him, dropping to one knee. She slung her pack off her back, set it in front of her, and reached inside to find the bundle. In moments, she had the statue unwrapped, and held it out to her father. ¡°Ractia,¡± Nighthawk said. The name was like a sigh and a prayer wrapped together into one. ¡°You have done well, Wren,¡± her father told her, lifting the piece of white stone up to get a good look at it in the sunlight. ¡°You have returned hope to our people. Come, let us take it to the bloodletters. They have been preparing for some time.¡± Wren left her bag by her father¡¯s log; as the two set off, she saw one of her cousins, Calm Waters, hurry over to finish dressing the peccary. Calm Waters and her husband had been trying for a child for six years, without success, and it didn¡¯t appear they had been blessed by The Mother during the time Wren had been away. Side by side, Wren and her father trudged up to the summit of the mountain. They could have saved a great deal of time by taking to the air, but that would have shown a lack of respect. The proper way to approach the shrine was as supplicants. Half a dozen bloodletters, wearing their jaguar-skin cloaks, surrounded the stone altar. The sacrificial basin, a deep bowl carved into the surface of the altar-top, was still wet and sticky with fresh blood from the most recent sacrifice. Wren noticed that it had been a monkey, and knew that the carcass would be cleaned for food. ¡°My daughter has returned!¡± Nighthawk shouted, and all the bloodletters turned to observe their approach. Wren¡¯s father walked straight up to the altar, the statue of Ractia held up in his hands. ¡°Are you certain she has brought the correct icon?¡± one of the bloodletters asked. ¡°It was taken from Godsgrave,¡± Wren answered. ¡°I tracked it to a collection high up in the mountains, in a place called Whitehill.¡± ¡°There is only one way to know for certain,¡± Nighthawk said. With a sudden, brutal movement, he smashed the statue into the top of the altar. The white statue shattered, leaving behind only fragments of stone and powder - and something else. Something that did not fit with the rest. ¡°It looks like the glass the easterners use for their windows,¡± Wren observed. Her father brushed aside the debris, and lifted something like a seedpod: long, rounded, and thin. The object seemed far too delicate to have survived the chief¡¯s blow, but there it was, undamaged. The entire thing was translucent, like a handful of water from the river. Inside, they could all see a reservoir of blood. Nighthawk tipped it to one side, and the blood moved. After however many years it had been hidden in that statue, it was still fresh enough not to have congealed or dried out. ¡°It is the blood of The Mother herself,¡± Nighthawk Wind Dancer muttered. ¡°It is our salvation. The Lady of Blood will return to us. Our goddess will live once again.¡± 25. Mountain Home Keri drew a robe of white fox-fur across his shoulders: while the calendar used by the Kenth?oria would mark the day as well into flood season, the slopes of Menis Breim had not yet seen a thaw. ¡°You¡¯re restless.¡± He turned back to where Rika t?r Kalevis k?n B?lris, his kwenim, remained wrapped in a nest of furs and pillows, her long hair tussled and spread out around her head like the spray at the bottom of a waterfall. Rika¡¯s cheeks were still flushed, as was the skin just beneath her collarbone, peeking out from above the blankets. She didn¡¯t look like she had the slightest intention of getting out of bed in the near future. ¡°I want to talk to my father about what we found at Keremor,¡± Keri admitted. ¡°It worries me.¡± ¡°Your father and Sohvis will have it under control, whatever it is,¡± she assured him. ¡°If it''s kept without you for this long, it will keep a little while more. Are you certain I can¡¯t persuade you to come back to bed?¡± For a moment, Keri considered it. He¡¯d never fully appreciated just how enjoyable being bound to a woman would be; he and Rika had grown up together, but this new element of their relationship had most certainly changed things. Instead, he walked back over to the bed of polished larchwood, leaned down, and kissed her. ¡°I can¡¯t get it out of my mind,¡± Keri explained, running one hand along her forehead and back into her hair. ¡°It¡¯s going to gnaw at me until I know what¡¯s happening. Now that we¡¯ve been joined a full month, he can¡¯t put me off any more with excuses.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t put you off with this particular excuse,¡± Rika corrected him, with a mischievous grin. ¡°I¡¯m certain he will have entirely new reasons for you to do what he wants.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll still have the worst of it,¡± Keri teased her. ¡°Now they¡¯ll all be asking you when to expect a child.¡± ¡°All the more reason for me to stay in bed,¡± Rika grumbled, turning over onto her side and wrapping the furs more tightly around her body. ¡°Close the door on your way out.¡± Keri did as she asked, though he didn¡¯t expect anyone would be coming into their new quarters without permission, anyway. Their sitting room was appointed in the same style as the bed chamber, matching the rest of Mountain Home in all but details. While the bones of the sprawling manor were granite, much of the interior was sheathed in wood. The floors, for instance, the frames of the double-paned windows, and most of the furniture were all crafted from larch trees, one of the few species hardy enough to survive in the taiga. Atop the polished wood were thrown plush fur rugs, carefully harvested over the years from a variety of northern animals, including bear, wolf, and fox. Rabbit furs were generally too small to be used for such purposes, even if they became mana beasts. The carved furniture was ornamented with scrimshaw: door and drawer handles, oil lamp fittings, even the new horologes with the innards purchased and shipped from Al''Fenthia not twenty years ago. It was all quite comfortable, particularly with heating sigils worked into the floors. The enchantments kept everything warm enough that Keri hardly needed the robe, but he wasn¡¯t certain exactly where he would find his father, and he didn¡¯t want to be unprepared if he needed to step outside. Keri paused with his hand at the door of the sitting room. His N?v¡¯bel leaned against the corner of the room, right where he¡¯d left it. His hand itched to take the spear in hand, but that was only the memories of the shrine in the forest. There was no need for him to go armed here: the guards at the watchtowers would have sounded the alarm at the smallest sign of danger. Leaving his weapon behind, Keri closed the door behind him and set out looking for his father. As it turned out, he found his cousin Sohvis, first. Sohvis ka Auris k?n B?lris was only a year older than Keri, and closer to a brother than the son of his aunt. He was just inside the armory, with the door ajar, and half stripped out of his armor. ¡°Need help?¡± Keri offered. ¡°It would speed things up,¡± Sohvis agreed, pulling an enchanted vambrace off and setting it in place on his armor stand. Keri stepped into the room and maneuvered himself behind Sohvis, where he could begin working at the fastenings that held the cuirass onto the backplate. ¡°Father had you out on patrol, then?¡± he asked. Sohvis shook his head, sending locks of blonde hair flying in every direction - they were long enough to get in Keri¡¯s way. ¡°No,¡± his cousin said. ¡°The elders sent us down to Cold Harbor. We found the woman who made your altar.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t my altar,¡± Keri quibbled, then helped Sohvis out of his enchanted plate. ¡°It was a woman, you said? Just one?¡± ¡°One that we found,¡± Sohvis corrected him. ¡°A whaler¡¯s wife named Severa. They¡¯re gathering to question her now, and I wanted to get there before they start.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Keri offered. Between the two of them they had Sohvis out of the rest of his armor quickly enough, and each piece stored in the place prepared for it. When they were done, they closed the door to the armory, allowing the sigils that warded the room to reconnect. ¡°How¡¯s Rika?¡± Sohvis asked, as the two young men hurried through the halls of Mountain Home. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen much of her since the joining ceremony.¡± ¡°She¡¯s well,¡± Keri said, unable to keep a smile from curving his lips. ¡°When I left her, she¡¯d stolen all the furs and gone back to sleep.¡± Sohvis cleared his throat. ¡°They¡¯re questioning her in the council chamber.¡± Under normal circumstances, neither Keri nor Sohvis would have been allowed to enter the council chamber without an express invitation. On this occasion, however, the guards at the door merely inclined their heads and allowed the two friends to pass. Within, Keri¡¯s father, Imari, sat in the center of a group of half a dozen elders. At his right hand, his younger sister, V?ina T?r V?inis k?n B?lris, noticed them enter. She inclined her head ever so slightly to her son, Sohvis, which Keri chose to interpret as approval of their attendance. The whaler¡¯s wife knelt in the center of the circular chamber, on the floor. She was chained, with two guards standing just behind her. It was strange, Keri thought: there was nothing to pick her out from any one of a score of other young women from Cold Harbor. He wondered for a moment just what trail had led Sohvis on his hunt; Keri¡¯s life had been consumed with ceremonies leading up to the joining, and then celebrations after. He would have to do something to thank his friend for taking up the duties that should have been his, Keri decided. ¡°Do not think to deceive us,¡± Ilmari ka V?inis, head of the Council of Elders, warned the woman. Severa, that was her name, Keri recalled. ¡°You are bound in chains that have been enchanted with the word of truth. No deception will stand before this council. Was it by your hand the shrine of blood was built in the shoals of Keremor?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Not by my hand,¡± Severa said, her voice small in the great chamber of stone. ¡°Though I did sacrifice there, to the Great Mother.¡± Ilmari leaned forward, his eyes burning with the light of his word. ¡°Not the crime of a lone woman, then. Give me the names. Who built the shrine? Who else worshiped there? Who else took part in these foul sacrifices?¡± The woman held her tongue, then smiled. ¡°Your chains can¡¯t make me speak,¡± she realized, with a laugh. "You want the truth, Elder? Here it is, then. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong. You call yourselves the great, the proud, Unconquered House of B?lris. The Eld who were never defeated. What do we owe the traitors, then? Why should we not worship as we wish? I waited and waited for a child, but never was my wish granted until I prayed to the Mother of Blood. And now, will you execute me while a child of the Eld finally grows in my womb?¡± ¡°Nothing good comes of worshipping the old gods,¡± Ilmari¡¯s voice broke over the murmuring of the elders. ¡°This lesson has been taught a thousand times in a thousand years. Whatever shadow of them remains at Godsgrave, has become a thing so twisted and evil that all it touches is corrupted. I do not blame you for your sorrow and your grief, Severa, but what you have done is not the way. You would make us all slaves again, out of your own selfishness.¡± ¡°And yet,¡± his sister, V?ina, interrupted, ¡°if she truly is with child, the life within her is innocent. We do not punish the child for the crime of the parent.¡± ¡°Anything that springs forth from a womb cursed by the Lady of Blood will be corrupt,¡± Ilmari argued. ¡°Better the child never be born, than it be cursed to such a fate.¡± ¡°You think this is the only one?¡± Severa asked, then laughed aloud. Keri felt his stomach grow cold and unsettled, as if he¡¯d eaten bad meat. ¡°There must be a score of children, not only at Cold Harbor, but here at Mountain Home. Are you going to hunt down each and every child, and put them to death? Do you think your people would stand for the Council of Elders to stain their hands with the blood of so many babies? And you call what I did evil?¡± ¡°I will have the names,¡± Keri¡¯s father growled, leaping to his feet. ¡°Of every person who worshiped at that damned shrine.¡± ¡°Just the one?¡± Severa gasped, in between laughter. ¡°Or did you want to hunt everyone who honors the mother throughout the north?¡± ¡°Take her to a cell,¡± Ilmari commanded, his eyes turning to the guards. ¡°See that she is examined by a healer. We would know whether she is with child, or not. Perhaps solitude will loosen her tongue. This meeting of the council is at an end.¡± As the guards dragged the struggling woman away, Keri and Sohvis shared a look, then approached the council seats. ¡°Father,¡± Keri said, inclining his head. ¡°Aunt.¡± ¡°You should be enjoying time with your kwenim,¡± Aunt V?ina chastised him, though she embraced Keri nonetheless. ¡°You look well, though. Sohvis, you did well tracking the criminal down. The Council is grateful for your service.¡± She released Keri and wrapped her arms around her son. ¡°If her words were true, this is a rot upon our house,¡± Keri¡¯s father muttered. ¡°Could there truly be so many? Have they forgotten what it was like, to serve the old gods? Do they care so little for freedom?¡± ¡°Freedom does not bring a child to an empty house,¡± V?ina responded. ¡°Walk with us, boys,¡± she said. ¡°Let we four speak away from prying ears.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ilmari said. ¡°Come. What we must do is not for all to know.¡± Keri and Sohvis managed to hold their tongues until they were not only out of the council chamber, but out of the sprawling manor entirely. Once their steps scraped against the granite walks that wound between the steaming bathing pools, sheltered beneath the spreading boughs of the northern pines, then finally Keri spoke. ¡°We need to send word to the other houses,¡± he said. ¡°If what this woman said was true, there could be a cult spread throughout the entirety of the north. This isn¡¯t the kind of prey that we can hunt alone, father.¡± Ilmari grunted. ¡°I understand your view,¡± he said. ¡°But it is too early for such a step. The chains ensured only that she spoke the truth as she understood it. I harbour doubts about how deep in the confidence of such a cult a simple whaler¡¯s wife from Cold Harbor would be. She must have had rumors, certainly, but it is up to us to ferret out the truth of them. We begin by cleansing our own house, by ripping out every weed that has sprouted, root and stem. Sohvis, you will take command of our men. My son has other duties.¡± ¡°Father,¡± Keri protested. ¡°Let me do what I¡¯ve been trained to do. If our House is truly under threat, do not hold me aside.¡± ¡°Your task is more important,¡± Ilmari said, halting his steps. He took Keri by both shoulders. ¡°We dwindle. You are my last surviving son, and of all the descendants of B?lris who have lived and died over the last eleven-hundred years, your generation numbers only three. Your cousin can lead our men as well as you can, Inkeris. Of you, I ask something far more important. You must give our House an heir.¡± Keri blushed. ¡°That hardly takes every moment of every day, father,¡± he grumbled. ¡°He is correct,¡± Aunt V?ina broke in. ¡°Let Keri help, brother. This hunt will begin close to home. If the trail leads far afield, then my son can pick up the hunt, and Keri can remain here with Rika. A child will come when the gods will it to be so. In the meanwhile, let our people see both our sons working together. It will give them confidence.¡± ¡°Very well, Sister,¡± Ilmari conceded, with a huff. ¡°Inkeris will have command so long as this investigation is confined to our house¡¯s lands. If an expedition must be sent out, then Sohvis will lead it. The two of you will work together, as it has ever been. You have our complete faith, but you will report to the council once each month on what you have found. Any cultists that you capture will be brought before us for questioning. Do you both understand your task?¡± ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Keri said, and Sohvis echoed him. ¡°Good. Inkeris, remain with me a moment,¡± Ilmari commanded. ¡°Come, Sohvis,¡± Aunt V?ina said, taking her son¡¯s arm in her own. ¡°I have a proposal for you from the House of Asuris, and there is a letter included from the young woman herself. Let me show it to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for you after,¡± Keri told his cousin, and Sohvis nodded in agreement. His father took him by the elbow, and led him further down the stone paths. Steam rose to either side of them; at this time of day, there were few people bathing in the pools. ¡°I do not understand why anyone would turn to one of the dead gods,¡± Keri said, once they were out of earshot. ¡°No matter how desperate.¡± ¡°I hope that you never have cause to say otherwise,¡± Ilmari said. ¡°You know that our numbers are shrinking.¡± ¡°So they say,¡± Keri said. ¡°But I do not have your many years of perspective, Father.¡± ¡°Is that a clever way of telling me that I¡¯ve grown old?¡± Ilmari laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t I know it.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t quite what I meant,¡± Keri said, with a smile. ¡°But if that is the meaning you take...¡± ¡°How is your kwenim?¡± his father asked. ¡°I¡¯ve hardly seen Rika since the joining ceremony, but I suppose that is as it should be. The concerns of the world will crowd in soon enough; I suppose it has already begun. I wanted you both to have at least a little time with each other, to learn what it is to be joined.¡± ¡°She is well,¡± Keri said. ¡°Though I think we are both starting to get a little restless. I know she spent yesterday afternoon making notes for a new interpretation of the sword dance.¡± ¡°That will be good, when she is ready,¡± Ilmari said. ¡°A performance will give our people something to speak about other than this nasty business. The truth is, my son, that our creators never designed us to outlast them. We were shaped for their convenience, not to be our own people. And they never needed as many of us as they needed our younger siblings. There is a reason we sometimes call them fireflies.¡± ¡°Kenth?oria,¡± Keri said. ¡°The field slaves. They call themselves humans.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ilmari agreed. ¡°In their case, numbers were a good thing. They died in the mines, they died fishing at sea, they broke their backs in the fields. There was always a need for more to replace those who were lost, and so they were designed to be fertile. That was never our purpose. I have come to believe the only thing that has carried us this far is the V?dic blood, and that runs more thin with each successive generation. Which is why,¡± he finished, ¡°matching you with your cousin was so important.¡± ¡°I know this, Father,¡± Keri said. ¡°B?lris was my grandfather,¡± Ilmari said. ¡°Though I never knew him. One quarter of the blood in my veins is V?dic. For you and Rika, that proportion is only one eighth. By matching the two of you, at least the blood will not dwindle any further. My days have grown late, my son. Let me know that our house will last, before I pass from this world.¡± ¡°We will, Father,¡± Keri assured him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. You have plenty of time left, and when you are done I will take your place.¡± Ilmari ka V?inis put one arm around his son¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re a good son,¡± he said, after a moment. ¡°Alright, then. I entrust this to you. Hunt down this cult. Find them all. Dig them out of whatever dark holes they¡¯ve dug for themselves, Inkeris, and shine the light of B?lris on them. Burn every trace of this darkness away.¡± 26. Harvest As flood season passed, the snow melted away. First, from the Aspen River valley, and later from even the mountain slopes shaded by the trees. Only the highest peaks of the surrounding mountains retained their white caps, which they would wear for the entirety of the year. The people of Whitehill gathered the droppings left behind by the stonebats, and used the guano to fertilize their fields. Liv understood it was back breaking labor, but since she didn¡¯t actually do any of it herself, she was more impressed by the results. As flood season passed into the beginning of harvest season, the crops surrounding the town grew faster, taller, and more vibrant than in any year that she could remember. She saw more of the fields than she had in other years, because Master Grenfell, Master Forester, and James, one of the castle guards, took her out into the countryside regularly. The training James gave her was the simplest: it required little to no thought at all, but the physical effort left her exhausted. One day, he might set her to hike a trail halfway up Deer Peak, west of the town. By the time she¡¯d gone up and down again, Liv¡¯s calves and thighs felt like limp, uncooked rolls of pie dough. When the river was no longer dangerously high, he made her swim or tread water until she could hardly stay afloat. Other times, he simply made her run around the walls of Whitehill, starting on the bank of the Aspen River to the north of the castle, then circling around the town until she returned to the river south of where she¡¯d begun. It should have been some comfort that the physical exertion became easier over time. James was sparse with praise or encouragement, but he did give it occasionally, and even Liv could tell that she was building stamina over time. But the truth was, she didn¡¯t care about becoming physically fit. It was hard to see it as anything but a distraction from developing her magic. Master Forester¡¯s training, on the other hand, had immediate and enjoyable benefits. Emma had turned six years old during the hottest part of the year, and the three of them would venture out into the forest north of the city, making for the silhouette of Bald Peak looming high above. The culling had cleared out anything dangerous, and the overflow of raw mana had subsided, but that just meant the rift had returned to its normal level of activity. Emma¡¯s father would bring down a rabbit, or perhaps a quail, with an arrow from his bow. Then, he would show the girls how to dress the kill. By the time harvest season was approaching, he had the two of them skinning the small mana beasts under his careful observation. Kale Forester was a quiet man, most of the time, but he was also patient, and always willing to answer any question that Liv asked, or demonstrate to the girls once again how to make a particular cut. With his guidance, Liv had even purchased a set of hunting knives of her own, using coins the girls had earned from selling dressed game to Master Grenfell. What they didn¡¯t sell, they cooked, often around a freshly dug fire. Liv had helped her mother and Gretta in the castle kitchen for as long as she could remember, but there was something both fascinating and primitive about cooking an animal she¡¯d dressed, on skewers over a fire she¡¯d lit. Master Forester showed them wild herbs that could be used to flavor the meat, as well. The only thing that dampened her enthusiasm slightly was that neither Emma nor her father would eat the game they cooked with her. ¡°It isn¡¯t safe,¡± the hunter had explained, shaking his head firmly. Liv was fascinated by the way his bushy beard moved. ¡°For a mage like you, eating mana-infused meat helps to restore the magic you use when you cast spells. Don¡¯t look so surprised,¡± Master Forester told her with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ve been culling enough times with Master Grenfell to see how it works. When he¡¯s nearly exhausted himself, that¡¯s when I pull out a bit of jerky to set him right again. Which reminds me, I need to show you girls how to make a smoker. But anyway, for Emma and I, it would just be dangerous. Like as not to cause mana sickness.¡± Liv nodded; that made sense. She¡¯d seen the bandages on Kale Forester¡¯s arms in the weeks following the return of the culling team. ¡°That just means I have to eat it all, then,¡± she decided, with a grin. The change in her diet was living up to Master Cushing¡¯s hopes, if not her own. Liv hadn¡¯t had another month of growing half an inch, like the first, but the old Chirurgeon considered a quarter inch a month to be progress enough. By the time harvest approached, she¡¯d gained two whole inches. ¡°I thought it would be more,¡± Liv complained, after Master Cushing had taken her measurements. ¡°Two inches and seven pounds is good growth,¡± the old man assured her. ¡°Don¡¯t let your hopes run away with you, Miss Brodbeck. It¡¯s good enough that we¡¯ve found the food you need to eat, now. If the Eld had been a bit less secretive, we might have saved you a lot of trouble, but it¡¯s too late for that now. You¡¯ve missed a dozen years of proper growth. Be thankful for whatever you gain, now, but don¡¯t expect to ever be a giant walking among us. There¡¯s simply too much ground for you to make up.¡± It was disappointing, but on the other hand, Master Cushing had loosened his restrictions on her activities somewhat. She would be permitted to skate on the ice when winter returned, and the first time she took a tumble while running laps around the town, it was an exhilarating feeling of relief when Liv realized that she hadn¡¯t broken a bone. The only thing that remained off the table entirely was combat training in the courtyard, but Liv hadn¡¯t wanted to do that anyway - not after seeing how badly the castle guards beat each other up. She and Master Cushing regularly attended the morning sparring sessions, so that Liv could practice what the old man was teaching her. She was forced to identify every injury, and if either of the two charms Rhea the Midwife had placed in her spellbook could be used, Liv practiced them. Small cuts were easy enough, and she could soothe bruises, but anything worse was the province of Master Cushing and one of his several enchanted wands. For the worst wounds, Liv often found herself numbing the pain while the chirurgeon worked. ¡°This is disgusting,¡± Liv said one morning, trying not to look at the way Piers¡¯ finger had burst like an overstuffed sausage. A wooden practice sword had caught the man¡¯s first finger against the hilt of his own weapon, in a sharp blow. There was blood everywhere. ¡°You do the charm for pain well, at least,¡± Piers said. His face was pale, and he refused to look at his finger either. ¡°I can¡¯t feel anything, any more.¡± ¡°No practice for at least a week,¡± Cushing pronounced, when he was done. ¡°And see Liv daily to change the bandages.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Liv protested. ¡°Not you?¡± ¡°You can wrap a linen bandage without my help,¡± the chirurgeon shot back. ¡°And it¡¯s good practice for you. Come along, now, let¡¯s see whether anyone in town needs us.¡± When the courtyard sparring sessions didn¡¯t provide enough practice to meet Aldo Cushing¡¯s requirements, he would summon a carriage and take Liv down from the hill into The Lower Banks. Every time she entered the neighborhood, Liv found herself keeping one eye out for Jo, but she never saw the girl. There were plenty of other children who had the same half-starved look, however, and they often sported all manner of minor injuries that had never been properly treated. Liv learned how to treat not only fractured fingers or toes, but how to drain blisters or pull rotten teeth. None of it was pleasant work, and her own magic was nearly entirely useless for it. The only thing she managed to use her word of power for was targeted chilling, to bring down swelling.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°If you ever decide to license that to the Order of Chirurgeons,¡± Cushing told her on several occasions, ¡°We would pay for it. Physicians all over the kingdom could be using wands enchanted with your power, Liv.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain that I can,¡± she admitted. Later, during her lessons with Lady Julianne, she asked the question directly. ¡°It falls into something of a legal gray area,¡± the baron¡¯s wife explained, passing little Matthew over to Liv so that she could stand up. Julianne¡¯s sitting room had long since been repaired of the damage caused by the stonebats, and she selected a single volume out of a set of one dozen, removing it from her bookshelf and carrying it back over. Liv, in the meanwhile, bounced Matthew on her knee, while the little boy giggled. ¡°Cel is not a word of power legally registered to any noble family in the kingdom,¡± Julianne explained, thumbing through pages to find what she wanted. ¡°In fact, given that the original criteria for elevation to the aristocracy was proof of sole possession of a word of power, under the old laws you could claim a title yourself.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be right,¡± Liv said, frowning. ¡°No one would actually ever treat a bastard scullion like a baroness.¡± Matthew wrapped his small fingers around her thumb, gripping with surprising strength. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how much power will change the way people behave,¡± Julianne remarked. ¡°But no, I said that was the original criteria. Those laws have long since been changed. What is much more likely, nowadays, is that a young nobleman would seek to bring your magic into his family with a proposal of marriage. But that doesn¡¯t answer your question. The only precedent on record regarding your word of power is the license held by the Drovers¡¯ guild, from the House of Syv?. That agreement recognizes that, under the laws of the Kingdom of Lucania, the right to license Cel is exclusive to that particular Elden family. So no, you could not do what Master Cushing is suggesting - not unless you were legally recognized as a member of that house.¡± ¡°But I can use my magic, at least,¡± Liv said. The fear that the sheriff would arrest her for her magic had never entirely gone away, though she hadn¡¯t dwelt on it for months. ¡°That is clear cut. Unlike our aristocracy, the Eld have never made any effort to outlaw use of their words of power.¡± Julianne closed the book, and set it aside. ¡°In fact, as far as I can tell, they¡¯ve gone out of their way to do the opposite. Privately, I suspect they are much more free about exchanging magic than we are.¡± Liv wrinkled her nose. ¡°Someone needs to be changed,¡± she remarked, and that ended the discussion. While it was enjoyable to eat the food she brought in with Master Forester, and somewhat satisfying to note her own growth and increased physical stamina, the only part of her lessons that Liv viewed as truly fun were the afternoons, when she was allowed to push her magic with Master Grenfell. As the master mage had promised, weeks of careful experimentation, measurement, and note taking had resulted in precise measurements of how much mana Liv¡¯s spells used. As a result, her spell book now had notes incorporated into each entry: Frozen Shards Celent¡¯he (number) Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae Number: Dvo, Trei, Cetve, Encve, Svec¡­ Dvo: 3 rings of mana (2 with staff) Trei or Cetve: 4 rings of mana (3 with staff) Encve or Svec: 5 rings of mana (4 with staff) Ice Chute Celet Aimac Belia o¡¯Mae 5 or more rings of mana Icewall Celevet Aen Kveis 4 rings of mana (3 with staff) Liv, in the meanwhile, had now been measured at being able to hold thirteen rings of mana. ¡°It is no surprise,¡± Master Grenfell had explained. ¡°You are only just beginning to explore your magic; the first few years are a time of rapid growth, and I would not expect you to hit a plateau for some time yet. All the more reason that your training be rigorous and deliberate.¡± In this case, ¡®rigorous and deliberate¡¯ meant that Liv was looking down from the peak of Deer Peak, a thousand feet above the valley, with all the fields surrounding Whitehill and the town itself laid out below. James and Master Forester had lugged half a dozen of the old, round wooden shields up to the heights with them, while Emma bounced on the tips of her toes in anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m not certain I can make it all the way to the bottom,¡± Liv warned them. At the beginning of flood season, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it all the way up the mountain without stopping to rest. Now, she was a bit winded, but thought she would only need a few moments to catch her breath. In the meanwhile, she was grateful for her staff to lean on. ¡°You have your staff, and your ring, to assist you,¡± Master Grenfell reminded her. ¡°We are testing your limits. Do not be concerned about holding anything back; you won¡¯t be walking down, in any event.¡± The grin on the older mage¡¯s face was less comforting than Liv might have hoped for: he looked more like a giddy boy with a new toy than an experienced scholar. ¡°Please, Liv!¡± Emma begged. ¡°You have to do it. This is going to be the best thing ever!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± her father muttered. ¡°It is quite a way down. If you don¡¯t feel up to it, Liv, you don¡¯t need to do this.¡± Liv took a deep breath, practicing the calming exercises Master Grenfell had taught her months ago. ¡°Celet Aimac Belia o¡¯Mae,¡± she said, pronouncing the words with a confidence that was still new to her. She extended her staff, pouring mana through it and then down onto the ground. One after the other, the silver sigils in the length of aspen-wood lit, glowing bright enough to shine even beneath the afternoon sun. The ice built slowly at first, as if the warmth of the day resisted the cold, and then broke forward all at once, flashing down the mountain away from Liv¡¯s feet. The chute cut across the slope at an angle, then curved around to come back the other way. This was going to be a dangerous ride, no matter what she did, but Liv wouldn¡¯t allow it to kill anyone. The curves should do to bleed off speed, and she built the outer edges of the turns up high, adding extra layers of ice. By the time the track had been laid all the way down the slope, Liv had indeed needed to draw from her ring until it was empty. In the end, there had been just enough mana to create a bowl at the bottom of the mountain, a place for the ride to end. ¡°There,¡± she gasped. ¡°There it is. Who¡¯s going first?¡± ¡°I suppose one of us should try it,¡± Piers muttered. ¡°To make sure it''s safe. We should have had Master Cushing waiting at the bottom.¡± Before he could lift a shield, however, Emma snatched the top one out from beneath him with a squeal of glee. She dashed over to the top of the shoot and flung herself down on her belly, shield first, and shot off before anyone could do anything to stop her. The little girl''s peals of laughter and shrieks of joy echoed off the mountains surrounding the valley as she sped out of sight. ¡°Emma!¡± Kale Forester called after her, then cursed. He lifted the next shield, set it at the top of the chute, and clambered on gingerly. ¡°How do I start it -¡± he muttered, and then his voice rose in a panicked scream as he picked up speed, heading for the first turn. Liv looked at Master Grenfell for a long moment, and then together they burst out laughing. ¡°I¡¯m next!¡± the older mage called, and ran over to grab his own shield. Liv waited for him to be off, then motioned the two castle guards to go next. ¡°I¡¯ll go last,¡± she said. She wanted just a moment to enjoy watching everyone else speed down the mountain, to listen to their shouts and laughs. All of the measurements, all of the careful study and work, even the terrifying moments when the stonebat came through the door and leapt at her: they were enough to make her forget that her magic could be fun. Liv turned about the top of the mountain. In every direction, she could see the world spread out around her, falling away down to the tiny homes and farms below. On impulse she reached her hand up. Here, it almost seemed possible to reach out and touch the sky. Then, Liv lifted the last shield, set it down in the chute, and pushed off to follow the others down. When they finally made it back to Castle Whitehill that evening, it was to find a guest had arrived in advance of the coming harvest. The kitchen was bustling, and even the guards on duty were talking in hushed tones. ¡°Who is it?¡± Liv asked, setting her staff against the wall of the armory, as Piers and James carried the scuffed shields inside to be stored. ¡°A merchant from Al''Fenthia, come for the harvest,¡± one of the older guards told her. Liv felt as if the air had gone out of her lungs. After so many years, the Eld had once again come to Whitehill. 27. Airis Ka Reimis ¡°I think you should consider eating in the kitchen tonight, dove,¡± Liv¡¯s mother said. After dropping the shields off, Liv had hurried upstairs to her room to change, and found her mother waiting for her. She frowned, set her staff to lean into the corner of the room where it wouldn¡¯t fall, and began to unlace her bodice. After hiking up Deer Peak, she needed to change into clothes that weren¡¯t soaked in sweat. ¡°I love to cook with you and Gretta,¡± she said. ¡°But I don¡¯t really know the new hires very well. And I get the sense they don¡¯t want to talk to me very much.¡± ¡°All the more reason to get to know them,¡± her mother insisted. It was very odd, because any other time the castle was hosting guests, Liv knew that Mama would be hurrying about the kitchen as if her hair was on fire to make sure every part of the meal would be perfect. Lady Julianne had told her that when the way someone was acting wasn¡¯t normal, it was time to pay attention. It might be important to find out why. ¡°Just come out with it, Mama,¡± Liv said, kicking her shoes off and heading over to the closet where her clean dresses hung. ¡°Tell me why.¡± Margaret Brodbeck sighed, walked over to Liv¡¯s bed, and sat down on the stuffed mattress. ¡°Do you remember why I¡¯ve avoided telling you who your father is?¡± she asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re afraid of something,¡± Liv said, looking from one dress to the next. The outer fabric of both were dark gray, which would be appropriate for her to wear. It was only the choice of lining before her, really. ¡°Right now, no one is entirely certain whose daughter you are, and how you fit into the world of the Eld,¡± Mama explained. ¡°Outside of Whitehill and Master Jurian, I daresay most people don¡¯t even know you exist. Even that pension from the king - scores of those are given out each year, as rewards. There is a kind of safety in not being known, and you need time, my love. Time to grow up.¡± Liv selected a dress, took it down, and carried it over to the bed, setting it down next to her mother. ¡°Mama,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve never even seen one of my father¡¯s people. I want to know what they look like, how they talk. Do they look like me? Or am I like a mule - neither horse, nor donkey?¡± She shrugged. ¡°No one even knew what I needed to eat. What if I¡¯d starved and died? What else do I need to know, that I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°All those lessons,¡± her mother grumbled. ¡°There¡¯s more to life than knowing things, my love. Some things are dangerous to know. It can be better to let them lie. Safer.¡± ¡°This merchant won¡¯t be here for me,¡± Liv argued. ¡°He¡¯s here to buy the crop and take it north. He probably won¡¯t even notice me.¡± ¡°Oh, I think he¡¯ll notice a half-Elden girl hiding away in a castle of humans,¡± Mama remarked. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing about merchants, dove. They buy and sell things. He may be here to buy the crop, but that doesn¡¯t mean he won¡¯t be interested in making other bargains when he gets home. Information can fetch coin, sometimes even more than a wagon-load of grain.¡± ¡°No one would care enough to pay to hear about me,¡± Liv said. ¡°Maybe not,¡± her mother said. ¡°But then again, someone might. Do you really want to find out?¡± A knock came from the door, and Mama stood. ¡°I have to see how Gretta¡¯s getting on downstairs,¡± she said. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you what to do, dove. You¡¯re always welcome downstairs. Think about it.¡± She reached the door and pulled it open, to reveal Sophie standing in the hallway just beyond. ¡°Oh! Your pardon,¡± Sophie said. She was clutching a wooden case in her hands. ¡°Lady Julianne sent me to help Liv get ready.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get in your way, then,¡± Mama said, and disappeared out into the hallway. Liv looked Sophie over with a frown. ¡°Get ready? I can dress myself,¡± she said. ¡°Been doing it my whole life.¡± There hadn¡¯t been any new trouble with the girl since Lady Julianne had a talk with her, but Liv had never forgotten her cruel words. Sophie stepped into the room and closed the door, then walked over to Liv¡¯s desk, set the box down, and opened it. ¡°We have guests tonight. Baron Henry will be at supper, and the mayor, and everyone else. Lady Julianne wants you to make the right impression.¡± With deft hands, the maid began removing combs, pins, bottles and brushes, laying them out on the desk. ¡°My mother thinks I shouldn¡¯t go,¡± Liv admitted, wriggling out of her skirt. That left her dressed in her linen shift and hose. She padded across the floor to the desk, looking over the variety of things now littering the surface. Liv only recognized half of them. ¡°I can see why,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°Those two horrible beasts will be there, preening like roosters.¡± Liv winced. ¡°Mirabel and Griselda will be there? Maybe I should just go eat in the kitchens.¡± Sophie bit her lip, then put her hands on her hips. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. Look. It¡¯s no secret I wasn¡¯t very happy when you first started going upstairs.¡± ¡°I thought we were past that,¡± Liv said, shuffling her feet. ¡°Let me finish, please. When I went into service, my Ma warned me not to get above myself,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°She¡¯d been a governess, you see. Taught me what to expect. And that it always ended badly for those who forgot their place. We¡¯re the servants, not the family. They may treat us nice, and smile, but one wrong move and you¡¯re out on the street without even a reference. I thought you were doing everything I¡¯d ever been warned not to do. And I thought, where does she get off, anyway, thinking she¡¯s better than us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, though,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt comfortable eating upstairs, or being all alone in this room.¡± ¡°No, you are,¡± Sophie said, holding up a hand to stop her. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do what you do. Even if I had some kind of magic. I see you going out to run around the walls, or cutting open frogs with the Chirurgeon, or reading books for hours on end like a real mage, and you just do it all, day after day. It doesn¡¯t seem to ever stop. I couldn¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t know how you keep it up without being exhausted.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like as much work as being a scullion,¡± Liv told her. ¡°Because you enjoy it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That¡¯s obvious. And the way you saved us from those bats? I would have been a puddle on the floor, good for nothing but shaking and crying. What I¡¯m saying is, you are different from us. Eat upstairs or downstairs, it doesn¡¯t make a difference to me; but don¡¯t let them chase you out, because you¡¯ve done more to earn it than those two silly girls ever will. Well,¡± she finished, ¡°I said my piece. Lady Julianne wants me to do your hair and your face,and once I¡¯m done with you I have to help her. So make up your mind. Do I stay, or do I go?¡± Liv turned away, looking around her room as an excuse, more than anything else. It would be easier to go eat downstairs, with her mother and Gretta and the others. Mama was right, she could start getting to know the new servants. This would be a good chance. But if she didn¡¯t eat upstairs, she might never meet the Eldish merchant. And she would never know what he could tell her about her father¡¯s people. Who knew when a chance like this would come again. Liv turned back to Sophie. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going to do with my hair,¡± she admitted. ¡°But go ahead and get started. You don¡¯t want to keep Lady Julianne waiting.¡± ?Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The sounds of feasting spilled out of the great hall, along with the flickering light of the oil lamps and the scent of smoked meat and wine. Liv hesitated in the hall just outside where the doors had been thrown wide. After Sophie had left, she¡¯d gotten dressed herself, and then spent far too long pacing her room working up the nerve to leave. Twice, she¡¯d nearly gone running for the garderobe to empty her stomach, but managed to calm her nerves with breathing exercises. Even after all that, she¡¯d nearly torn her dress off, washed her face, and headed down to the kitchen. It still wasn¡¯t too late, she told herself. She could turn around right now and avoid this. ¡°Miss Brodbeck,¡± Piers greeted her, from his place at the left of the doors. Liv didn¡¯t recall the name of the guard to the right, but she was more concerned with how formal the address was. ¡°We¡¯re announcing as people enter, this evening,¡± he continued. ¡°Would you prefer Miss, or Apprentice?¡± ¡°Apprentice.¡± Liv had to say it twice before her voice was loud enough to be heard. ¡°Alright then,¡± Piers said. ¡°Give me just a moment to get their attention, and then you can head in.¡± The castle guard stepped through the double doors, struck the steel-shod butt of his pole axe against the floor, and then called out: ¡°Apprentice Liv Brodbeck, of the mages¡¯ guild, and Maid of Honor to Lady Julianne!¡± Liv¡¯s fingers tightened around the shaft of her staff until she wondered that either they didn¡¯t snap, or the aspen wood didn¡¯t. In, hold, and then out again. One last breath, and she walked forward into the hall. The racket had dimmed with the announcement, and far more faces than she¡¯d been expecting turned toward her. Baron Henry was there at the high table, which was a rare occurrence since his injury, as it meant he had to be carried to and from his seat. He¡¯d gained weight, which she supposed was no surprise when he couldn¡¯t exercise. Lady Julianne was at his side, of course, dressed in a gorgeous dress of black and crimson that tugged at her memories. Masters Grenfell and Cushing were there, as well, and both Mayor Cooper and Sheriff Porter. Mirabel and Griselda were seated next to their fathers, respectively, though Liv didn¡¯t actually recognize the head of the mason¡¯s guild by sight. Both girls were done up like pretty tapestries, and glaring at her with spiteful eyes. There were only two other seats at the high table, one left empty, and one occupied by the Eldish merchant. His skin was dark, like sanded and polished wood, and his ears even longer than hers, delicately pointed. His hair was nut-brown, both what fell in braids from the top of his head, and the beard. The most striking thing, however, was the color of his eyes: they reminded Liv of nothing so much as warm sunlight through a canopy of fresh green leaves. There was a peculiar quality to them, like the slanted golden light of the late afternoon. ¡°Livara,¡± she said, as loud as she dared into the echoing hall. ¡°My name is Livara.¡± Her eyes were caught by that warm gaze, and she kept her attention fixed on the Eldish guest as she walked up the center aisle, staff in hand. Murmurs rose around her, but this display wasn¡¯t for any of the castle guards, nor even for Lady Julianne. Liv knew exactly what they were all seeing, and she¡¯d chosen the look for a reason. She¡¯d allowed Sophie to use a kohl to outline her eyes, and the smallest bit of rouge to add color to her cheeks and lips, but that was all. What she¡¯d been far more specific about was her hair. They¡¯d washed it, so that the white would be clear and clean, with not a hint of dirt or dullness about it. Then, Sophie had pulled it back into a braided bun, piled up off the back of her head. Almost always, she¡¯d hidden her ears - beneath a cap or a scarf, or under her hair. Tonight, they were exposed for everyone to see. The Eldish merchant rose from his seat, then waited there, standing, until Liv had approached the high table and offered her curtsy to both Baron Henry and Lady Julianne. ¡°My apologies for arriving late,¡± she said, lowering her eyes. Before her husband could say anything, Julianne smiled and replied. ¡°It is quite alright, my dear,¡± she said. ¡°Apprentice Livara,¡± she continued, as smoothly as if she¡¯d never used any other name, ¡°please allow me the honor of introducing you to Airis Ka Reimis Kaen Keria, visiting us from the trading city of Al''Fenthia. Master Airis, Livara is learning from our Court Mage, Kazimir Grenfell, who you met earlier.¡± ¡°The last thing I looked to find on my journey was a wind-tossed seed of my own people,¡± Airis Ka Reimis pronounced, in a voice that was rich and deep as spiced cacao. ¡°I must learn how such a delicate flower has bloomed here in Whitehill. Please, Livara, come and sit next to me.¡± Liv looked at the table. Baron Henry was on one side of him, and Mayor Cooper on the other. ¡°There is no chair, m¡¯lord,¡± she pointed out. The only remaining empty seat was on the entire other side of the table, between Masters Grenfell and Cushing. ¡°Nonsense,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°Alban, you¡¯ve talked Master Airis¡¯ ear off long enough. Go sit with Kazimir for a bit.¡± The mayor¡¯s face turned bright red, and next to him, Mirabel¡¯s eyes burned with hate. Regardless of how he felt, however, Alban Cooper was trapped: Baron Henry was lord of Whitehill, and his word in the castle was absolute. ¡°Of course,¡± the mayor said, after a moment, taking up his plate in one hand and his goblet in the other to make room. Feeling every eye in the hall burning into her back, Liv walked around the table, allowed Edward, the youngest footman, to pull out her chair, and sat down next to the foreign merchant. On her left side, Mirabel was practically vibrating with restrained fury. ¡°By all the words in the world,¡± Airis Ka Reimis said, ¡°you must tell me, my dear. How did you come to be living here among the fireflies?¡± ¡°I was born here. My mother is the castle cook,¡± Liv explained, keeping her hands to her sides so that Edward could fill a new goblet with wine for her, and set down a new plate. She hadn¡¯t even looked at the food: only now did she realize that the Eld at her side had been served with venison as a main course. ¡°I¡¯ll have what he has,¡± she told Edward, then turned to the merchant. ¡°What do you mean by fireflies?¡± ¡°Your mother is Kenth?oria?¡± Master Airis said. ¡°How fascinating. We have a few half-bloods in Al''Fenthia, but of course we also host more human visitors than any other House in the north, so it is inevitable. But what truly astounds me is that your father has left you here. Fireflies,¡± he said, taking a sip from his own goblet. ¡°That is one of the things we call our younger brothers and sisters. Kenth?oria is the old term - though perhaps not the most polite. Humans, my dear.¡± ¡°Kenth?oria,¡± Liv repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t know enough V?dic to translate that, yet. I only just started learning this past winter. What does it mean? And why fireflies?¡± ¡°Because they die so quickly, of course,¡± Airis Ka Reimis answered. ¡°Kenth?oria is what the old gods used to call humanity - ¡®field slaves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible!¡± Liv exclaimed. ¡°I can see why no one would want to be called that anymore.¡± Airis nodded. ¡°Of course not. For all the same reasons that we call ourselves Vakansa, now. It means ¡®the free people,¡± he offered, before Liv could even ask. ¡°You have truly spent your entire life here, among humans?¡± ¡°I have,¡± Liv said. ¡°That explains why you look half starved,¡± the merchant remarked. ¡°You need to eat food that is as mana-rich as possible. We weren¡¯t given the gift after the fact, like our younger siblings. Eld were designed to be able to use magic from the beginning, for the convenience of our masters. Let me see your arm.¡± Before Liv could do anything, Airis reached out and gripped her right forearm. He shoved up her sleeve and the linen shift beneath, revealing the faint scars left when Master Cushing had cut off her diseased skin. The Eld sucked in a breath. ¡°You need a teacher,¡± he said, firmly. ¡°You need to come north. There is no reason you should be suffering from mana-sickness, save only that you¡¯ve never had the proper teacher.¡± Liv¡¯s heart was beating so loudly she could barely think straight. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a way to avoid mana-sickness?¡± ¡°Of course there is,¡± Airis exclaimed, barking out a laugh that drew eyes from further down the table. ¡°We will speak more of it later, Livara Kaen Syv?. You will be my guide, while I stay in Whitehill. I have need of someone who knows both the castle and the town, and I am unwilling to leave before I satisfy my curiosity about you.¡± ¡°So you can sell what you learn?¡± Liv shot back, surprising herself. Airis grinned. ¡°Who told you that?¡± he asked. ¡°My mother,¡± she replied. ¡°Then your mother, whether a cook or a queen, is a wise woman,¡± Airis Ka Reimis said. ¡°If you wanted to remain a secret, you should not have come here and said your name out loud. Any one of the Vakansa with ears would recognize it. You were named for your aunt, were you not?¡± Liv swallowed, but remained silent. ¡°You don¡¯t even know your father¡¯s name, do you?¡± Airis said, shaking his head. ¡°And there is no way your family is aware you exist, or they would have already come south to get you. The House of Syv? would never leave a daughter here, in the southlands.¡± 28. A Game of Questions ¡°What do you mean?¡± Liv asked, her fork frozen in the air above her plate, a mouthful of venison forgotten. She had a sudden vision of Eldish riders coming south through the high passes, storming Castle Whitehill, throwing her over the back of a horse, and riding away. Before Airis Ka Reimis could respond, however, the entire feast was disrupted by the scrape of Baron Henry¡¯s chair. Liv had been so absorbed in her conversation with the first true Eld she¡¯d ever met that she hadn¡¯t noticed the baron calling for his guards. James, who¡¯d been training her endurance since the snows melted, and another guard, who she didn¡¯t know well, carefully lifted Henry between them. At every table, the guests rose from their seats, and Liv was quick to follow them. ¡°Be seated,¡± Henry said, waving a hand at the assemblage. ¡°I will retire for the evening, but I leave you in good hands with my wife, and with Mayor Cooper. Master Reimis, I have no doubt that negotiations will proceed toward a fruitful agreement for us all.¡± The Eld bowed, his brown braids falling about his shoulders with the elegant movement. ¡°I have no doubt at all, Baron Henry. You have my deepest gratitude for the hospitality you have shown me, and I wish you a pleasant evening.¡± It was not until Henry Summerset had been carried from the hall that everyone was once again seated, and conversation resumed. Lady Julianne, however, shifted over one seat to the side, taking up her husband¡¯s former place at the northern merchant¡¯s elbow. ¡°Are you aware, Master Reimis,¡± she said, ¡°that we also mine Aluthet''Staia from the rift at Bald Peak?¡± ¡°I am well aware, indeed,¡± Airis said, turning away from Liv to answer the baron¡¯s wife. ¡°Some of your stone occasionally makes it up to our markets at Al''Fenthia, but as I recall, most of it is always bought up by the mages¡¯ guild.¡± ¡°That is true,¡± Julianne admitted. ¡°Though I wonder if there might be room for negotiation, on that matter. I-¡± Liv¡¯s attention was broken by a sudden splash of something wet soaking through her skirt into her lap, and before she could think about what she was doing, she¡¯d pushed her chair back and stood up. The entire lower half of her dress was stained dark, and soaked. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mirabel said. ¡°I¡¯m so clumsy, sometimes.¡± The girl¡¯s goblet lay on its side, right next to Liv¡¯s plate. A plate of venison and steamed vegetables that was now swimming in red wine. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Liv said. Of course, it wasn¡¯t. She only owned three nice dresses, and if she didn¡¯t hurry downstairs this one would be ruined. And she was absolutely certain that the mayor¡¯s daughter had spilled on purpose. Mirabel was as nasty a piece of work now as she¡¯d ever been, even though it¡¯d been months since they¡¯d been put in the same place for lessons. ¡°If you¡¯ll please excuse me, m¡¯lady, I need to go change.¡± ¡°How clumsy,¡± Airis Reimis commented, catching Liv by the arm. ¡°Before you go, dear girl, I will be riding out to inspect the harvest as soon as the morning meal is done, tomorrow morning. I meant what I said: I insist that you serve as my guide for the inspection.¡± ¡°Apprentice Brodbeck has lessons with Master Cushing, our Chirurgeon,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°And then in the afternoon with our Court Mage, Master Grenfell. She has a great deal to learn to prepare her for Coral Bay; I am reluctant to interrupt that.¡± The Eldish man regarded the lady of the castle carefully. ¡°Then I shall make it worth her time,¡± he said, and turned to Liv. ¡°I will offer you an alternative to your regularly scheduled lessons, my dear. For the duration of the time you accompany me as my guide, you may play a game of questions with me. For every one of my questions you answer, I will answer one of yours. A rare opportunity, for our people only reluctantly cross the mountains and come south.¡± ¡°I would consider that acceptable compensation for the apprentice,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Though, of course it is Liv¡¯s choice.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Liv said, without a moment¡¯s hesitation. She already had so many questions itching at her tongue that she was going to have to write them all down before she forgot. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to get this skirt off before it stains.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I¡¯m certain that Mayor Cooper will buy you a new one, given that his daughter has ruined it. That¡¯s only the polite thing to do. I¡¯ll make sure I send your measurements over in the morning.¡± The mayor coughed, and glared at his daughter. ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll receive a replacement in a few days.¡± ¡°Good. Now go get cleaned up, Liv, and good evening,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Master Reimis and I have a good deal to discuss.¡± At that, Liv was finally able to escape the great hall. On her way out the door, she caught Tom, the second footman, as he was leaving with a platter of dirty dishes. ¡°Could you ask one of the new girls to come up to my room?¡± she said, keeping her voice low so that those in the hall wouldn¡¯t overhear. ¡°Ask her to bring me a bucket, soap, and a washboard so I can try to get this stain out.¡± Tom nodded, and she hurried off to her room. Once she was safely away from the rest of the castle, with the door closed behind her, Liv leaned her staff against the wall and stripped out of the dress as quickly as she could. It was too late to save the shift: the wine had soaked through into that as well, leaving a great red stain on the white linen. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a cry of frustration, and only just had time to change into a fresh shift before there was a knock at her door. Liv padded over, opened it a crack, and then the rest of the way when she recognized Joan, one of the two new maids. ¡°I¡¯ve come for your dress, m¡¯lady,¡± Joan said, slipping past Liv into the room. ¡°Oh! And your shift is stained, as well.¡± She went over to where Liv had left her clothes on the floor and gathered them up. ¡°I thought Tom told you to bring a bucket?¡± Liv asked her. ¡°I can wash them myself.¡± ¡°Oh, no, m¡¯lady,¡± Joan said. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be proper, now you¡¯re up here on the second floor. I¡¯ll see to it.¡± Without another word, she escaped into the hall, leaving Liv alone. ¡°M¡¯lady?¡± Liv threw herself down on her bed with a groan. ¡°I¡¯m not a lady, though,¡± she complained. She supposed that she could get changed and go back to the feast, but that would put her in the same room as Griselda and Mirabel, the two witches. Instead, she resolved to begin writing questions in her book so that she would be prepared in the morning. First, however, she needed to take her hair down and clean the makeup off her face. ? ¡°Do you ride?¡± Master Reimis asked her the next day, over the last crumbs of the morning meal.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Liv shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never learned, m¡¯lord,¡± she admitted. She felt her cheeks and the tips of her ears burning; it seemed that for every lesson Lady Julianne gave her, there was a dozen things not yet accounted for. She supposed that little Matthew would be learning all his courtesies from the time he was a toddler. ¡°A carriage, then,¡± the Eldish merchant decided, and turned to Lady Julianne. ¡°I presume that can be provided?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Julianne waved over Archibald. ¡°Put a carriage and driver at Master Reimis¡¯ service for the day,¡± she instructed the first footman. He gave a bow, then retreated to arrange things. By the time Liv had finished her meal, she and Airis Reimis found the baron¡¯s carriage ready and waiting. ¡°What do you need to see first?¡± Liv asked him. The day was shaping up to be warm, with a vast blue sky untroubled by clouds. Somewhere overhead, a hawk cried out. The merchant stepped up into the carriage, took a seat, and opened a book of his own. ¡°If my notes are accurate,¡± he said, running a finger down his page, ¡°your farmers grow a great many things. Not all of it ships well, of course, and I want produce that has been fertilized with manure from those bats in the rift. Show me the orchards, first, I think. Apples, peaches, and lemons, yes? Are the vineyards nearby? We have an appointment back in town for the midday meal.¡± Liv nodded, and ducked over to address the driver. ¡°The vineyards first,¡± she said. Those were the furthest out of town. ¡°Then the orchards on the way back.¡± Instructions given, she clambered into the carriage, settled her staff on the seat next to her, and opened her own book. She¡¯d brought a quill and a bottle of ink, which she carefully uncorked for just long enough to dip the quill. Airis Reimis fixed her with those shining green eyes, and grinned. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve come prepared. I expect you to impress me, Livara. Are you ready for my first question?¡± ¡°I am.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll begin with something easy,¡± Reimis told her. ¡°Your word of power is Cel, is it not?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Liv said. That was no secret; everyone in town knew how she¡¯d saved Emma using ice magic, so the Eldish merchant could have learned as much with a quick conversation on the street. She regarded her own list of questions, but there was one that she absolutely had to ask first, for safety. ¡°You said that House Syv?-¡± Liv stumbled over the words, because she¡¯d almost slipped and said ¡®my family.¡¯ ¡°You said they would never let me stay here. Explain what you meant, please.¡± Airis Reimis reached up one hand to stroke his beard. It was the same gesture she¡¯d seen from Master Grenfell when he was lecturing, and for a moment she wondered what was so fascinating to a man about his own whiskers. ¡°I simply meant this,¡± he finally explained. ¡°You may not realize this, but a child among our people is a very rare and precious treasure. If your father knew that you existed - especially after what happened to your aunt - I cannot conceive of anything that would stop him from coming here and offering you a place in his home.¡± Before she could think better of it, Liv opened her mouth, but Reimis held up a finger. ¡°A question for a question,¡± he reminded her. ¡°My turn now, dear girl. How old are you?¡± ¡°Near thirteen,¡± Liv said, while the tip of her quill scratched against the blank page in her book. ¡°I was born in the first month of winter. What do you mean, ¡®especially after what happened to my aunt?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to know who your father is, first?¡± Master Reimis prodded. ¡°Or how I know?¡± Liv bit her lip. ¡°Fine. How do you know?¡± ¡°First of all, because you are the living image of your aunt, and you carry her name,¡± Reimis answered. ¡°Livara Tar Auris Kaen Syv?, called Livara of the Five Blades before her death. Can you make a sword of ice, yet?¡± ¡°A sword? No,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Just shards, the size of daggers.¡± She wrote furiously, trying to take down every word the man said. ¡°Your aunt used one in her hands,¡± the Eldish merchant explained, ¡°and another four that circled around her in the air, moving in accordance with her thoughts. There are many who thought she was the most talented swordswoman of her generation. You look just like her,¡± he said, and there was a roughness in his voice. Airis Reimis coughed to clear his throat. ¡°Your question,¡± he said. For a moment, she almost asked her father¡¯s name. But Mama had promised to tell her. ¡°What happened to my aunt?¡± ¡°She died in the depths of the Tomb of Celris,¡± Master Reimis answered. ¡°It is the most dangerous rift in the north, where the Vaedic Lord of Winter perished. Your great-grandfather. It is his power that sings in your veins. That is the other reason I knew who you must be - no one but a child with the blood of the old gods could stumble upon a word of power without training.¡± Liv only half heard him; at the name Celris, the word inside her woke. There was no gradual stirring, as she¡¯d felt before: this time, it went directly from sleep, to a roaring, straining desire to be free. Hoarfrost crackled across the windows of the carriage, and Liv clenched her fists in an effort to pull the cold back. The quill in her hand snapped. ¡°There it is,¡± Reimis said, with a smile on his lips. ¡°Just like your aunt. Are you betrothed, Livara? Are you promised to one of these southern fireflies?¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv gasped. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on the breathing exercises. In, hold, out. Again. Eventually, the power inside her returned to slumber. Only then did she ask her next question. ¡°You said the Eld had a way to avoid mana-sickness,¡± she said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Control,¡± Master Reimis answered. ¡°You need to learn control. It is not something I can teach you while we are in this carriage. You need to come north, and learn from your own people. Until you do that, every time you lose control of your magic, you are a danger to yourself, and to anyone around you.¡± ¡°The mages¡¯ guild can teach me control,¡± Liv protested. ¡°I¡¯m going to college when I¡¯m old enough.¡± ¡°The humans have forgotten nearly everything they ever knew about magic,¡± the merchant scoffed. ¡°How many generations, in a thousand years? My grandfather saw the Lady of Thorns die with his own eyes. He taught my father the magic he learned from her, and they taught me. Forty generations? Fifty? You don¡¯t understand how much knowledge the fireflies have lost, in their short lives. Come north to Al''Fenthia, and let me teach you. I have a son, just a bit older than you. You can learn with him.¡± Liv frowned. ¡°Are you going to sell me?¡± she asked. ¡°What I mean is, are you going to sell the knowledge of who I am? Where I am?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Airis said, with a broad smile. Liv felt sick; it was just as her mother had warned her. Perhaps she should have eaten in the kitchens, after all, and hidden her ears. ¡°My question. Are you committed to the mages¡¯ guild? Is that the life you are set on, or would you consider leaving to rejoin your own people?¡± ¡°Master Jurian saved me,¡± Liv answered. ¡°And Master Grenfell has taught me so much. They¡¯ve set it up so that I can go without even paying. It would be ungrateful of me to put all that aside.¡± ¡°But is that what you want?¡± the older Eld pressed her, leaning forward in his seat. ¡°Do you want to learn from the humans, or from your own people.¡± ¡°Why not both?¡± Liv replied. ¡°Don¡¯t answer that, that isn¡¯t my question. You keep saying the Eld are my people. But I¡¯m half-human. They¡¯re my people, too, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I understand how you could think that, now,¡± Master Reimis said. ¡°You¡¯re young. Wait, Livara. Just wait. You¡¯ll see, when your mother ages and dies. Your Master Grenfell, the baron¡¯s lovely young wife, even that infant of hers. They will all wither and pass, leaving only dust and memories. You will remain. Young, and alone. If you are not ready to come north yet, that is fine. In time, you will be. Ah, here we are. The vineyards first, then. You can consider your next question while I have a look at the grapes.¡± The carriage rolled to a halt, and the merchant opened the door and sprung out before Liv could even scoop up her staff. Leaving her book open on the seat of the carriage, so that the ink could dry, Liv closed the door behind her and scrambled to keep up. Master Reimis clearly knew a great deal more than Liv did regarding grapes, vines, the soil, what wood to use for barrels, and all manner of other steps in the vinting process, and she quickly found herself lost. What made it even more difficult to focus was that she couldn¡¯t stop the thoughts left swirling around in her head. Descended from a god? What did that even mean? Mama had told Liv that she¡¯d been named for her aunt, but that was very different from the way the Eldish merchant had spoken. It sounded like her aunt had been famous. She¡¯d gone into the very depths of a rift - the tomb of one of the dead gods, nonetheless! Why? Everything was hints and fragments of a greater story. Liv¡¯s fingers itched to turn to the back of her book, and see whether Master Jurian had left her the word for sword. She could understand how she might shoot them forward - just as she did with Frozen Shards. But control them? What magic could do that? She was so focused on these questions, that Liv hardly paid any attention at all to the inspection of the vineyards, or even the orchards after that. It wasn¡¯t until the carriage rumbled to a halt in front of an expensive manor on The Hill that she roused herself. ¡°Where are we?¡± she asked. ¡°I told you that I had an appointment for the midday meal,¡± Airis Ka Reimis reminded her. ¡°Come along now, Livara. The mayor is expecting us.¡± 29. The Mountain Song Chapter 29: The Mountain Song ¡°I think maybe I should wait in the carriage,¡± Liv said. She glanced out the window; Mayor Cooper¡¯s manor was three stories tall, built almost entirely of granite, and it had so many windows that she couldn¡¯t even imagine how much he¡¯d spent on glass. ¡°Or I could go back to the castle for midday meal, and meet you here with the carriage.¡± ¡°Why, because of that spoiled girl?¡± Master Reimis snorted. ¡°You¡¯re already beyond her, Livara, even if she hasn¡¯t realized it yet. Even if you haven¡¯t. If you run and hide from someone like that, I will be very disappointed in you.¡± ¡°You say I¡¯m beyond her,¡± Liv protested. ¡°But as far as this town is concerned, that isn¡¯t so. She¡¯s the mayor¡¯s daughter, and I¡¯m just a bastard who grew up in the kitchen.¡± ¡°How splendid it must be to be blessed with such a wealth of children that you can afford to throw them aside,¡± the Eld muttered. ¡°You will not solve your problems by avoiding them. Best you learn that young, before it gets you killed. You think your aunt would have run away from some ill-mannered brat who thinks too much of herself?¡± ¡°I never met my aunt,¡± Liv reminded him. ¡°More¡¯s the pity,¡± Airis Reimis said. ¡°They called her Livara of the Five Blades. Take a guess.¡± ¡°Probably not,¡± Liv admitted, staring down at her feet. What was the worst Mirabel could do to her? Spill another goblet of wine on her skirt? Say something mean? She might be older, and her father might have a lot of money, but she wasn¡¯t as dangerous as a stonebat coming through the door. She didn¡¯t have magic. ¡°Fine,¡± Liv said, taking up her staff and clambering out of the carriage. ¡°But she¡¯s going to be horrible, I can tell you that already.¡± Master Reimis smiled. ¡°You are not responsible for her behavior,¡± he said, offering Liv his arm. ¡°Her father is. You are accompanying me, and to insult you is to insult a guest he very much wants to do business with. Let us go and hear his proposal, and in the meantime enjoy his food.¡± Mayor Cooper¡¯s staff had apparently been waiting for his guests, because the door was opened immediately by a portly servant who had lost most of his hair. After a brief discussion, an offer to take the aspen-wood staff which was refused, and a frown in Liv¡¯s direction, he walked them past a grand staircase. On the left, they found an open door from which snippets of conversation drifted. ¡°Master Airis Reimis, of the House Keria,¡± the footman announced, ushering them through the doorway and into a luxurious sitting room. ¡°Accompanied by Apprentice Liv Brodbeck of the mages¡¯ guild.¡± Mayor Cooper rose from the cushioned bench where he¡¯d been sitting, a glass of wine in his hand. Liv recognized not only Mirabel, but Griselda Mason as well. Both girls were sitting together on a bench before a beautiful harpsichord, the wood of the instrument so finely stained and polished that it seemed to glow with an inner light. There were a half dozen other men as well, none of whom Liv knew by sight, though she imagined that one must have been Griselda¡¯s father. ¡°Ah, Master Reimis,¡± the mayor said, setting his goblet aside on an end table. With three quick strides, he reached them and extended his hand. ¡°It is a pleasure to welcome you to my house. You know Master Mason, of course, and we have also representatives from the Drovers¡¯ Guild, and the Banker¡¯s Guild. We shall be sitting down for a midday meal in just a few moments, but my daughter, and Master Mason¡¯s daughter Griselda, were just about to entertain us with a song.¡± ¡°How wonderful,¡± Reimis said. ¡°I¡¯ve just been out inspecting the orchards and the vineyards, with Miss Brodbeck as my guide. But please, don¡¯t let us interrupt. I don¡¯t often have an opportunity to hear a harpsichord played - not many examples have made their way north, as of yet.¡± ¡°Perhaps Liv would like to accompany us, Father?¡± Mirabel said. ¡°Master Grenfell always said she had a beautiful singing voice, but we haven¡¯t got to hear her often since we no longer have lessons together.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be lovely,¡± the mayor said, turning to address Liv directly for the first time. ¡°If it would not put you out, of course.¡± Liv¡¯s entire body froze, and she was aware of every eye in the room turned toward her. She couldn¡¯t move, she couldn¡¯t breath, she couldn¡¯t even blink. Sing? In front of all these strangers? She¡¯d thought there was nothing Mirabel could do to her that she wasn¡¯t prepared for, but this was terrifying. Breathe, she told herself. In, hold, out. Just like Master Grenfell taught you. Finally, she was able to speak. ¡°I¡¯m not certain there will be a song we both know,¡± she said. ¡°Nonsense, I know all sorts of things,¡± Mirabel said, a wicked gleam in her eye. ¡°You name something, and I¡¯ll make do.¡± At her side, Griselda giggled. Liv tried to think of a song that wouldn¡¯t be an embarrassment. She couldn¡¯t propose any of the kitchen songs that her mother and Gretta sang while they worked. Nor could she suggest a lullaby, even though that¡¯s mostly what she¡¯d been singing of late, when little Matthew needed a bit of soothing to go to sleep. ¡°Do you know The Mountain Song?¡± Liv asked, finally. She¡¯d never heard who¡¯d originally written the tune, but it had been sung around Whitehill for generations. ¡°Of course,¡± Mirabel said. ¡°Come over here, then, while I play the beginning, and just pick up when you¡¯re ready.¡± Liv released Master Reimis¡¯ arm, fixed her eyes on the harpsichord, and set off across the sitting room, setting the butt of her staff carefully on the carpet with every other step. If she didn¡¯t turn her head to either side, she didn¡¯t need to look at all of the powerful merchants that filled the chamber. From Mayor Cooper¡¯s first words, it had been clear to her what sort of gathering she was stepping into. These were wealthy, powerful men, and Mirabel was setting Liv up to embarrass herself in front of them. A single note sung off key, and the chuckles would make their way around. The snide comments. And Mirabel would have won. When she reached the harpsichord, Liv turned her back, so that she didn¡¯t have to face Mirabel or Griselda. Instead, she fixed her eyes on Airis Ka Reimis, who was perhaps the only person friendly to her in the entire room. If she could even count him as that, given he¡¯d likely sell everything he knew about her to the highest bidder. Mirabel¡¯s fingers struck the keys of the harpsichord; it wasn¡¯t the way Liv was used to beginning, and it threw her for a second. Normally, she simply joined in with Mama and Gretta, and let her voice mix with theirs. She stood up straight, like Master Grenfell always chided her to do, took a deep breath, and sang from her belly: ¡°When I woke this morn, I felt a tear, couldn¡¯t recall why I¡¯m here; I¡¯ve come so far, away from home, have I lost the way back? So I packed my things, set out the door, and turned my face to the north. The mountains are calling me, now I¡¯m going home¡­¡± She wavered slightly on the first note, but the words came easily after that. Liv¡¯s voice filled the room, though she hadn¡¯t meant to sing so loudly, and by the time she reached the second verse, she closed her eyes so that she could pretend that she was all alone, singing to no one but herself. Or to the baby, perhaps; Lady Julianne¡¯s son wouldn¡¯t ever judge her, he¡¯d just giggle with delight.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She sang like that until the song was over, and held the last note, of the last repetition of the word ¡®home,¡¯ past the time that the sound of the harpsichord had died away. There was a moment of silence, and then applause. ¡°That was excellent!¡± Master Reimis called out, and around the room the men joined in the praise. Liv opened her eyes, and wondered for a moment if she was going to fall over. She leaned on her staff, letting it take her weight, like a deeply rooted tree. The old men crowded around the harpsichord, all talking at once, and it blurred into an overwhelming and confusing noise. She couldn¡¯t keep of track of who was talking to her, to Griselda, or to Mirabel. It was the overweight footman, in the end, who saved her. ¡°Luncheon is served,¡± he announced from the door, in a deep voice that cut through the chatter. ¡°Ah, excellent,¡± Mayor Cooper said. ¡°Right this way, gentlemen. Ladies.¡± He took his daughter by the arm to escort her, and Liv was finally able to put a face to Griselda¡¯s father when the man collected her. Master Mason had a sharp face, hard eyes, and hair that had gone entirely to gray. Liv wasn¡¯t certain whether she should simply follow the crowd until Master Reimis offered her his arm again, and she accepted it gratefully. ¡°That was terrifying,¡± she whispered to him, once the room had nearly emptied out. The Eldish merchant lingered at the back of the crowd, and Liv suspected it was to give her a moment to catch her breath. ¡°It may have been,¡± Master Reimis said, ¡°but you didn¡¯t run, did you?¡± They followed the crowd into a chamber that was a good deal smaller than the great hall at Castle Whitehill. For a moment, Liv wasn¡¯t certain what to do with her staff, but one of the footmen showed her where to lean it against the wall, behind her chair. The entire dining room was paneled in wood, and just large enough to accommodate a high table by itself, without any benches for a crowd of guards. Still, Liv counted four footmen, rather than three, and they began serving as soon as everyone was seated. ¡°We have oysters, shrimp, and tuna from Coral Bay,¡± Mayor Cooper said, indicating the dishes. ¡°Courtesy of our colleagues from the Merciful Society of Butchers and Drovers, and the Trading Guild.¡± ¡°And courtesy of the cold storage enchantments supplied by House Syv?,¡± Airis Reimis pointed out. My family, Liv reminded herself. It was still a bizarre thought. ¡°Indeed, indeed,¡± the mayor agreed. ¡°That has been quite a profitable arrangement for all parties concerned, I dare say, and I hope that it marks only the beginning of a rich cooperation between the Eldish houses and the guilds of Lucania.¡± ¡°Elden,¡± Reimis broke in. ¡°We say Elden, not Eldish. That is how southerners speak, but it is not what we do in the north.¡± ¡°Of course, my apologies,¡± Mayor Cooper said, his smile faltering. ¡°Thank you for educating me.¡± Liv tried to remember how many times she¡¯d used the wrong word in front of Master Reimis. He¡¯d never corrected her, but she didn¡¯t want to offend him - and how ignorant he must think Liv, of her own people! ¡°-which brings us to a new opportunity for cooperation,¡± one of the men was saying. Liv had missed the beginning, and she was further distracted by one of the footmen piling a type of fish she¡¯d never had before onto her plate, seared on the outside and left pink and raw in the middle. ¡°For some years, we of the Most Worshipful Society of Pipes and Waters have been engaged in creating irrigation systems for farmlands across the kingdom, piping water into the fields from nearby streams and rivers. Mayor Cooper tells us that your house, Master Reimis, is capable of creating enchantments that spur crops to incredible growth. If you were to grant us an exclusive license, as House Syv? did the Drovers¡¯ Guild, we believe that enchanted irrigation systems could increase crop yields across Lucania by as much as half again.¡± ¡°That is an interesting proposal,¡± Airis Remis said. Liv lifted a fork and tried a bite of the seared fish; she was pleasantly surprised to find it had been coated in ground pepper of various sorts before being seared. Across the table, Mirabel and Griselda were whispering together, but she couldn¡¯t make out what they were plotting. ¡°Of course, the agreement with House Syv? provides a well-tested template for our use,¡± the mayor said, and Liv couldn¡¯t help but frown. That was the agreement they¡¯d tried to use to set the sheriff on her. ¡°Maybe Master Reimis should change whatever section lets you try to arrest people for having the wrong kind of magic,¡± Liv broke in, ¡°before he agrees to anything.¡± All around the table, the guests fell silent, and she felt her face heat up. Perhaps that would have been better to keep quiet, rather than to say out loud. ¡°A regrettable misunderstanding,¡± Griselda¡¯s father said. ¡°Thankfully settled now.¡± ¡°I would have thought that it was in the guilds¡¯ interests to maintain good relations with House Syv?, given that they can withdraw from the agreement at any time with half a year¡¯s notice,¡± Reimis said. ¡°Any agreement that I considered would, of course, need to be negotiated with parties whom I could trust to operate in good faith. I would take their history into account when making my decision.¡± Now that everyone had looked away from her, Liv poked her fork at one of the open shells on her plate. She didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how to eat whatever was inside without making a fool of herself, and she knew the moment she tried Mirabel would point and laugh. Instead, she finished off her seared fish. ¡°It is a great deal of difference,¡± Reimis was saying. ¡°Cold storage allowed the guilds to move food from one part of the kingdom to another. In the north, we have far less arable land than you do here. We need magic to increase our crop yields simply to survive. Providing a license for enchantments to be used all across the kingdom would flood the markets with excess food. That would have wide-ranging economic consequences.¡± Liv looked down at her plate; everything she was willing to attempt eating was gone, and the conversation had moved deep into matters that she had absolutely no frame of reference for. ¡°I fear that we¡¯re boring the young ladies,¡± Mayor Cooper said, to scattered laughter around the table. He must have noticed Liv¡¯s wandering attention. ¡°Mirabel, why don¡¯t you take Griselda and Miss Brodbeck and show them the garden.¡± ¡°Of course, Father,¡± Mirabel said, rising from her chair. ¡°Come along, girls. I¡¯ve just been given a cutting from Varuna I want to show you, and I think it¡¯s growing well.¡± Liv shot a glance over to Master Reimis, but she saw no help there. She was trapped. Without saying a word, she rose from her seat, took her staff from where it had been leaning against the wall, and allowed herself to be led out of the dining room. The trap wasn¡¯t sprung until they were in the garden, well away from any chance of help or rescue. It was a pretty enough place, if much smaller than what Liv was used to at the castle. Rather than a sprawling warren of paths winding through bushes, trees and flowers, the Coopers had set aside a walled in plot of land no larger than the kitchen at Castle Whitehill. The spring flowers had long since passed, but the air was scented with the smell of fresh herbs. Mirabel was far less pleasant. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to put up with trash like you in my house,¡± she said, turning on Liv with a snarl as soon as all three girls were in the garden. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough they¡¯ve let a bastard out of the kitchen, but at our table?¡± Though she¡¯d known something like this was coming, Liv took a step back in surprise before she got ahold of herself. The raw viciousness of the older girl¡¯s tone stunned her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what I¡¯ve ever done to you,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve just been nasty and mean since the moment we met, and you never stop. Why won¡¯t you just leave me alone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk back to me,¡± Mirabel snapped. ¡°Learn your place, you halfblood bitch.¡± In an instant, the girl¡¯s hand flew, and slapped Liv across the face, turning her head to the side. She was completely unprepared for it, but she caught herself on her staff, and ran her tongue over her teeth. Liv¡¯s lip was already swelling, and she tasted a bit of blood in her mouth. Master Reimis¡¯ words from the carriage echoed in her mind: ¡°You think your aunt would have run away from some ill-mannered brat who thinks too much of herself?¡± ¡°I am so sick of you,¡± Liv growled, surprised by her own anger. ¡°Celet Aiveh Belia.¡± She raised her staff, and the silver sigils flooded with cold light. The ground around Mirabel¡¯s feet burst apart, curved walls of ice rising up from the earth to surround her. It was the same spell that Liv had used on the fox that came to the walls of Whitehill during the eruption; then, it had imprisoned a mana-beast until the town guards could kill it with their crossbows. Mirabel Cooper was not nearly so formidable as a mana beast. Before she could do anything but scream, the mayor¡¯s daughter was swallowed up by a bowl of ice, the sides rising around her in a sharp curve until they reached well over the girl¡¯s head, blocking her entirely from view. To the side, Griselda shrieked and scrambled back in fright, until her back was pressed up against the wall of the garden. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me,¡± she whimpered. ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± Liv said, taking a step toward her, staff raised. ¡°Would you have ever stopped, no matter how much I begged you to? But now that you¡¯re the one afraid, I should stop? How does that make any sense?¡± ¡°What in the name of the Trinity is going on here?¡± Mayor Cooper¡¯s voice boomed across the garden. Liv turned, to see the entirety of the luncheon party storming in through the gate. 30. An Investment Liv could see how it was all going to go. Mayor Cooper would be just how he was all those months ago, when he¡¯d tried to get her in trouble for using her magic the first time. He¡¯d call for the sheriff again, only now, instead of saving a little girl, Liv had imprisoned his daughter in ice. He would say she was dangerous, and that this proved it. Instead of spending the night in her room at Castle Whitehill, if Alban and Mirabel Cooper had their way, she¡¯d be in a cell at the dungeon in the Lower Banks. There was a part of her that wanted to curl in on herself and cry; to ask for her mother, and to wait for Master Jurian to come and save her again. Only Liv wasn¡¯t certain that the mages¡¯ guild would do that a second time. But there was another part of her that was just angry. ¡°You want to know what¡¯s going on?¡± Liv cried, pointing at the rounded walls of ice, which were already beginning to sweat water under the sunlight. ¡°She took me out here, where no one could see, and slapped me in the face.¡± She put two fingers to her lips, and then held them up where everyone could see the blood. ¡°She¡¯s horrible. She says horrible things, she spills wine on me, or ink. I¡¯ve never done anything to her!¡± ¡°I would say that using magic to assault someone quite qualifies as ¡®anything,¡± Mayor Cooper said, his face red. ¡°The crime is the same, whether you use a club or a spell.¡± Griselda, in the meantime, used the opportunity to scramble away from Liv and then run over to her father. She threw her arms around him. From inside the great bowl of ice, Mirabel¡¯s voice could be dimly heard, calling out for help. ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt anyone!¡± Liv protested. ¡°She hit me.¡± ¡°We shall see what Sheriff Porter has to say about that,¡± the mayor said. ¡°Now release my daughter.¡± ¡°She will do no such thing,¡± Master Reimis broke in. At his words, Mayor Cooper turned away from Liv and stared at the Elden merchant with an open mouth. ¡°Keep her right where she is, Liv, until this is settled.¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Liv nodded. She wasn¡¯t certain whether she could take down the ice if she wanted to; she¡¯d always just left her chutes, walls and bowls to melt on their own. ¡°I demand my daughter be freed this instant,¡± the mayor snarled. ¡°I hardly think you are in any position to make demands,¡± Airis Ka Reimis said. Liv couldn¡¯t believe how calm and even his voice was; she was still shaking in a combination of fear and rage. ¡°I came here as a guest, escorting this young lady, and she has been assaulted on your property, by your daughter. The question you should be asking, Mayor Cooper, is what you can do to apologize for this insult, before it brings an immediate end to our negotiations.¡± Griselda¡¯s father broke in at that. ¡°You cannot seriously be considering breaking off this meeting because a kitchen girl doesn¡¯t know her place!¡± ¡°We will not only walk away this instant,¡± Reimis threatened, ¡°but I shall go directly to your sheriff, if there is not an immediate apology made, along with an assurance, from both of you gentlemen, that neither of your daughters will pursue this matter any further.¡± Mayor Cooper drew himself up. ¡°I apologize that our business was interrupted by this unpleasantness,¡± he said. ¡°It was quite unseemely.¡± ¡°Not to me,¡± the Elden merchant said. ¡°To her.¡± He thrust his finger in Liv¡¯s direction, and she once again felt the burden of being the center of the entire company¡¯s attention. Cooper¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Liv imagined that he was weighing the money he could make from whatever agreement he wanted against the blow to his pride. ¡°Very well,¡± he said. ¡°I apologize for my daughter¡¯s actions, Miss Brodbeck. You may be certain, Master Reimis, that I shall discipline her appropriately. Let us go inside and return to our negotiations.¡± ¡°I think not,¡± Reimis said. ¡°I have quite thoroughly seen the character of you upstanding guildsmen, and I have not the slightest desire to do business with you - at any point, whether now, or in the future.¡± ¡°You¡¯d back the aristocracy, instead?¡± Griselda¡¯s father complained. ¡°Whatever power-struggle you are planning in this kingdom, I would be a fool to take a side in it,¡± Airis Ka Reimis answered. ¡°But the Summersets have held the south end of the high passes for centuries, and I have no reason to make an enemy of them when doing so would cut Al''Fenthia off to land travel. I¡¯ve yet to hear any offer that is worth the trouble you bring, nor do I judge, after today, that I could trust a single one of you snakes to stay true to your words. If coin is all you care about, I will place my faith in Baron Henry and Lady Julianne. Come along, Liv. We are leaving. Thank you, Mayor Cooper, for the meal.¡± Liv hurried across the garden. She wanted nothing more than to be back in the carriage - no, she wanted to be at Castle Whitehill, so she could run straight to the kitchens and fall into her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°Wait!¡± Alban Cooper shouted. ¡°You can¡¯t leave my daughter imprisoned like this.¡± ¡°It will melt in the sun,¡± Master Reimis said, taking Liv by the arm. ¡°But if you insist, mayor, I shall do you this favor. Vradim Cerent Bregium Ai¡¯Celis,¡± the Eld intoned, sweeping his other arm out as if to encompass the garden and everything in it. For a moment, Liv thought that nothing had happened. Then, she noticed a thyme plant stretching upward. As if that was the first drop preceding a rainstorm, every plant within reach of the ice began to move. Months or years seemed to pass in the space of only a few breaths: roots and branches found the ice, gripped it like gnarled hands, and then squeezed. The ice cracked, then shattered, falling in chunks down to the ground, and revealing a wide-eyed Mirabel Cooper, surrounded by overgrown foliage. She opened her mouth to speak, but Master Reimis was there first. ¡°Consider this the last favor I ever do you, or your vile daughter,¡± he said. ¡°And all of you had better hope that I never hear so much as a whisper that you¡¯ve abused this girl, ever again. If I do, I will close the gates of Al''Fenthia to your guilds, and you can find trading partners somewhere else. And before you think I am being too harsh, consider that will be the least of your concerns. If it were a member of the House of Syv? here, rather than me, you would be lucky to escape with your lives.¡± Master Reimis¡¯ lip curled in disgust. ¡°To think you could simply buy my magic, for coin. Do not bother me again with your schemes or your nonsense.¡± And with that, he escorted Liv out of the garden, through the house, and to the waiting carriage beyond. Despite Liv¡¯s fears, no one tried to stop them. ? The ride through The Hill was not long, and they were almost at the gates of Castle Whitehill by the time Liv found the courage to speak her thoughts aloud. ¡°Did you bring me there knowing that would happen?¡± Airis Ka Reimis smiled. ¡°And why would I do that, child?¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°It ruined whatever deal you were there to negotiate. Unless that was what you wanted?¡± Her fingers gripped her spellbook tightly, as it rested in her lap. ¡°The merchant guilds of Lucania are rising, while the noble houses dwindle,¡± Master Reimis said. ¡°It is a pattern played out over human generations, so perhaps I am in a better position to see it and recognize what is happening. Baron Henry and his kind collect taxes and rents from the people who work the land; but the guilds buy and trade not only in Lucania, but far afield to Varuna, to Lendh ka Dakruim, and even with my own people. The more wealth they accumulate, the more they strain against the hereditary privilege of the nobility. The conflict may not come for decades, but I refuse to be drawn into it. Nor should you allow yourself to be,¡± he advised her, as the carriage rolled to a stop in the castle courtyard. Reimis went for the door, but Liv reached out to stop him with her own hand. ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°If I was just there to give you a reason to turn them down - if I was an excuse - you used me.¡± ¡°Did I?¡± the Elden merchant asked. ¡°Did I use you by helping you settle your feud with those girls once and for all? I doubt they¡¯ll wish to come anywhere near you, now, between fear of your magic and fear of me.¡± ¡°Why, then?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Why help me?¡± ¡°I am a merchant,¡± Airis Ka Reimis told her. ¡°I have an eye for a good investment, Livara Kaen Syv?. I am investing in you. Years from now, when we meet again, remember that I have done you this kindness.¡± ¡°I want something else then,¡± Liv demanded. ¡°For helping you. Don¡¯t tell anyone about me, when you go back north.¡± ¡°Not ready for your family to come and claim you?¡± Reimis asked her. ¡°You are asking me to give up the gratitude of your house. That is worth more than a few coins.¡± ¡°You wanted me to come to your city,¡± Liv said. ¡°I will, then. Once I¡¯ve finished at Coral Bay, I will go north to Al''Fenthia and find you. You can even introduce me to your son,¡± she offered. ¡°You have a bargain,¡± Master Reimis said, after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°Two decades, more or less, is not so long for our people. By then, perhaps you will understand what we mean by calling the southerners ¡®fireflies.¡± Liv held out her hand, and the merchant took it in his own, sealing the agreement. Then, they left the carriage and went into the castle. She was feeling quite good about herself until Mama saw her lip, the moment Liv stepped into the kitchen. That led to an examination in Master Cushing¡¯s chambers, during which he poked and prodded at her teeth and jaw while Liv¡¯s mother looked on nervously. ¡°If that girl had hit you a year ago, she would have broken your jaw,¡± the old chirurgeon said. ¡°But it seems your new diet is helping in more ways than one. Not that I want you going off and roughhousing!¡± he chided her. ¡°Caution is the word. Be thankful you¡¯ve gotten off so easily, and do not go looking for trouble.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Cushing,¡± Mama said, wrapping her arms around Liv again. ¡°I told you I was fine,¡± Liv said. Other than a fat lip, of course. ¡°Mmmm,¡± Cushing hummed. ¡°Lady Julianne has sent word she¡¯ll serve as Master Reimis¡¯ guide this afternoon, in your place. Take a bell to rest, Liv. Perhaps you could put your magic to good use and freeze a wet cloth; it would help keep the swelling down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make certain she does,¡± Mama assured him. ¡°Gretta can handle the preperations for dinner today.¡± Despite Liv¡¯s insistence that she didn¡¯t need help, her mother walked with her all the way to her room on the second floor, and wouldn¡¯t let her alone until she had the cold cloth pressed to her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t need to rest,¡± Liv complained. ¡°Talk, then,¡± her mother said, sitting down on the mattress next to her. ¡°You spent all morning with that Eldish merchant. What did he tell you?¡± ¡°A few things,¡± Liv said, mumbling around the cloth. ¡°He told me about my aunt. He said she was called Livara of the Five Blades, and that she died at the bottom of a rift.¡± ¡°He recognized you, then,¡± Mama said. ¡°As soon as he saw me and heard my name,¡± she confirmed. ¡°I guess he knew her, before she was killed. He said I look just like her.¡± Her mother squeezed her tight. ¡°I thought it would take longer,¡± she said. ¡°Your father- I promised you that I¡¯d tell you his name. Maybe now is the time.¡± ¡°I want to know,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave, Mama. Not for a long time yet. But if other people are going to recognize me, don¡¯t you think I should know, too?¡± ¡°His hair is just like yours,¡± her mother said, in a soft voice. ¡°White as fresh snow. Soft. He was so sad, dove, that it broke my heart. I know it must seem silly, but I just wanted to make him feel better.¡± Margaret Brodbeck took a deep breath. ¡°His name is Valtteri Ka Auris. I don¡¯t know much about the great doings of Eldish houses, but I know he¡¯s the son of their baron, or whatever they call it. His sister was the older one, the heir, until she was gone.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said. ¡°For telling me.¡± Mama turned and pressed her lips to Liv¡¯s forehead. ¡°I just want you to be safe and happy, my love,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be running off to the north and fighting monsters.¡± ¡°I promised Master Reimis that I would go to Al''Fenthia,¡± Liv told her. ¡°After I was done at the college. But that¡¯s a long time away. In return, he said he won¡¯t tell anyone I exist.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not borrow trouble that hasn¡¯t arrived yet, then,¡± her mother said. ¡°Alright. I need to make sure Gretta isn¡¯t burning the kitchen down. You keep that cloth on your lip.¡± ¡°I will, Mama,¡± Liv promised. The moment the door had closed, however, she got up and went over to her desk, where she¡¯d set down the book Master Jurian had bought her. Liv flipped it open to the very first page, then uncorked one of her bottles of ink and dipped a quill. Livara T?r Valtteri Kaen Syv?, she wrote carefully, and then blew gently on the ink to dry it. ? The harvest was no quick thing. It was a matter of not days, but tendays, more than a full month of labour that required nearly the entire town to pitch in. The mana-infused crops had grown taller and more fruitful than in any year that Liv could remember, and the sight of overgrown fields and gardens reminded her of Master Reimis¡¯ magic. Even in a normal year, the farmers of the Aspen River Valley worked from dawn to dusk to get the crops in, but the amount of labour required this time was staggering. Baron Henry reduced the castle guard to only two men at a time, and sent all the others to help in the fields. The negotiations with Master Reimis must have been fruitful, for wagonloads of Elden workers came down the road from the north, set up tents outside of town, and joined in the mammoth task. Liv was one of the few people not allowed to help. Even Masters Grenfell and Forester pitched in, though Aldo Cushing was too old. Baron Henry was carried out of his rooms every morning and set on his chair in the great hall, where he coordinated with Master Reimis and Lady Julianne to organize everything. With all their time taken up by the effort, Liv was sent to help the governess, Meredith, care for little Matthew. She still had her lessons in the morning with the old chirurgeon, but she spent the rest of her time either playing with the baby, or helping Mama and Gretta in the kitchen, where they toiled long hours to make enough food for the overworked castle guards. It was probably not coincidence, Liv had decided, that the tasks she¡¯d been given kept her well away from the Elden workers who had come south to help. Master Reimis had promised to keep the secret of her existence, and he couldn¡¯t well do that if hundreds of people saw her out in the fields, and brought word of a lost Elden child back north. Not until the fields were nearly empty did Master Grenfell come to the nursery to pluck her away from her tasks. ¡°The last wagons are going north today,¡± he said, from where he stood in the doorway. The wound he¡¯d picked up during the culling had faded to a faint scar on his scalp, marking his forehead on the right side. ¡°I¡¯ve been neglecting your lessons, but this is an opportunity I do not want you to miss. Gather your things and meet me in the courtyard.¡± Liv handed the sleeping infant off to Meredith, lifted her staff from where she¡¯d placed it in the corner, and then ran to her room to get her spellbook. Then, she rushed down the grand staircase and out into the courtyard. When, she wondered, had she stopped using the servants¡¯ stairs? Lady Julianne and Master Grenfell were waiting with the carriage, but Liv didn¡¯t see the baron anywhere. ¡°Henry saw the first load off,¡± the baron¡¯s wife explained. ¡°And he was sore for days after. There¡¯s no need for him to come now. Hop inside.¡± ¡°What are we going to see?¡± Liv asked, once all three of them were seated and the carriage was rolling through the streets of The Hill. ¡°We¡¯re not going all the way up to the high passes, surely?¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Master Grenfell explained. ¡°The Eld aren¡¯t taking their wagons nearly so far. In fact, we¡¯re going to the foot of Bald Peak, just outside the shoal of the rift.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Liv wondered. ¡°We want you to see the waystone in use,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Very few humans can wield enough mana to activate it, but Master Reimis can. Consider it your lesson for the day.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but grin as the carriage left Whitehill through the west gate, then turned north. 31. The Waystone When Liv had pictured a waystone in her mind, she¡¯d imagined a sort of empty doorframe, made of mana-stone, standing out in the middle of nowhere. It would probably be carved with obscure V?dic sigils, the sort of thing scholars at Coral Bay had been studying for years in a fruitless effort to build new portals. She¡¯d never imagined just how big they were. ¡°That entire thing is the waystone?¡± Liv asked, again. They¡¯d left the road up to the mine, and the carriage had turned off onto a rougher, more overgrown trail that led down toward the Aspen River. In fact, a section had been washed out by some past flood, and a bridge of timbers erected to bridge the gap. At the end of the trail, on a bluff overlooking the river, half a dozen wagons were crammed up against each other atop an enormous stretch of stone. If Liv had to guess, she would say it was at least fifty feet across. ¡°The old gods built waystones to transport goods, as well as travellers,¡± Master Grenfell explained, leading her over to where the edge of the waystone gave way to moss. It was clear at a glance that much of the stone had only been cleared recently, and Liv guessed it had been done just for this expedition - probably when the Eld came down to help with the harvest. ¡°I was picturing a sort of door that you walked through,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Oh no,¡± Master Reimis broke in, walking over from where he¡¯d been seeing to the wagons. The teams of horses shuffled, flicking their tails to keep the flies away, while they waited. ¡°They had things like that, of course; personal waystones to move from their homes to places like Godsgrave. But most of those were destroyed, or lost in the depths of a rift. What remains are waystones that existed to move goods. Aluthet''Staia from here, for instance. And there¡¯s no good moving only as much stone as man on foot can carry through a door in his two hands. Here, come take a look, Livara.¡± Together, the four of them crouched down at the edge of the waystone, even Lady Julianne. ¡°I expected it would be mana-stone, and there would be sigils,¡± Liv said, shifting her staff into her left hand. ¡°I¡¯m glad that I got that right, at least.¡± ¡°Master Norris actually has a theory that the stones are layered,¡± Grenfell explained. ¡°With entire networks of sigils on each layer. He believes there are just too many enchantments, all designed to interact with each other in complex ways, for what we see on the surface. Of course, there¡¯s no way to know without breaking one of the waystones apart into pieces, and no one is going to do that.¡± ¡°I suspect even making the attempt would be dangerous,¡± Reimis added. ¡°Look here, along the border, Livara. This is where the destinations are listed - in V?dic, of course. Do you see one that you recognize?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°Master Grenfell hasn¡¯t begun teaching me sigils, yet,¡± she admitted. ¡°Then let me point a few out. Over here,¡± Master Reimis said, rising to his feet and moving clockwise around the rim of the waystone, ¡°is the inscription for Al''Fenthia - High Pass, in the V?dic tongue.¡± Liv followed him around; though the Elden merchant only pointed a few sets of sigils out to her by name, picked out in gleaming silver, she saw dozens. ¡°This is Coral Bay, here,¡± he said. ¡°One to remember, for when you¡¯re ready to travel there. I would show you the sigils for Bald Peak, but no waystone carries the inscriptions for itself.¡± ¡°The inscriptions are a fascinating subject for study, in and of themselves,¡± Master Grenfell mused, trailing after them. ¡°The names of particular locations are often slightly different - or we have dropped pieces, in the intervening years. Sometimes the information is obvious enough: Coral Bay Fishery, for instance. They still farm scallops and oysters there.¡± ¡°Sometimes parts are entirely untranslatable. Bald Peak Power- something,¡± Julianne remarked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand that one. Your home is listed as ¡®High Pass Crop Breeding, though again, the last piece I can¡¯t catch. But it is like a window into another world, long in the past.¡± ¡°So how does it work?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Obviously you want this one.¡± She nudged the butt of her staff against the inscriptions that marked the trading city of Al''Fenthia. ¡°Mayor Cooper said this stone was broken, but I know Master Jurian used it to get here from Coral Bay.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t broken,¡± Master Reimis said. ¡°It simply isn¡¯t powered. Though even that is only partly true; this waystone absorbed quite a bit of mana from the recent eruption. We were able to use that to send the first group of wagons, three days ago.¡± ¡°If the shoal were just a bit larger,¡± Master Grenfell explained, ¡°the stone would likely charge itself. We believe one of the enchantments in the lower layers is designed to draw in ambient mana.¡± ¡°Without a shoal, however, it takes a substantial amount of magical power to activate,¡± Reimis continued. ¡°Most human mages can¡¯t do it alone.¡± ¡°But Eld can hold more mana, can¡¯t they?¡± Liv said. She hoped no one noticed the hesitation; she¡¯d almost said ¡®we,¡¯ instead, and caught herself at the last moment. ¡°On average,¡± Reimis agreed. ¡°The other complication is that the amount of mana needed is based on the size of the stone, not the number of people or wagons you¡¯re sending. When the waystone activates, everything standing here will go. It gives us an incentive to use the stones for large groups, rather than just a person or two.¡± ¡°How much mana does this stone require?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Twenty rings,¡± Master Grenfell answered. Liv blinked; that was not only more than he could handle, it was more than she could, as well. Together, however, they could make it happen. But it also put into perspective how much more powerful Master Jurian was. ¡°Can more than one person help?¡± she asked. As long as she had them here willing to explain, Liv wanted to learn as much as she could. Reimis nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what we have to do at home. Our waystone is actually larger than this one; in the mages¡¯ guild¡¯s system of measurements, it would take about thirty rings to use. That¡¯s more than I can do myself, but this one I can handle. Now, when I infuse the appropriate sigils with mana, watch what happens.¡± The merchant knelt down, placed his palm over the set of inscriptions for his home city, and closed his eyes. Liv could feel the waystone open up, like a flower drinking in sunlight. She¡¯d gotten used to how her staff seemed to suck in mana, and this reminded her of that sensation, only much stronger. The waystone drank and drank, and began to shine with a bright blue light. ¡°That means the stone is activating,¡± Master Reimis said, rising back to his feet. ¡°Make sure that none of you are standing on it. The blue light is a warning that the stone is about to send us to our destination. If there was a group coming in, the light would be red.¡± ¡°How long does it take?¡± Liv asked. She also took two big steps back off the stone onto the grass. ¡°I was taught to give a slow count of two-hundred,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Farewell, Livara,¡± Airis Ka Reimis called. ¡°I look forward to seeing you in a few years. You may write to me, if you wish, and I will respond.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Goodbye!¡± Liv called, waving her hand. The blue light grew so bright that she had to raise her arm to shield her eyes, and then it was snuffed out, like a candle. When she had blinked away the dark spots in her vision, she saw that the waystone was entirely empty. ¡°Is it safe now?¡± she asked Master Grenfell. When the mage nodded, she rushed out into the center of the rock, and turned around, looking at the dozens of sigils splayed out along the rim. ¡°Every one of these is a place we could go,¡± she said, grinning. ¡°Somewhere out in the world.¡± ¡°Not all of them,¡± Julianne cautioned her. ¡°You see these, here?¡± She traced a set of sigils with the toe of her boot. Unlike the inscriptions for Coral Bay or Al''Fenthia, the silver within them had tarnished. ¡°That means the waystone at the destination has been damaged or destroyed. Never use one of those.¡± ¡°When it¡¯s time to go to Coral Bay,¡± Liv said, turning to Master Grenfell, ¡°do you think I can use this to get there?¡± Grenfell shrugged. ¡°You can hold thirteen rings now, Liv. And you have a great deal of time to grow and develop your power. It is possible.¡± ¡°Even if you can¡¯t do it alone,¡± Julianne offered, ¡°the three of us together easily can. Now that you¡¯ve come into your magic, and I¡¯m here, Master Grenfell wouldn¡¯t have to do it alone. Now, let¡¯s get back. It¡¯s a long ride.¡± ¡°That reminds me,¡± Liv said, scampering off the stone. ¡°I wanted to ask you, Master, whether there was a word for something like a cage. I think the men on the wall would have had an easier time killing that fox if they could shoot through bars, instead of just down over the walls. ¡°I¡¯m not aware of one,¡± Grenfell admitted. Together, the three walked across the bluff down toward the carriage. ¡°Which isn¡¯t to say the V?dim didn¡¯t have a word, of course; they must have. Whatever it was has been lost. Have you considered stelis? That would get you a pillar, and with enough of those, you¡¯d form your own cage.¡± By the time they¡¯d settled into their benches, and the team of horses was off, they were deep into a discussion of spell theory. ? At the end of harvest season, much of the town of Whitehill was surprised to find that Mayor Cooper, who¡¯d served four terms already, was not planning to run for election a fifth time. He told anyone who asked that he was selling his manor to buy a home in Coral Bay, so that he could provide Mirabel a home during the years she would be attending the College of V?dic Grammar. In his place, Sheriff Porter stood for election, and won easily. The general sentiment was that he had more than proved himself capable during his command of the town walls during Lady Julianne¡¯s labor. ¡°Don¡¯t you miss the income?¡± Liv asked Master Grenfell, a few days after the election. Aldo and Mirabel Cooper had left town the day before, with a drovers¡¯ train headed south out of the valley. She imagined they were trying to beat the snow, before it closed the passes. Left unsaid was the knowledge that they could have used the waystone, if anyone capable of using mana had wanted the slightest thing to do with them. ¡°No,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I¡¯ve been eager to be rid of the two of them for some while. It was a waste of my time to teach them anything; it¡¯s clear neither will ever be mages. Again, and try integrating kap, this time.¡± Liv raised her staff. Below, they¡¯d had James and Piers set up a half dozen straw archery targets. One had been thrown twenty feet back by a pillar of ice rising beneath it, while a second was crushed beneath three pillars that had risen around it, then toppled over. She pointed her staff at the third target, and began her incantation. ¡°Celent¡¯he Encve Stelim Kapium,¡± Liv sang, a smile curving her lips in spite of herself at the sensation of the mana surging through her, into the length of aspen-wood, and then out again. Around the base of the archery target, five pillars of ice erupted from the ground, closing around it like a fist. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, after catching her breath. ¡°That does work better.¡± ¡°Still too slow, though,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°You¡¯ll need to add Veh back in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already using three rings of mana, even with the staff,¡± Liv protested. ¡°That would push it to four, at least.¡± ¡°Worth it, to ensure that you actually capture your target,¡± Grenfell told her. ¡°I feel like Jurian¡¯s words are coming out of my mouth.¡± ¡°He does a lot of fighting, I take it?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I think I¡¯ll call this ¡®Grasping Ice.¡± ¡°As good a name as any,¡± the master mage told her. ¡°Be sure to record it properly in your book when we get back to the castle. Master Jurian and his team were one of the first groups to cull the wild rifts in Varuna,¡± he explained. ¡°It made them rather famous, and not a little wealthy. He even brought a word back to the guild, found in one of those ancient ruins. Of course, it didn¡¯t help them in the end.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I mean they were fool enough to go into the shoals of Godsgrave,¡± Master Grenfell explained. ¡°I don¡¯t know the whole story, but most of them died there. Only two came out alive - Jurian, and his betrothed.¡± ¡°Master Jurian is married?¡± Liv asked. ¡°No.¡± Grenfell shook his head. ¡°She called it off, after that fiasco. Went to serve as court mage for the king. The whole thing was a mess, enough that I heard about it all the way out here.¡± Liv bit her lip, trying to imagine the strong, confident mage who¡¯d saved her from Mayor Cooper and the guilds losing a fight. Not only losing a fight, but losing people who must have been his friends, and then being abandoned by the woman who should have been his wife. She couldn¡¯t make the knowledge fit the man she¡¯d met, so she changed the subject. ¡°Do you know the word for sword?¡± she asked. ¡°Eager to follow in your aunt¡¯s footsteps, are you?¡± Grenfell asked her, with a smile. ¡°Has it escaped your notice that, just like Jurian¡¯s team, she died at the bottom of a rift?¡± ¡°I saw you all when you came back from Bald Peak,¡± Liv said. ¡°I know it''s dangerous. But it was dangerous to be left behind, too. And if no one went, all those monsters would spill out, wouldn''t they?¡± ¡°They would,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I just want you to understand, that it is much safer to find a place as a court mage to a decent noble, and spend your time teaching children, than it is to go wandering around the western continent like he did. At Whitehill, I only need to go on a culling team every twenty years or so, when Bald Peak erupts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying I enjoyed fighting those bats,¡± Liv said. ¡°But if I hadn¡¯t known how, I¡¯d be dead now - and so would Lady Julianne, Sophia, and baby Matthew. Learning the right spells kept us all alive.¡± ¡°True enough,¡± the older mage admitted. ¡°You want sek. Observe.¡± Grenfell held out his right hand, fingers open. ¡°Aluthet¡¯he Sekis.¡± A shining blade of mana, shedding blue and gold wisps of power, extended from his palm. The moment it solidified, Master Grenfell closed his fingers about the hilt, grasping it, and then made a cut through the air. ¡°Not a spell I use often,¡± he admitted. ¡°Like a shield of raw mana, this construct continues to draw from me the longer I use it. That is why I generally find it more efficient to fling shards at a distance - as well as the fact that I am no swordsman, and have no business fighting up close in someone¡¯s face. It does have a few advantages, however, and perhaps more for you than for me.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Liv asked. ¡°For one thing, maintaining the blade doesn¡¯t require me to talk,¡± Grenfell pointed out, whipping it around and then bringing the tip to a halt just in front of Liv¡¯s chest. ¡°That¡¯s often a handy thing. It can be used for defense, as well as offense, if you are trained in swordplay. It¡¯s also a rather contained display of power: notice I¡¯m not shattering the ground or blowing apart doors.¡± Liv took a step back. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have to maintain it, would I?¡± she guessed. ¡°Celet¡¯he Sekis.¡± Just like her teacher had done, she extended her right hand, leaving her staff in the left, and opened her fingers. A moment later, a sword of ice rested in her palm. Rather than grasp it, however, Liv yelped and let the weapon drop. It shattered into frozen chunks on the parapet. ¡°That¡¯s colder than I thought it would be,¡± Liv complained. ¡°How did she do it? And how did she use five of them?¡± Grenfell chuckled. ¡°It actually relieves me, somewhat, to see that you don¡¯t get every spell perfect the first time,¡± he admitted. ¡°That word comes so naturally to you that it is astonishing, Liv. But some things simply require experimentation - trial and error. I would suggest that perhaps you should commission a good set of gloves. With the nature of your magic, I think you will find them convenient on more than one occasion. Do you really want to learn to use a sword? Shall we add fencing lessons to your schedule?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liv said, after a moment. ¡°Probably not. I¡¯m too small; even if I had a magical sword, I can¡¯t see it preventing any of the guards from beating me into the ground. Let¡¯s stick to things I can actually be good at.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°They¡¯ll be serving the evening meal.¡± ¡°I still want to know how she did it, though,¡± Liv grumbled, following him down the stairs. 32. Seasons The season turned to winter, and when southern Lucania was enjoying its first snowfall, Whitehill was already snowed in. Thick drifts of dry powder cut off the mountain passes, leaving no way out of the Aspen River Valley - save for a single waystone, at the foot of Bald Peak. Liv¡¯s days and nights slipped into routine. The excitement of the eruption was behind the town now, leaving a few scars, such as the one on Master Grenfell¡¯s scalp. It had left Baron Henry crippled, of course, and he rarely left his room, preferring to spend his days with a bottle of brandy. The farmers of the valley, on the other hand, had been left with an exceptional amount of coin, the profits of selling mana-enriched fruit and produce to their Eldish neighbors to the north. The farmers spent their windfall on warm winter clothing for their families, on new ploughs for their fields, or to make repairs to homes which had too long been neglected. The Eldish coins found their way, in this manner, to Master Gregory, the blacksmith, who had his apprentices busy shoeing draft horses while he turned out ploughs. The coins reached Master Jeremiah Thatcher, as well, who had barely enough time to repair every roof in need before the first snows fell. Edme, the seamstress and dressmaker, got her share, mainly for skirts of thick winter wool that would keep the women and girls of the town warm until spring. The three inns of Whitehill cleaned and closed their guestrooms, forgetting the business of travelers until the thaw. Instead, the innkeepers at the Laughing Carp and the Gilded Star, in the Lower Banks, made their money selling cheap beer, ale and wine. They kept their hearths blazing, their common rooms warm, and their patrons well lubricated. The pickpockets of the Lower Banks did good business, as well, among the crowded tables. At the Old Oak, the wine was better, and the food well-seasoned enough to draw shopkeepers like Master Gaunt. He carried a volume of poetry that had been delivered on the last wagon to make it in from the south. The new mayor, Master Porter, was seen there frequently, rubbing elbows with guild merchants and knights in service to Baron Henry, most of whom preferred to winter in town rather than at their country estates out in the valley. Liv found herself at the Old Oak as well, many afternoons. Now that she was Master Grenfell¡¯s only student, the character of their lessons had changed substantially. When they were not testing her spells, or taking measurements, they would work with a pile of notes and spellbooks. The older mage never told her what to do with her magic. Instead, he made suggestions. ¡°Have you considered such and such a word?¡± he would ask her, and then open his own spellbook to give an example. She would work through the modifications, he would check the spell over for errors, and the next day they would go to the castle courtyard, the empty winter gardens, or up on the walls to test the changes. She was incredibly pleased with Grasping Ice - not only the name, but the effect of the spell, especially once Liv had gone along with her teacher¡¯s suggestion and inserted Veh to speed the effect up. When Master Forester took her and Emma hunting - he judged his daughter old enough to learn, since she¡¯d turned six - Liv always took the first shot at any mana-beast they found. At first, it was tricky to catch a buck on the move, but the more she practiced, the easier Liv found it. Curling pillars of ice would form around a white-coated hare or fox, gripping them tight in an instant. Master Forester rarely finished the trapped game; instead, he made Liv and Emma practice with their hunting knives, slitting the animals throats and then dressing the kills themselves. They used snow-shoes or skis, now, depending on where they hunted. Master Grenfell had given up the fiction of making Liv pay for her lessons, apparently only having maintained it in the first place in order to prevent complaining from Mirabel Cooper and her horrid accomplice, Griselda. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be hunting all up and down the valley,¡± he told her gruffly, ¡°you¡¯re going to need a heavier cloak. Make certain it¡¯s lined with fur. You can¡¯t always be relying on someone else¡¯s snowshoes or skis, either. And for the sake of the trinity, get yourself some good gloves.¡± It was a different sort of exercise than she¡¯d gotten from James, the castle guard, and while going downhill was a liberating burst of speed and freedom, skiing cross-country was exhausting. Thankfully, Lady Julianne agreed that Liv was being worked hard enough on her hunting trips, so there was no more running circles around the castle that winter. By the time they returned from each expedition, encrusted with snow and ice, Liv¡¯s calves and thighs burned. Charlie, the black mouser, was a source of worry. Shortly after Liv¡¯s thirteenth birthday, he¡¯d begun to absent himself from her bed, where he¡¯d previously been a constant fixture in the evenings. Indeed, no matter how they searched the castle, he couldn¡¯t be found until finally, one day, he was discovered in a nest he¡¯d made at the bottom of one of the old storage closets in the cellar. ¡°Look, Matthew, kittens!¡± she said. The fat-cheeked boy was adept at crawling himself into all sorts of trouble, now, but Liv had known instantly this would be a way to delight him. Lady Julianne leaned against the doorframe of the closet, watching her son with a broad smile. The little black balls of fur tumbled across the floor, into Liv¡¯s lap, and around the sitting baby as he reached out and grabbed for them. ¡°It seems Charlie is a mother,¡± Julianne remarked. ¡°I¡¯m not certain how you went for years without noticing that he was, in fact, a she.¡± ¡°I never really looked!¡± Liv exclaimed. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve learned enough anatomy now from Master Cushing that won¡¯t be a problem in the future.¡± The baron¡¯s wife shook her head, but Liv knew Lady Julianne well enough to recognize a joke when she heard it. ¡°Keep an eye on Matthew for the next hour or so, for me,¡± the lady of the castle requested. ¡°I need to meet with the guild leaders.¡± Liv nodded, picking up one of the kittens that had wandered away, and depositing it in Matthew¡¯s lap. The baby clapped his hands in glee, and drooled. The guilds had mostly quieted themselves after Alban Cooper embarrassed them - at least publicly. Privately, Liv heard enough during her time attending Lady Julianne that she knew efforts had been made to make peace in the town. As near as she could tell, it was going to work out that Baron Henry would cast a small number of votes in their favor, the next time King Roland summoned his great council. Only the precise number was now up for negotiation. After they¡¯d bothered Charlie and her kittens for long enough, Liv scooped Matthew up and took him to the kitchen, where he was passed around from lap to lap while the evening meal was prepared. Lady Julianne¡¯s meeting with the guilds must have run later than she expected, for Matthew was still with the servants when the footmen began carrying platters up to the great hall. Liv pitched in to help her mother and Gretta, and somehow, in the chaos, Archibald ended up being the one holding the baby when he finally fell asleep. ¡°I should take him upstairs and put him down,¡± Liv said, brushing flour off her hands. ¡°Meredith can do that in a moment,¡± the first footman said, brushing a finger over the child¡¯s cheek. ¡°He will be the third generation of this family I¡¯ve served, you know.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Liv plopped herself down at the table next to them. ¡°Have you ever thought about having a family of your own?¡± she asked. She couldn¡¯t have said what put the question in her head: there was just something natural, in that moment, about seeing mean old Archie with an infant in his arms. ¡°No,¡± Archibald said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a happy childhood, Liv,¡± he said, and there was something about his voice in that moment that consumed her attention entirely. ¡°My father was not a good man. He was a drunk, and when he was in his cups his best friend was a leather belt. My grandfather was the same way. It is a curse, I think,¡± he explained. ¡°Not magic, but a curse all the same, passed down from one useless sot to the next. Well, it dies with me. I¡¯ll never look at the bottom of a bottle to find my son¡¯s weeping, bruised face staring back at me. It¡¯s better this way.¡± Liv swallowed, and couldn¡¯t for the life of her think of a single thing to say in that moment. Then, the doors opened, and Tom and Edward rushed in for the next set of dishes. ¡°Here,¡± Archibald said, passing the sleeping baby to Liv. ¡°I¡¯ll be wanted upstairs.¡± ? The seasons turned. The year that Matthew was seven, and Liv nineteen, Big Whit Cotter lost a bare-knuckle tournament, for the first time that she could remember. He¡¯d been getting fatter and grayer for years, and it was his son, Little Whit, who finally dethroned him. Emma looked older than Liv did, now, though she was actually six years and change younger. She was taller, too: after that first spurt of growth, Liv¡¯s diet had only kept her growing at a slow pace. As best Master Cushing could guess, she grew at about half the rate of a human child. Liv was hovering right between four foot four inches and four foot five inches, depending on the heel of her shoes or her hairstyle when she was measured. Matthew had caught up to within less than a head of her, which according to his father, was big enough to begin learning the sword. From the moment the winter snows melted that year, the off-duty guards had Matthew in the courtyard with a heavy wooden sword in his hand, going through his paces. Baron Henry, who was now quite broad in both body and face, got more sunlight than at any time since he could walk. For each and every training session, he was certain to be carried out and set in a chair on the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, so that he could observe. Occasionally, he would even call one of the guards over to pass a message or make a suggestion. Liv could tell having his father take such an interest was working Matthew up to a fever pitch. The boy devoted himself to the task, desperate to earn a few words of his father¡¯s praise. Most afternoons, Liv and Emma would find themselves a place to sit and watch. At Baron Henry¡¯s suggestion, each day would end with what both Liv and Matthew considered to be a special treat. After James and Piers got through exhausting the boy, it was Liv¡¯s turn. Matthew was loaned a sharp arming sword, and took his stance at the center of the courtyard. Liv stood up, staff in hand, and walked closer - though she always made certain to keep a safe distance. At the baron¡¯s signal, she would begin to cast. At her invocation, the sigils of her staff flared to life, and forms of ice rose around Matthew. Behind him, to his left or right, sculptures of armed men, wielding shields, crossbows, pikes, or any other weapon Liv could think of, rose half-formed. The game was for Matthew to strike them down before Liv could finish sculpting them. She tried to spin him out of position, using one statue to occupy him while clandestinely beginning a second in the opposite direction. The first she might make slow, to force Matthew to wait, while the second snapped into place in the place of only a few breaths, thanks to a bit of extra mana and the inclusion of Veh. Or, she might take the opposite tack, and try to distract him with multiple quick castings, while slowly building a third statue in the hopes he would not notice it. By the end, Liv would be drained of mana, and Matthew would be soaked in sweat, but both would be grinning, while Emma clapped her hands. At the beginning of the last month of flood season, however, Matthew caught Liv by surprise. Not by shattering her statues; in fact, he put her off guard at the very beginning of the training session. ¡°Liv, why don¡¯t you come practice too?¡± he asked. The mornings were all warm sunlight, now, with the worst of the rains gone. Though Liv had never liked rolling out of bed, as far back as when she¡¯d been getting up early to empty chamber pots and scrub dishes, the boy seemed to have an endless well of energy. ¡°Me?¡± Liv blinked. ¡°You,¡± Matthew repeated. ¡°Everyone I spar with is so much bigger than I am. It isn¡¯t fair. At least you¡¯re closer to my size. And you have that sword-spell, don¡¯t you? You might as well learn how to use it.¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Emma learn, then?¡± Liv suggested, trying to distract him. The boy was stubborn as a mule once he got something in his head. ¡°Not me,¡± Emma protested. ¡°I¡¯m a hunter like my father. The last thing I should ever be doing is swinging a sword at anyone. Plus, I¡¯m taller than both of you, and Matthew wants someone closer to his own size.¡± Piers, who was supervising the training that morning, was useless: he just shrugged. ¡°If you want to learn, Liv, I can teach you. Seems a waste to have a spell you don¡¯t know how to use, don¡¯t it?¡± She shouldn¡¯t have been surprised the man was a traitor: after all, he¡¯d married Sophie two years ago. At least it had seemed to make her less miserable. ¡°Fine,¡± Liv said. She handed Emma her spellbook and staff to hold, then, after a moment, slipped off her ring as well and put it in the pocket she kept under her skirt. The last thing she wanted was to have her finger pop open like a blister, caught between the metal ring and a practice sword. ¡°I don¡¯t think skirts are made for this sort of work, though.¡± ¡°We start with footwork, like every morning,¡± Piers said, and handed her a wooden sword. Somewhere along the way, in spite of herself, Liv realized that she was having fun. It was a different kind of exercise than skiing, swimming or running. While her legs seemed to be in good shape for it, her arms were a different story entirely, and the practice swords were heavier than she¡¯d thought they would be. All the same, the guards and parries seemed simple enough to remember: perhaps because she¡¯d spent years memorizing charts of cases and conjugations in V?dic. Soon enough, it was time to learn cuts, set asides, and parries. They had Liv cut first, while Matthew blocked her in whatever way the exercise demanded. The first crack of wood on wood made her jump, and Liv couldn¡¯t quite get over a lingering bit of hesitation. She¡¯d spent so many years avoiding just this kind of physical activity that even now she couldn¡¯t shake the fear of an accident, of something happening that her weak bones couldn¡¯t stand up to. In fact, she suspected that if Master Cushing had known what she was doing right now, he¡¯d never have allowed it. All the same, she made it through her cuts without incident, and for a boy his age, Matthew had been patient with her. It was when it became Liv¡¯s turn to block, and Matthew¡¯s to cut, that she began to feel like things were spinning out of control. Matthew had been training for months already, since the first days of flood season, as soon as the courtyard was clear of snow and ice. Swinging at half speed didn¡¯t satisfy him for long, and as he cut, he put more and more speed and force into his swings. Liv was able to get her wooden sword up in time to block, with a loud crack each time, but the whole thing was beginning to make her nervous. ¡°Slow down!¡± she told him, but Matthew was grinning by now and really enjoying himself. Liv¡¯s skirts swished about her as she backed up, swinging her weapon up to block as quickly as she could. ¡°Matthew!¡± With a shout and a flourish, the boy swung down from over his shoulder, if not as hard as he could, than close to it. Liv knew what she was supposed to do, at least, and she raised the length of wood in her hands to block. But the moment the crack rung across the courtyard, she felt a jagged lance of pain in her right arm. Liv dropped her practice sword and cried out, falling to her knees and cradling her arm against her belly. It was all she could do to blink away the tears gathering at the corner of her eye. She knew this feeling: it had been a long time, but she¡¯d never truly believed that it was gone for good. ¡°Liv, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Matthew shouted, dropping his own sword and wrapping his arms around her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± It was too late: Liv didn¡¯t need Master Cushing to tell her that she¡¯d broken her arm. 33. Cel膿vant ¡°A fracture of the distal radius,¡± Master Cushing pronounced, though he continued to probe Liv¡¯s forearm with his fingers. She winced, but managed not to cry aloud. ¡°Foolishness,¡± the old chirurgeon said. ¡°I¡¯ve told you over and over again you need to take care of your bones, girl. What possessed you?¡± ¡°I thought it was better now,¡± Liv said. Master Cushing began to assemble his supplies: she saw that it was the old familiar routine of the bowl of warm plaster, and strips of linen. ¡°I¡¯ve been eating the right food for years now. I hunt a lot of it myself. When are my bones going to finally be better?¡± ¡°They are better,¡± the chirurgeon said, helping her to unlace the attached sleeve of her bodice, so that they could get her linen shift out of the way. ¡°Your bones are healthier than they were when you were a child. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve allowed you to go out on these hunting expeditions, and all the rest. But your bones still aren¡¯t as strong as those of a normal, healthy person, and you cannot forget that.¡± ¡°But when will they be?¡± Liv pressed him. ¡°Never,¡± Master Cushing told her, with a sigh. In that moment, he looked very old, and withered, like dry summer grass. He had little more than a few wisps of white hair remaining, and the scalp beneath was spotted and thin, like paper. ¡°It never will, Liv. You missed a dozen years when your body should have been growing strong. You¡¯ll never get that back. I¡¯m sorry, but you are never going to be as tall or as strong as you should have been. It is a hard thing to hear, but you need to face it. You¡¯re old enough to understand.¡± Liv looked away, biting back tears, as he wrapped her arm. ¡°So I can¡¯t ever learn to use a sword,¡± she asked him. It shouldn¡¯t have hurt so much; she hadn¡¯t even wanted to, in the first place. My aunt was Livara of the Five Blades, she thought bitterly. And I¡¯ll be Livara of No Blades. ¡°The break didn¡¯t happen until the two of you went at full speed?¡± Cushing asked her. Plaster dripped into the bowl every time he soaked a strip of linen, then lifted it out. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Liv said. ¡°You can learn at half speed, if you truly want to,¡± the chirurgeon said. ¡°But you need to wait at least twenty days. Don¡¯t put any weight on your arm until I take the cast off.¡± ¡°I write with my right hand,¡± Liv objected. ¡°Writing is fine, but lift the book with your left. Carry your staff with your left hand. I¡¯m going to give you a sling, once this dries. When you write, you rest your arm on the desk. No weight, you understand?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Liv nodded. It was just like when she was a little girl all over again. And it was never going to get better. She just had to accept it. There was something of a crowd waiting in the hallway, when she finally emerged. Mama was there, of course, with Emma; Lady Julianne was standing behind Matthew, who looked like he¡¯d been crying. The boy was growing so fast it was easy to forget he was only seven years old. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Liv,¡± Matthew said, and rushed forward to wrap his arms around her. Liv tried not to be resentful that it was her arm broken, but he was the one who was crying. Instead, she put her left hand on his back, and moved it in the slow circles that had calmed him when he was an infant. ¡°I¡¯m going to be alright,¡± she told everyone. ¡°I just can¡¯t use my arm for a few weeks. And Matthew, next time, only half speed. You understand?¡± The boy nodded his head, and allowed his mother to pry him away. ¡°Take the afternoon to rest,¡± Lady Julianne suggested. ¡°Come along, Emma, Matthew. Let¡¯s give Liv a chance to lie down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come visit you again tomorrow,¡± Emma said, waving as she left. When it was only Liv and her mother alone in the hallway, they turned and walked to her room in silence. ¡°He said my bones are as strong as they¡¯ll ever be,¡± Liv said, after they¡¯d closed the door behind them. She sat down on her bed, where Charlie was sleeping in a patch of sunlight, and laid her cheek upon the black cat¡¯s warm fur. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mama said. ¡°If I¡¯d known, I would have gotten you the right food.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Liv said. ¡°It isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. It just is.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± her mother asked. ¡°My books,¡± Liv decided, after a moment. ¡°Over there.¡± She let the cat be, and maneuvered herself under a blanket, with two pillows at her back. Now the snow had melted, her furs had been packed away until next winter. Her mother brought over all four books that had been stacked on her desk, and Liv used her left hand to pull out the newest. ¡°What is that one?¡± Mama asked, sitting on the bed next to her. ¡°In the old baron¡¯s collection is a copy of Semhis Thorn-Killer¡¯s diary,¡± Liv said. ¡°Baron Henry gave me permission to read it years ago, but the entire thing is written in V?dic, and at the time, I didn¡¯t know the language well enough to read it. So, instead, I bought a blank book from Master Gaunt, and copied it.¡± ¡°By hand? The entire thing? When you couldn¡¯t even read what it said?¡± Mama asked. Liv held the book so that they could both see, and flipped to the first page with writing on it. ¡°It took a while,¡± Liv said. ¡°I worked on it when I had the spare time. To be completely honest, it¡¯s still too difficult for me. There¡¯s so many words we¡¯ve forgotten the meaning of, to say nothing of idiomatic language that¡¯s been lost. But I don¡¯t need to know the story.¡± She found the page she was looking for, and tapped her finger against a short phrase. ¡°What¡¯s that, then?¡± Her mother leaned forward to get a closer look. ¡°That is a spell,¡± Liv said. ¡°I already knew that I couldn¡¯t fight with a sword. It would have been nice to be able to practice with Matthew, but that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m good at. This is.¡± ¡°Alright, then,¡± Mama said. The older woman stood up from the bed and kissed Liv on the forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of the girls bring you a meal up here, if you like. But you should go down for dinner.¡± Liv nodded and made a noise, but she was already focused on the words she¡¯d copied years ago. In truth, she didn¡¯t even hear the door close when her mother left the room. With her left hand, she reached for the stack of volumes her mother had brought over, and opened her spellbook to the back, where Master Jurian had first left her pages of notes on spell construction. More and more, she was finding the limits of what he¡¯d seen fit to include. ¡°Desiccation Ward,¡± Liv mumbled, translating the name of the spell. She¡¯d been using her spare time in the evenings to mine Thorn-Killer¡¯s spells for words that she didn¡¯t already know, things that might be useful in constructing her own incantations. But there was something very odd about this one. The common element among all of the author¡¯s spells was a single word of power: Ters, the same word that the Summersets used to this very day. Long ago, Liv had thought that just knowing the meaning of a word was enough to master it, but years of experience had taught her otherwise. A word of power had to be attuned before it could be used, a process of using mental images and associations to resonate with the core concept of the magic. Without Baron Henry to guide her, trying to use Ters as the base of a spell was a lot like punching the castle wall. She knew that he¡¯d begun teaching Matthew, but it was slow going. However, in theory, Liv understood how to conjugate Ters, just like she could conjugate her own word, Cel. Which meant that she should recognize the form of Ters being used in this spell. But she didn¡¯t. She looked back over to the chart drawn by Master Jurian¡¯s hand, at the back of her spellbook.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Ters¨¥vant,¡± Liv murmured. There was no matching entry in the table she¡¯d been given. Ters could have been irregular; Master Grenfell had told her that some words of power used slightly different conjugation from the norm. Except it wasn¡¯t. She flipped through the book, double checking the other spells she¡¯d marked. Every one of them matched a form present in her notes, except for this one. It was frustrating. Liv threw the blanket back, gathered up both books under her left arm, and went off to find Master Grenfell. ? She finally found him in the north tower of the castle, in the old baron¡¯s observatory. Liv slipped into the dusty room, closed the door behind her, and settled herself in one of the two cushioned chairs. Her teacher had the telescope completely disassembled, and was cleaning the new lenses he¡¯d bought from Coral Bay the year before. ¡°Ah, Liv,¡± Grenfell muttered, not even looking up from his work. ¡°How did Lord Matthew¡¯s practice in the yard go today?¡± ¡°Well enough for him,¡± Liv remarked. ¡°Not so good for me.¡± At that, Master Grenfell finally looked up, blinked twice, and finally recognized the cast on her arm. ¡°I¡¯d thought we were past that,¡± the older mage remarked, setting aside his lens. ¡°Master Cushing says I won¡¯t ever be past it entirely,¡± Liv told him. ¡°The price of a dozen years eating the wrong food.¡± ¡°For what it is worth, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Grenfell told her. ¡°But if it serves to keep you focused on where your true talents lie, perhaps it is not such a bad thing. You have the time and inclination to master your word of power in a way that few of us ever could, Liv. Six years of study here, and you¡¯re not even near the time to leave for college. Concentrate on what you¡¯re good at, rather than trying to do things you aren¡¯t suited for.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what brings me up here, actually,¡± Liv told him. ¡°I found something odd in Thorn-Killer¡¯s diary. At first I thought I¡¯d just made a mistake, but I¡¯ve double and triple checked. One of these conjugations is wrong.¡± She held her copied book in her lap, turning it to face Master Grenfell, and put the tip of her left index finger right on the spell. ¡°Ters¨¥vant,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that form before. What does it mean?¡± Grenfell took his time answering, leaning forward over the book to get a close look. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t want you playing with that, yet. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°If I understand the name of the spell correctly,¡± Liv pressed, ¡°it¡¯s called Desiccation Ward. What does that mean?¡± ¡°If I answer this question,¡± Grenfell said, leaning back in his own chair, ¡°I want your promise that you will not go experimenting without my guidance.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t pushed you about enchanting,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°You have not,¡± her teacher agreed. ¡°And I take your point. You have been quite responsible. Ters¨¥vant,¡± he explained, ¡°is in the active future tense, rather than in the present.¡± ¡°Future?¡± Liv closed the book, taking a moment to process. ¡°Meaning the spell doesn¡¯t actually take place at the time it¡¯s cast?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°This is advanced spellcraft, Liv. Working with the future tense means that you can cast a spell to trigger on a certain condition. And that is what makes it so dangerous. Can you think of any ways such a thing would go wrong?¡± ¡°I can think of a few reasons it would be incredible,¡± Liv said, smiling. ¡°It takes too long for me to cast an Icewall. If I tried to use it to save myself from a crossbow bolt, I¡¯d be a pincushion by the time I finished talking. But if I could cast it ahead of time, and trigger the magic when someone loosed a bolt at me...¡± ¡°You see the potential,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°As everyone does, when first introduced to the concept. But not the danger. Let¡¯s take Thorn-killer¡¯s spell, there. Desiccation Ward. A nasty bit of magic, and one I had the distinct privilege to watch Baron Henry use, during the last eruption. He would set it down around our campsite every night. A ring of powdered Aluthet''Staia to hold the magic - don¡¯t even ask me how much each casting cost him. And what do you think happened to anything that crossed that circle?¡± ¡°Ters sucks all the moisture out of a target,¡± Liv said. While the Summersets would only teach the word to members of the family, they didn¡¯t make any real effort to hide its destructive capabilities. She supposed it helped to discourage their enemies. ¡°So any mana-beast that crossed the circle of powder would instantly dry out and shrivel up.¡± ¡°A painful way to die,¡± Master Grenfell said, nodding his head. ¡°I could adapt this to freeze anyone who crossed,¡± Liv realized. ¡°You could.¡± Grenfell nodded. ¡°But here is the problem, my dear. Let us say you do that. You¡¯re camping on one of your hunting trips, and you lay out your ward, and go to sleep secure in the knowledge that no enemy can approach you. All well and good, yes? A wolf tries to cross the circle, and it dies. That¡¯s fine, you¡¯ll find it in the morning and skin it, or whatever Master Forester¡¯s been teaching you to do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem yet,¡± Liv said. ¡°What if it isn¡¯t a wolf that crosses the ward?¡± Grenfell asked. ¡°What if it¡¯s a wandering hunter who sees your fire? What happens to him? What if it¡¯s a lost child? The magic doesn¡¯t draw a distinction, Liv. It had no judgement. We provide the judgement. A mage chooses when to use force, and when not to. When you leave it to the magic to decide, it will simply do what it¡¯s been instructed to do. Even if the results are not what you want.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying it shouldn¡¯t ever be used,¡± Liv said. ¡°No. I¡¯m saying it must be used in the correct circumstances, and with exceptional care and forethought,¡± Grenfell told her. ¡°Your idea about the Icewall. Why not just walk around with a stored spell all the time? Contingent on the event of someone attacking you with a weapon? Use your mind, like I have taught you. What could go wrong?¡± ¡°The wall forms, regardless of what else might be in the way,¡± Liv said, after considering for a moment. ¡°Or where you are. It could break something, if you¡¯re inside a building. If it was big enough, it could knock down a wall or a roof.¡± ¡°What if someone was standing right where the wall appears?¡± Grenfell asked. ¡°At best, they¡¯re knocked aside,¡± Liv said. ¡°At worst, frozen into the wall. It could kill someone, just like the ward.¡± ¡°Using the future tense of a word of power relinquishes your control of it,¡± her master explained. ¡°We will perform one experiment, tomorrow. Out in the woods, with half a dozen guards to secure the area. Your idea about a ward using Cel is a good one, and one day it might save your life. I can¡¯t let your first time making the attempt be unsupervised. When you have it right, you can record it in your book. But no further experimentation with the future tense until you¡¯re at Coral Bay, or until I give you permission. Agreed?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ? They took the carriage, and the guards came with them on foot. Master Grenfell had expressly forbidden Emma and Matthew from accompanying them: ¡°The fewer people there, the less risk,¡± the mage had grumbled before they¡¯d set out. He¡¯d also brought along half a dozen bags, which Liv presumed contained the powdered mana-stone. ¡°I thought you said those were expensive,¡± she said, when he handed her one. They¡¯d walked a good distance off into the woods, at the foot of Summit Mountain, leaving the carriage behind. The guards had fanned out in a wide circle, to turn away anyone who might happen to approach. ¡°Baron Henry was saving these for the next eruption,¡± Grenfell explained. ¡°I convinced him that it was better you got practice now, before you have to do this in an emergency.¡± It was awkward, with one arm in a sling, but Master Grenfell held Liv¡¯s staff for her while she surrounded the two of them in a ring of powder. It only used a quarter of the bag, because she¡¯d made it no more than a few paces across. After passing the rest of the bag back, Liv reclaimed her staff. Then, she tucked her skirts under her and sat on the ground, opening her spellbook in front of her. Then, Liv touched the top of her staff to the powder. ¡°Cel¨¥vant Cwo Ferent Sceria,¡± she said. Thorn-Killer¡¯s spell in all respects, save one: the word of power used. Light flared down her staff, leapt to the powder, and set it aglow. It was a soft, dull radiance, like starlight, and would be hardly noticeable during the day. ¡°What now?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Now we wait,¡± Master Grenfell said, sitting down. It was a squirrel, finally. Liv guessed that it must have taken a bell of sitting quietly before a creature felt brave enough to scamper past them. The moment the squirrel touched the circle, a flash of light erupted, and ice cracked across its fur. Even the poor thing¡¯s bushy tail was frozen, curved upright just as it had been held in the moment. Liv swallowed, then used her staff to break the circle, wiping away a portion of the dust. ¡°That¡¯s a horrible way to die,¡± she said. ¡°And now you understand,¡± Grenfell told her. Together, they got to their feet, gathered the guards, and set off back to Whitehill. When Liv stepped out of the carriage in the courtyard, Matthew was waiting for her with a bouquet of flowers. 34. The Lady of Changes Warning: This Chapter touches on some of the realities of female adolescence. There''s nothing graphic or sexual, but I thought people should have a heads up.
Liv felt stupid, standing by the funeral pyre, lined up with all the others. Master Cushing had been looking older and more fragile for years now, but it had still taken her utterly by surprise when he¡¯d died in the night. The old chirurgeon was supposed to keep everyone else healthy: how could he be the one to go away first? Baron Henry was the only one seated: two of the castle guards had carried him over and set their lord in a chair before the funeral began. Lady Julianne stood at his left, and Matthew at his right. Matthew, Liv noticed, was nearly as tall as his mother, now. Master Grenfell stood with the family. Liv, on the other hand, had chosen to stand with her mother and Gretta. Osric Fletcher, the priest of the Trinity, rarely had cause to visit Castle Whitehill; normally, Baron Henry or Lady Julianne led the family and the servants in their prayers. For a death, however, only a priest would do. All morning, the men of the castle - a group which for the first time admitted Matthew to their work - had built the pyre. They kept plenty of dried firewood on hand in the wood-cellar, and they¡¯d formed a line to pass it up and out into the courtyard. The footmen, the castle guards, and even Master Grenfell had all got their hands dirty. The women, in the meanwhile, had gathered herbs and flowers. ¡°One thing no one likes to talk about,¡± Gretta had told Liv, quietly. ¡°The smell. A human body burning smells foul. Go get more of the dried sage.¡± Once the men had built a frame of carefully laid wood, Liv helped stuff it with sage, lavender, rosemary, rose petals, and chamomile. Archie poured a liberal helping of lamp oil over the whole thing. ¡°The last thing anyone wants is to struggle to light it,¡± the first footman had told her, when he¡¯d noticed Liv watching. ¡°Remember this when it comes to be my turn. Get it done quick and proper, no mistakes.¡± Liv had nodded, and walked back to the kitchen with him. ¡°-for what is death, but another change?¡± Osric Fletcher asked the assembled, rousing Liv from her muddled thoughts. ¡°After a life wracked by storms, a life of striving to live up to our potential, Sitia welcomes us into her arms. Like any other change, death is frightening - but it comes to all of us. Remember, the Lady lends us strength. You who remain, send this man on his way with your love, and take comfort in each other. Aldo Cushing, we give your body to the fire, so that your mortal blood may not feed the wicked. May your soul be free at last.¡± When the priest stepped back, Kazimir Grenfell stepped forward. The mage knelt by the side of the pyre, extended his hand, and invoked the word of his family. Liv only rarely witnessed her teacher using ?ter, the word of fire, but today it lit the dry wood and lamp oil immediately. Grenfell stood, bowed his head for a moment, and then backed away. Liv couldn¡¯t pull her eyes from Master Cushing¡¯s familiar profile, even as his features were picked out in silhouette against the rising flames. White spirals of smoke drifted up from the pyre: the sage had caught. ¡°He¡¯s the first person I¡¯ve ever known who died,¡± Liv said, and her mother pulled her into a hug. ¡°He was a good man,¡± Mama said, brushing at her eyes with her other hand. ¡°Despite all his moaning and complaining, he was always there to help anyone who needed it.¡± ¡°Before his hip got so bad,¡± Liv recalled, ¡°he always used to take me into town. He had me practice on everyone¡¯s cuts and bruises.¡± ¡°And he was handsome when he was younger,¡± Gretta said. ¡°I remember the first day he came to the castle. Had all us girls giggling over him.¡± Something sharp stabbed at Liv¡¯s heart. She would have rather not thought about the fact that Gretta and Master Cushing were near the same age. And Archibald wasn¡¯t much younger. The priest joined them in the great hall, after the pyre had burned low, for the funeral feast. That was tradition, too: it would have been ungrateful to send him on his way without thanking the man with a meal. Before dessert was served, Lady Julianne rose from her seat. ¡°It will take at least a ten-day for the Order of Chirurgeons to send us a Court Chirurgeon,¡± she said, raising her voice to address the entire assembly. ¡°In Master Cushing¡¯s absence, I have asked Rhea, the midwife, to come up from Fairford and stay at the castle. She will be here to treat anyone who needs it until a chirurgeon arrives.¡± Liv frowned at the thought of someone replacing Master Cushing. He wasn¡¯t an old shield or a chipped plate, to be discarded and never thought of again. At least the midwife was someone she¡¯d met before, though it had been a dozen years since the eruption. The footmen came out with the dessert platters, pulling her out of her thoughts. ? It was on the third night after the funeral that Liv woke up to a sore belly. She winced, curling around herself, and tried to go back to sleep. When that didn¡¯t seem like it was going to work, she groped across her bedside table for the candle she kept there. ¡°Ghelet Legaem,¡± Liv murmured, and the wick caught, casting a warm glow around her bedchamber. If she wasn¡¯t going to be able to sleep, perhaps she could get some spellwork done. She kicked her blankets aside and walked over to her desk, where she lit the oil lamp with the candle. The sudden light pushed back the darkness of night, and Liv saw that her shift was stained with something dark, halfway between red and brown. She looked back to her bed, and saw a spot of darkness in the sheets, as well. ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± Liv cursed. Mama had warned her about this, and Emma had told her more. It was one more thing to worry about. She would have preferred it didn¡¯t come in the middle of the night, while she was asleep, however. It was obvious no work was going to be done, now. Liv walked back over to the bed and pulled the rope, which would ring a bell down in the kitchen. She would have just gotten a washbowl and hot water herself, but she didn¡¯t want to creep around in the middle of the night in a stained shift. It seemed safer to stay in her room, even if that did mean disturbing someone else¡¯s sleep. By the time Joan had brought her hot water, rags to scrub with, and soap, Liv had bundled up the ruined sheets and stripped the mattress. There was a smell to it, when you got right up close, and it all made her feel dirty. She handed those and the stained shift out, in exchange for the washing things, and then closed and locked the door behind the maid. It was astounding she didn¡¯t fall over and die right then from the embarrassment. Then, she focused on getting herself cleaned up and dressed in clean clothes, before heading for Master Cushing¡¯s old rooms. Perhaps it was a good thing Lady Julianne had asked the midwife to come to the castle, after all. The morning sun was just coming through the windows by the time Rhea of Fairford had finished examining Liv. ¡°You¡¯re perfectly healthy,¡± the old midwife assured her. ¡°Nothing different than any other girl. Have some tea to settle your stomach; if you want to spend the day in bed, I¡¯ll tell everyone else you¡¯re not feeling well. They won¡¯t argue with me.¡± ¡°Are you certain, though?¡± Liv asked. She was perched on the examination table, wearing just her shift and stockings. ¡°Have you ever examined one of the Eld before? Could there be something different?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve never treated an Eldish woman,¡± Rhea admitted, glowering at Liv. ¡°And given your history, I can see why you¡¯d be afraid. But this is simple. So far as anything related to babies goes, we all basically work the same way.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°But how do you know that?¡± Liv pressed. Maybe she was being unreasonable, but then, everyone had assumed that she could just eat human food for the first half of her life, and look how that had turned out. ¡°Because the old gods made both humans and Eld to be able to reproduce with themselves,¡± Rhea said. ¡°The fact we¡¯re compatible with each other is an afterthought, but I suppose you should be thankful for it. Your mother teach you the Maiden¡¯s Charm, yet?¡± she asked. Liv shook her head. ¡°Learn it,¡± Rhea ordered her. ¡°And use it. Lady Sitia gave it to us, and we¡¯re thankful. But even that is no guarantee.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to need that anytime soon,¡± Liv said, her cheeks burning red. Even the tips of her ears were warm. She was going to college, and had no intention of ending up like her mother. ¡°Learn it anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask my friend,¡± Liv promised. It would be less embarrassing to talk to Emma than Mama. That would only lead to another talk about avoiding boys. ¡°Alright, then, off with you,¡± Rhea ordered her. ¡°Gods forbid someone actually needs my help, and you¡¯re still lazing about in here.¡± ? Liv didn¡¯t spend the day in bed, though she was beginning to think that had been a mistake. She had gone to see Emma after breakfast, taking the carriage down to the Lower Banks to visit her friend. As she¡¯d thought, Emma was more than happy to teach Liv the Maiden¡¯s Charm. The little girl that Liv had saved from drowning in the river was seventeen, now, and nearly as skilled a hunter as her father. She¡¯d also become a dark-haired beauty who wore men¡¯s buckskin hunting trousers, scandalizing all the old women of Whitehill. Liv tried not to think about the fact that her friend was not only taller than her, but looked so much older than her, as well. Master Forester had served them two plates of sausages, once the girls had emerged from Emma¡¯s room, and the morning had quickly gotten away from them. By the time Liv had gotten back to the castle, it was coming up on time for her afternoon lessons with Matthew and Master Grenfell. Matthew preferred working in the common room of the Old Oak to the master mage¡¯s chambers, and so the occasional treat had turned into their regular meeting place. Liv spent as much time helping the young lord with his V?dic as she did working on her own spells, while Master Grenfell enjoyed a glass of brandy. ¡°It¡¯s good for you,¡± the older mage insisted. ¡°Teaching something helps you to truly master it.¡± Liv figured that meant she would be practically an archmage by the time they were done, because as talented as Matthew was with a sword, he was a nightmare at grammar. ¡°No, you need to account for the gender of the noun,¡± Liv reminded him, for what must have been the fifth time. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even make sense,¡± Matthew complained. ¡°Why is a sword male, while water is female? I understand when it comes to animals, they breed just like we do,¡± he said. ¡°But there¡¯s no baby swords running around after their mothers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how it works,¡± Liv told him. ¡°I didn¡¯t make this up, the old gods did. It must have made sense to them.¡± ¡°If they weren¡¯t already dead, I¡¯d kill them again just for having such a stupid language,¡± Matthew grumbled. Then, he leaned forward and lowered his voice, keeping one eye on where Master Grenfell stood at the bar. ¡°James told me there¡¯s a travelling storyteller at the Sign of the Terrapin, or at least there was last night. We should go tonight.¡± Liv checked on their teacher: he was waiting for the innkeeper to open the bottle of brandy and pour. ¡°Your mother will string you up by your toenails if you get caught. And there¡¯s no way you won¡¯t get caught - it¡¯s too far away.¡± ¡°Just at the south pass,¡± Matthew said, dismissing her worries. ¡°It¡¯s not far past Fairford. We can get there easily enough on Boulder.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that¡¯s the name you chose for your horse,¡± Liv teased him. ¡°I don¡¯t have a horse, though, Matthew.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Ride in front of me. Come on, it¡¯ll be an adventure.¡± ¡°The trouble with you is that you¡¯ve never had a real adventure,¡± Liv said. ¡°Try having a stone-bat or two fly at your face, and see how fun you think it is.¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be any stone-bats,¡± Matthew said. ¡°We¡¯re going south, not north. And father says there won¡¯t be another eruption for at least ten years.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t go with you, you¡¯re just going to do it alone, aren¡¯t you,¡± Liv guessed. Matthew answered her question with a cocky grin. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°Now back to your nouns. He¡¯s coming back with his brandy.¡± ? After the evening meal, that night, Liv didn¡¯t go to sleep with the rest of the castle. Instead, she waited until the tenth bell, fetched the lighter of her two cloaks from the clothes chest in her room, and then spent a moment considering her staff. Matthew was right; they were riding away from the rift, down a well kept road. Though she¡¯d never actually been there, Liv knew that the Sign of the Terrapin was located in the southern pass that led out of the Aspen River Valley. The castle guards went there sometimes, when they were feeling adventurous or bored with the usual three inns. Merchants stayed there, as well, on their way into the valley, and Liv had never heard any of them say that it was dangerous. Plus, it was a pain to hold the staff while she was riding double with Matthew. She¡¯d gotten riding lessons with him: the past few years, Lady Julianne must have decided it was easier to just have them both taught the same things. But while Matthew had been given a young warhorse for his twelfth birthday, Liv took her lessons on Lady Julianne¡¯s palfrey, and there was no way she was going to steal Snowflake for the night. Her decision made, Liv leaned the staff in the corner of her room, adjusted her cloak, and slipped out of her room. She met Matthew in the stables, where he already had Boulder saddled. He¡¯d even wrapped the horse¡¯s hooves in rags, to muffle the sound of his iron shoes striking cobblestones. She also noticed he was wearing an arming sword at his belt. ¡°Here,¡± he said, cupping his hands together and offering Liv a place to put her boot. She put a hand on his shoulder and one on the saddle, pushed herself up with her left leg, and got herself settled. Lady Julianne had taught her to ride sidesaddle, and Liv managed to get her skirt arranged so that it didn¡¯t show her ankles. Then, Matthew clambered up behind her, and they were off. He must have arranged with one of the guards for the castle gates to be open, but the gate out of the Lower Banks was a different matter. The town guards stopped them, and Liv found herself being peered at by lamplight. ¡°I can¡¯t let you out of town at night, m¡¯lord,¡± the guard said. His whiskers were trimmed so that they stuck out of his cheeks like a bush, but his chin was shaved clean. ¡°We¡¯re just taking in a bit of fresh air,¡± Matthew said, slipping a silver coin to the guard. ¡°The ring is beautiful tonight, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯ll be back in a bell.¡± The whiskered guard scowled, but pocketed the coin. ¡°Don¡¯t get yourselves lost out there,¡± he said, and stomped over to the winch. As the men cranked the gate halfway open, Liv saw one of them elbow another, nod in her direction, and say something. The second guard laughed, and she pulled her hood up to cover her face. Once they were through the gate, Matthew urged Boulder to a canter. Though it was not yet harvest time, the nights had begun to cool, and Liv was grateful she could lean into her friend¡¯s body for warmth. ¡°You alright in there?¡± Matthew asked her, as Boulder took them south, his hooves eating up the road. ¡°Just a little chilly,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°There¡¯ll be a warm fire at the inn,¡± Matthew said. But he also wrapped an arm around her, holding the reins in just his right hand. A few years ago, it might have frightened her; but he was undeniably a good horseman, now. In fact, Liv felt quite safe. And the ring was pretty, like the guard had said. She looked up at the stars and the moon, and the great shining line that split the sky in half. Away from the lights of Whitehill, everything seemed brighter. At Fairford, Boulder thumped over the bridge without any interruption, and then they were away south on an open road under the starry sky. ¡°This is the furthest from home I¡¯ve ever been,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Me too,¡± Matthew said, and she could imagine his grin even if she couldn¡¯t see it. He was fearless, and always had been, from the time he¡¯d been a baby. The ride lulled her half to sleep, until Boulder¡¯s gait changed. Liv stirred within Matthew¡¯s arms, and opened her eyes as the horse came to halt. The building was three stories, built in the shape of a square with one side missing. The missing side faced the road, and was filled by a cobblestone courtyard. Light spilled out from the paned windows of the common room, along with voices and fragments of music. Over the door hung a painted wooden sign with a turtle on it. Matthew helped Liv down, and she waited while he tied Boulder up at the post. Then, like the gentleman his mother had trained him to be, he opened the door for her, and Liv stepped into the Sign of the Terrapin. 35. The Sign of the Terrapin A blast of night wind caught Liv¡¯s skirts and cloak as she stepped past Matthew and through the open door. A tendril of white hair spilled out of her hood and into the light, and she reached up to tuck it back behind her ear. The great open hearth at one end of the common room at the Sign of the Terrapin lit the entire space in a warm glow: the heat immediately warmed her hands and her face. Then, Matthew was inside as well, and pulled the door closed behind them. The chamber was wide, and a low ceiling with exposed beams meant that a very tall man might need to duck his head. For someone as small as Liv, of course it was no problem, but she hesitated all the same as every eye in the place turned to fix on them. Or was it, perhaps, on her? Liv was instantly aware that she was the only girl in the room. At the bar, a tall man with short-cropped gray hair and a pair of spectacles perched on his nose leaned forward on both elbows. The near table was occupied by a weather-beaten man wearing a great coat and boots, with a glittering golden ring in his left ear. A far table, facing the entrance, had been taken by a man who kept the back of his chair to the wall. He wore a jack of plate and a rapier, though the armor was not in the green and white colors of Baron Henry¡¯s guards. Instead, the man¡¯s jack was green with purple accents and brightly polished brass fastenings that gleamed so that they almost looked gold in the firelight. He had a scar on his face that turned the corner of his mouth down, so that he looked to be perpetually scowling. Finally, seated on a stool in front of the hearth, was a man who looked to be the oldest of all those present. His mane and beard were shaggy white, though his forehead was high and gleaming due to a receding hairline. In his arms, he cradled something like a lute, though shaped oddly. The storyteller plucked a single string, breaking the silence, and the attention of the room returned to him. ¡°What¡¯ll you have?¡± the man at the bar asked. ¡°Ale for me, and wine for the lady,¡± Matthew answered. He counted a score of copper coins out of his purse, and set them on the bar. Once they had their drinks, he led Liv over to an empty table, where he pulled a chair out for her. ¡°Lady, is it?¡± Liv teased him, taking a sip of her wine. It wasn¡¯t local to the valley: the innkeep must have bought it from guild traders coming through the pass. ¡°For one night, at least,¡± Matthew joked right back. ¡°Jokes later, I want to hear.¡± And indeed, the storyteller at the fire seemed about to make a beginning. ¡°Inspiration, move me brightly,¡± he said, and his voice was that of a singer. It filled the common-room easily, aged and mellow like the scent of the baron¡¯s old liquor. ¡°A tale of the first days, I think, in the first age of the world. Before the falling star that devastated the west. Before the war, even, when the great wolves and bats and the clanking soldiers of Antris marched in rank upon rank. A tale that begins at the house of Sivis, V?dic Lord of Storms.¡± Liv settled back into her chair, keeping her cloak wrapped tightly around her, with her cup of wine clutched in both hands, and listened. It reminded her of the stories Gretta used to tell her before bed, when she¡¯d clutched a rag-doll in her arms by candlelight. ¡°The Eld were not the first race to walk this world, though they are older than us,¡± the storyteller continued, strumming soft notes as he spoke. Liv thought that his eyes flicked in her direction, and she sunk lower in her chair. ¡°The old gods, who as far surpassed the Eld as the Eld do men, shaped the first age of the world. When they found the ancient, primitive people of the two races, the V?dim enslaved us, and made our ancestors their servants. They changed the Eld with their magic, to make our older brothers and sisters pleasing to their eyes, and took them as concubines, or as entertainers, to fill the air with songs of wonderment and sorrow.¡± Concubines. Liv thought back to the words of the Elden merchant, Airis Ka Reimis, about the aunt she¡¯d never known. ¡°She died in the depths of the Tomb of Celris, where the Vaedic Lord of Winter perished. Your great-grandfather. It is his power that sings in your veins. That is the other reason I knew who you must be - no one but a child with the blood of the old gods could stumble upon a word of power without training.¡± Concubine was a fancy word for whore, Liv knew. She doubted her ancestors had received much in the way of a choice about bearing the children of a god. ¡°Humans, weak and fragile, doomed to short lives, were the lowest of the low,¡± the storyteller went on. ¡°Our forefathers were field hands, miners, fishers, and laborers who earned their bread with sweat and pain. One of these slaves was a human woman named Miriam. Half human, at least, for her own mother was the most favored concubine of the Lord of Storms.¡± ¡°But when Sivis learned that his toy was with child, he grew angry, and commanded his Elden seneschal to kill the babe at birth. The seneschal presented Sivis with a dead infant, sure enough; however, he spirited Miriam herself away to the house of Tamiris, Lord of Potential. Miriam¡¯s V?dic blood fascinated the god; he was curious to see whether a halfbreed would be able to learn things other humans could not.¡± ¡°Miriam was not raised as a slave. She was educated by Tamiris as if she was his own daughter, and in time he grew to love her as if she had been his flesh and blood. Furthermore, she fulfilled all his hopes: from an early age, she displayed command of her father¡¯s word of power. She could summon a wind or a fog; she could conceal herself in a cloak of mist; she could float up like a feather, call lightning on a clear day, or bring rain down from the sky to drench a parched field.¡± Despite herself, Liv set her goblet on the table and leaned forward. She sounds like me, Liv thought. Had this woman, dead so long ago, felt a storm at the back of her mind, always struggling to break free? The storyteller took a sip from his own goblet, then continued. ¡°But as she grew, Miriam¡¯s heart began to break from guilt and sorrow. For while she lived a life of ease in the house of Tamiris, she saw her fellow men and women working in his fields. She began to leave her foster father¡¯s house in the evenings and visit the workers of the fields, using her many words of power to heal their cuts and bruises, and to soothe their muscles.¡± The door to the common room banged open again, and a group of half a dozen men, laughing and chatting, walked in together. They called out to the innkeeper for ale, and settled around the largest table. Liv frowned, trying not to show her annoyance. She wanted to hear the rest of the story. ¡°Eventually, Miriam¡¯s foster father discovered what she was doing, and called her into his garden. ¡°Why do you creep about in the night, concealing your activities from me, your father?¡± he asked her. Miriam answered that her heart wept for the slaves in the fields, who she knew were her kin, and begged her father¡¯s mercy. She asked him why the V?dim must keep men as slaves, and argued passionately with him long into the night. As the sky grew bright with dawn, Tamiris forbid her from visiting the fields any further.¡± ¡°Sounds like fathers are all the same, even when they¡¯re gods,¡± Matthew commented at Liv¡¯s side, but she shushed him. ¡°As soon as her adopted father had left her presence, Miriam fled Tamiris¡¯ house. She wandered Varuna of old, walking from one field to the next, visiting the slaves in their hovels and tending their injuries, or soothing the women in childbirth. She did not confine her aid to men alone, but did her best even to help the Eld, who lived lives of ease in the houses of their masters.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Knife-eared cunts,¡± one of the new arrivals shouted. He was fat around the middle, and red-faced, with dark brows and beard. From the slurring of the man¡¯s voice, Liv guessed he¡¯d been drinking even before his arrival. Liv leaned over so that she could murmur in Matthew¡¯s ear. ¡°Maybe we should leave,¡± she suggested. ¡°As soon as the story¡¯s over,¡± he said. Liv didn¡¯t like it, but she settled back in to listen. ¡°After three years of wandering, Miriam returned to the house of Sivis, her father, though she knew him not,¡± the storyteller continued. ¡°There, she saw that the fields were particularly green, and the skies particularly pleasant. She was surprised to find that the slaves seemed to recognize her. When she asked them why they looked at her so, they turned away silent and fearful; but one man stepped forward and spoke up. ¡®You have the face,¡¯ he said, ¡®of a woman we recognize from many years ago. She was Lord Sivis¡¯ concubine, and she gave birth to his daughter. When he had the baby killed by his seneschal, she threw herself from a high sea cliff onto the rocks below. Lord Sivis left her body there for three days and three nights, and then we secretly took her and buried her.¡± ¡°Miriam found the Elden seneschal while he was inspecting the fields, and revealed herself to him; and when his face grew pale, she knew the truth for certain. She turned and walked to the house of Sivis, and the skies grew dark. As she came within ten paces of the gate, a bolt of lightning struck the way clear before her.¡± ¡°She found Sivis in his chambers, occupied with his concubines. Who can say for certain whether he knew the truth when he saw her countenance? Whatever he thought, he was quick to defend himself. Within moments, the house of Sivis was in flames as father and daughter called lighting and fire from the skies above, throwing violent storms at each other. The walls cracked and tumbled, the fields burned, and the slaves cowered in fear.¡± ¡°As the battle raged, however, it became clear that Miriam could not match her father¡¯s power. Though he was sorely wounded, still he smote about her with lightnings and fires, and she fell to the ground burned and bloody, too weak to move.¡± The jangling chords of music died away, leaving only the storyteller¡¯s voice, and the occasional clink of a goblet on one of the wooden tables. ¡°Lord Sivis approached and stood over her, and raised his hand to strike down his own daughter. As he did, a single slave - the same man who had been brave enough to tell Miriam the truth - thrust a scythe through the god¡¯s back. Sivis staggered, and before her eyes closed, Miriam called lightning one final time from the storm above.¡± ¡°When she woke, tended by the same seneschal who had spirited her away so many years before, Lord Sivis was dead. In the days that followed, word of Miriam¡¯s act spread, and slaves fled the homes of their masters to come to her. Though she had acted only in a moment of rage, she became a symbol of hope to her people, and found herself the center of a rebellion.¡± The storyteller set his instrument aside. ¡°And with that, my cup is empty,¡± he remarked, rising to make his way over to the bar. ¡°Now, we should go,¡± Liv said. She was relieved when Matthew did not argue. The two of them stood, pushed their chairs back in, and picked their way over to the door. ¡°That story was shit,¡± one of the drunken men complained. ¡°Tell us something about a nice set of tits.¡± His companions roared with laughter, and banged their table with their goblets. Matthew yanked the door open, and another gust of wind blew past him. This time, it caught Liv from the front, instead of from behind, and tore her hood back completely, revealing her face. Her white hair danced in the firelight, showing her ears for the entire room to see. ¡°What the fuck is this,¡± the dark haired man who¡¯d shouted out earlier called. ¡°A knife-eared bitch right here with us the entire time. The fuck are you doing this far south?¡± ¡°That¡¯s no way to speak to a lady,¡± Matthew called back. ¡°You¡¯re drunk, and we¡¯re leaving. Good evening, all of you. Thank you for the story.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re some sort of little lord, do you?¡± The dark bearded man stood, knocking his chair over. ¡°Think you¡¯re better than us, running around with your Eldish whore?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m better than you,¡± Matthew shot back, disgust dripping from his voice. ¡°I know I am.¡± The rest of the table threw their chairs aside, and lumbered to their feet. Liv caught at Matthew¡¯s arm, trying to pull him out the door. ¡°I don¡¯t want trouble, you hear?¡± the innkeeper shouted, but the men ignored him. ¡°Knife ear slut,¡± the dark bearded man ranted, shoving tables and chairs out of his path on the way over to Liv and Matthew. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you to come around decent people. I¡¯ll trim your tips for you, then you¡¯ll look just like everyone else.¡± He drew a dagger from his belt. Liv¡¯s hand clenched around a staff that wasn¡¯t there, and she silently cursed herself as an idiot for leaving the thing behind. She counted five men. Without the staff to focus her mana, she knew that she¡¯d waste a lot of magic. Better one big spell, then, she decided. To take out as many as she could. But she didn¡¯t want to kill any of the men, she just wanted time to get away. Perhaps an Icewall over the door. Her eyes flicked from side to side: no, they¡¯d just go out the windows. Matthew stepped between her and the approaching men, and pulled his arming sword. ¡°Put that away before you hurt yourself, boy,¡± one of the drunks told him with a grin. ¡°Aye, we¡¯re just gonna teach the northern girl a little lesson,¡± the man with the black beard said. Their eyes were cruel, and the stink of alcohol wafted off them. Liv would have preferred to face another stonebat. ¡°I won¡¯t let you,¡± Matthew said, and raised his sword. Liv at once felt terrified for him, but also a warm flush coming up from her belly to her neck. Had anyone in the entire world ever stood up to protect her before? Master Jurian, in a way. For a long moment, the entire scene seemed to be frozen. The world waited to see whether the men would back down, or press forward. ¡°Get ¡®em,¡± the man with the black brows and beard growled. The drunks charged, and Matthew slashed with his blade. The foremost of the men cried out, and a spatter of blood flew through the air to stick on the wall next to the bar. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Encve Stelim Kapium!¡± Liv shouted, raising her hand to point at the men. The men were surging toward her, and without Matthew in their way she could never have gotten through the words in time. A small part of her noted that, and put the problem aside as one to be considered on another day. Five grasping pillars of ice ripped their way up through the floorboards of the common room, surrounding two of the men and squeezing them tight. They screamed in pain, dropping their daggers as they struggled to free themselves. One of the men stumbled back toward the bar, eyes wide in fear. Five rings of mana. Liv knew she would be able to cast one more spell for certain, two at most. She would have to thank Master Grenfell for all the time they¡¯d spent measuring and recording, over and over again, every bit of information on her magic. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you for this, boy,¡± the man with the dark brows slurred. He had Matthew by the arm now, and was looming over both of them like a monstrous bear. ¡°That¡¯s more than enough,¡± a cold voice broke across the room. The soldier who¡¯d been sitting across the room appeared behind the drunk man, and punched the back of his head with the pommel of his rapier. The big man dropped instantly, as if his legs had suddenly lost all their bones. Liv looked around for the fifth attacker, hand raised, ready to cast another spell. However, the drunk was jacked up against the wall of the room, arm twisted behind his back, by the man in the long coat. ¡°Thank you,¡± Matthew said, lowering his blade. ¡°Thank you both.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not fool enough to fight an Eldish witch,¡± the soldier muttered. ¡°Nor to watch murder done in the duke¡¯s lands.¡± ¡°Baron Henry¡¯s lands,¡± Matthew corrected him. ¡°Aye,¡± the soldier said. ¡°You¡¯re his boy then, aren¡¯t you? Just my luck. Help me tie them up, lad. The sheriff will want to be called for this.¡± Liv pulled the door closed, to shut out the night wind. It appeared that all chance of them sneaking back into the castle unnoticed was lost. 36. The Burning Sky ¡°Sir Robert Talbot, in service to Duke Thomas,¡± the scarred soldier introduced himself. He didn¡¯t pause in saddling his horse, giving the bay gelding a sharp elbow to its stomach so that he could tighten the girth strap. ¡°And this vagrant is Coram Athearn.¡± ¡°Captain Athearn,¡± the weather-beaten sailor grumbled, checking the saddle on his own horse, an old gray mare. ¡°It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Sir Robert,¡± Matthew said. He¡¯d already helped Liv up into Boulder¡¯s saddle, but he hadn¡¯t joined her yet. Instead, she noticed that he kept one eye on the five drunks who had been tied to the saddles of the three horses. He¡¯d also placed his hand on the hilt of his arming sword. ¡°We should¡¯ve met years ago,¡± Talbot said, putting on foot in his stirrup and swinging easily up into the saddle. ¡°But your father hasn¡¯t left Whitehill in years.¡± ¡°Baron Henry was crippled in the last eruption,¡± Liv protested. ¡°It would be too difficult for him to travel.¡± ¡°A crippled lord, then?¡± Athearn, the seaman, awkwardly struggled to get ahorse. It was clear the man was not used to riding, even to Liv¡¯s eye. ¡°That¡¯s the best you can do for me, Bobby?¡± ¡°Baron Henry¡¯s gold is as good as anyone else¡¯s,¡± Talbot replied. ¡°And you¡¯re not in much of a position to be picky, Athearn.¡± Matthew was the last to mount up, settling onto his saddle behind Liv. She found herself acutely aware of how riding the same horse pressed them together, but there was nothing to be done for it, unless she wanted to walk the entire way back to Whitehill. ¡°You two clearly know each other,¡± he commented. ¡°And yet, you weren¡¯t sitting together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to escort Master Athearn to Whitehill and back,¡± Talbot explained. ¡°But after ten days on the road, I¡¯m sick of his snoring and his tall-tales.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a miserable old sot,¡± Athearn said. ¡°Snores worse than I do, and what¡¯s worse, he doesn¡¯t believe mermaids are real.¡± ¡°Are they?¡± Liv asked, leaning forward. ¡°Are they ever!¡± Athearn slapped his leg. ¡°Young lady, let me tell you about the time I washed ashore on an island off the coast of Lendh ka Dakruim. There¡¯d been a storm, you see, and-¡± ¡°By the gods old and new, now you¡¯ve got him started,¡± Talbot complained. ¡°Come on then. If we¡¯re going to be riding all night, best be off.¡± He nudged his gelding toward the road, forcing the bound drunks to stumble along in his wake. The ride back north to Whitehill took much longer because they kept the horses to a walk. Despite Coram Athearn¡¯s rambling stories, Liv wasn¡¯t used to staying awake so late. She wasn¡¯t certain exactly when she¡¯d nodded off, but it wasn¡¯t until they¡¯d stopped at the town gates that she woke again. ¡°Gates don¡¯t open until dawn!¡± a guard shouted down from the parapet. ¡°The sky¡¯s already turning red,¡± Matthew called back. ¡°We have criminals who need to be locked up, and guests expected at the castle. Open the gates already. Unless you want to tell my father why you made us wait half a bell out here.¡± That got them moving, and the new sheriff, a wiry man named Fane, was more than happy to take five drunks off their hands. By the time the four riders made their way up from the Lower Banks, past the market square, and then through the Hill to the castle, dawn was breaking. ¡°There you two are,¡± Piers said, shaking his head. ¡°Your mother found you missing this morning she went in to wake you, Lord Matthew, and the whole castle is in an uproar.¡± He leveled a look at Liv that made her turn away, but moved on without addressing her. ¡°Who¡¯re these two?¡± ¡°This is Sir Robert Talbot, in service to the Duke of Courland, Thomas Falkenrath,¡± Matthew introduced the soldier. ¡°Escorting one Master Coram Athearn, who I am to understand has business with my father. They were staying at the Sign of the Terrapin, where we made their acquaintance.¡± ¡°You rode all the way to the south pass?¡± Piers exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯d all better get into the great hall. The footmen are serving already, not that anyone¡¯s in much of a mood to enjoy it. Let us take your horses.¡± Liv itched to run to her room and get her staff, but she couldn¡¯t see a way to duck aside. Not only would she be leaving Matthew alone for the scolding that was coming, she knew that it wouldn¡¯t help one bit. Better to face Baron Henry and Lady Julianne all at once, together, she decided. When they walked through the open doors into the great hall, Liv saw just how seriously their disappearance had been taken. There hadn¡¯t been so many armed men filling themselves with food at the low tables since the eruption. It looked like Baron Henry had called every one of his knights in the city, along with their men, in anticipation of a search. ¡°Matthew!¡± Lady Julianne cried, rising from her chair. ¡°Where in the world have you been?¡± ¡°My apologies, Mother, Father,¡± Matthew said, stopping in front of the high table to bow. Liv curtsied, lowering her eyes to the floor of the hall and doing her best not to draw any more attention than she had to. ¡°We ran into some unexpected guests, who have come from Courland. Please permit me to introduce Sir Robert Talbot, in service to the duke, and Master Coram Athearn, a seaman he was tasked to escort to Whitehill.¡± ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve brought guests,¡± Baron Henry said, ¡°will be dealt with momentarily. Sir Talbot and Master Athearn, you are welcome here, and I will speak with you in good time. I trust you will forgive me for dealing with my wayward son, first.¡± ¡°Of course, m¡¯lord,¡± Talbot said, inclining his head. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, the boy¡¯s got courage.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Henry Summerset narrowed his eyes, turning to address his son. ¡°And when, pray tell, would you have demonstrated courage in escorting two guests to the castle?¡± ¡°I wanted to hear the storyteller at the Sign of the Terrapin,¡± Matthew said, keeping his head held high. ¡°Just as we were leaving the inn last night, a table of drunks started trouble. These two gentlemen helped deal with the problem, and we have just come from delivering the men to Sheriff Fane.¡± ¡°Men assaulted you?¡± Lady Julianne asked. ¡°They took exception to the young lady,¡± Coram Athearn broke in. ¡°Said something about trimming her ears. Your boy stood up to them, bold as you please, blade in hand.¡± ¡°Defending a lady under your care would be commendable,¡± Baron Henry said, ¡°if it had not been you who put her in the path of danger in the first place. I cannot imagine it was Apprentice Brodbeck¡¯s idea to ride to the south pass in the middle of the night. Was it?¡± He turned to Liv, and she couldn¡¯t fight the urge to hunch her shoulders under the man¡¯s gaze. For all that the eruption and the years had not been kind to him, he was still terrifying when he wanted to be. ¡°No, m¡¯lord,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°I should have come to you, though, or to Lady Julianne, and told you.¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°You should have,¡± Julianne said. ¡°This was foolish, reckless, and dangerous. All things I have come to expect from my son, but not from you.¡± ¡°What is more reckless still,¡± Master Grenfell broke in from beside her, ¡°is that I do not see your staff in your hand. When these men came for you, Apprentice, you left yourself unprepared.¡± ¡°She still did for two of them,¡± Master Athearn said. ¡°Wrapped ¡®em up neat in ice. Seen a few words used, in my time, but not that one.¡± ¡°Nor would you have,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°I am somewhat reassured, Apprentice, that you defended yourself. I would expect nothing less.¡± ¡°Both of you will go to your respective rooms immediately,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°While we decide the precise nature of your punishments. Sir Talbot, Master Athearn, you have our gratitude for bringing our lost sheep home. Come and join us at the high table, and break your fast.¡± Liv followed Matthew out to the hall, and from there up the stairs to the second floor, where both their rooms were located. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you got caught up in this, Liv,¡± Matthew said, pausing at his own door. ¡°I¡¯ll tell my mother it was all my fault, and see if I can get you out of it.¡± ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I went with you. I should have known better.¡± ¡°The story was good though, right?¡± he asked her, with a grin. ¡°It was a nice night, until it wasn¡¯t.¡± With a sigh, she left him there and slipped into her own chambers. There, she paused to run her fingers over her staff, where it leaned uselessly in the corner. That was not a mistake she would be making again. Then, she went over to her desk, where she opened her spellbook. ¡°Five men,¡± Liv mumbled. If it hadn¡¯t been for the assistance of Sir Talbot and Master Ahearn, would they have still won? Would Matthew have been hurt, or killed? Would she? The words of the drunken men echoed through her mind, and what they¡¯d threatened to do to her ears. It was all well and good to have help, but she didn¡¯t want to depend on it. Uncorking her inkpot, Liv went to work. ? For an entire month after their ill-fated adventure, Liv and Matthew were given all of the foulest tasks Lady Julianne could think of. It¡¯d been years since she¡¯d had to scrub chamber pots or dirty dishes in the scullery, but now they did it together. The stables needed mucking out, of course, and then there was the laundry, washed in great wooden basins with lye. Nor were they permitted to neglect their usual lessons, which meant they had to rise early every day and work late into the night, after the rest of the castle had gone to sleep. Liv¡¯s hands were red and raw for the first time since she was a child, and Matthew found the callouses he¡¯d formed working with practice swords in the courtyard did not prepare him for the misery of common labor. They both knew it would only get worse if they complained, however, so they set their backs to each and every task put before them. ¡°All of this makes our lessons seem like a rest,¡± Matthew remarked, panting, after he¡¯d finished hauling the clean laundry in from the courtyard to be sorted and folded. It was true: the only time Liv had to ease her aching hands was when their minds were occupied. ¡°I need to be able to deal with more people at once,¡± she told Master Grenfell one afternoon. They were working in his chamber again, with a desk each set out for her and Matthew. The trips to the Old Oak had been halted, as part of their punishment. ¡°You got two of them,¡± Matthew pointed out. ¡°That was more than anyone else dealt with.¡± ¡°But if you all hadn¡¯t been there, what would I have done?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Grasping Ice is good for one or two people, but it¡¯s not meant for so many. What if I just froze all of their feet to the ground? Like an Icewall, but on its side instead of upright?¡± ¡°If all you¡¯re looking for is time to get away, that could be very useful,¡± Master Grenfell conceded. ¡°It won¡¯t stop anyone with a crossbow from trying to kill you, but having the correct instrument for a particular problem can be an effective way to protect yourself.¡± ¡°At least you can make your magic work,¡± Matthew complained. ¡°You need to memorize the conjugations of Ters,¡± Grenfell told him sharply. ¡°Liv, why don¡¯t you experiment with Vradim - roots of ice might do what you need.¡± Master Athearn stayed for an entire ten-day, during which word made its way around the castle that his aim was to secure financial backing to purchase a ship. ¡°Apparently he lost the last one off the coast of Varuna,¡± Gretta told the entire table of servants over dinner. Liv and Matthew were scrubbing in the scullery, which at least made it easy to overhear the gossip. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust money to a man who¡¯s already lost one ship,¡± the old woman said. ¡°The baron will act with prudence, I am certain,¡± Archibald told her. ¡°I¡¯d do it if I had the money,¡± Edward, the second footman, declared. ¡°Put up the coin once, and you get a portion of what he makes from then on, without having to do a day¡¯s work ever again.¡± Baron Henry must have agreed with Edward, because Master Athearn left with not only the company of Sir Talbot, but a contract witnessed by the Banking Guild. With the visitors gone, and their long punishment finally completed, the infamy of Liv and Matthew¡¯s nighttime adventure was gradually forgotten. Unfortunately, not every change that sprang from that evening was so transitory. ¡°Alright,¡± Emma Forester said, that summer, as the two girls skinned a brace of conies. ¡°You need to tell me what happened that night. You haven¡¯t been able to look at Matthew without blushing ever since. You¡¯re like a tomato or something.¡± Liv shot her the fiercest glare she could. ¡°Did you ask your father to stay home today just so you could corner me?¡± ¡°Smart girl,¡± Emma said, with a grin. ¡°Now answer the question.¡± ¡°Nothing happened,¡± Liv said, ripping off the last of the fur from the hare she was working on. ¡°We listened to the story, had a drink, and then tried to leave.¡± ¡°At which point a bunch of drunks came after you,¡± Emma said. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So you rode all the way from Whitehill to the south pass on a single horse, under the stars,¡± Emma said. ¡°Then sat together drinking at an inn, listening to a story. And when those horrible men said mean things about you, Matthew drew his sword and protected you. You know what this sounds like, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re lucky you came back with a few witnesses.¡± ¡°I also fell asleep on the ride back,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°...in his arms?¡± Emma asked. ¡°Not like that. But he didn¡¯t let me fall out of the saddle, either,¡± Liv said. ¡°If you were a noble lady, they¡¯d already have the two of you married,¡± Emma remarked. ¡°To avoid a scandal.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°And he¡¯s half my age. I took care of him when he was a baby, Emma.¡± Her friend¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Liv,¡± Emma said. ¡°You¡¯re in a tough spot. I didn¡¯t understand when I was little, but I can see it now. Maybe better than you can. He¡¯s half your age, but it doesn¡¯t look like that. Blood and shadows, you¡¯re older than me, but if we went to an inn right now they¡¯d think you were my little sister. You know in a few years, he¡¯s going to look older than you, right?¡± ¡°I know it,¡± Liv said. ¡°Let¡¯s get back, then.¡± Knowing something in your mind, however, didn¡¯t seem to have a whole lot to do with knowing it in your heart. Perhaps if they hadn¡¯t been together so often, Liv reflected, after a particularly strenuous sparring match in the courtyard the following spring. They¡¯d continued working with swords at half speed, for her own safety. Every time Matthew wrestled her to the ground, or wrapped his arms around her to pratice a disarming technique, she could only hope that no one noticed her cheeks burning. Half the reason she worked so hard to master riding was so that she didn¡¯t end up sharing a saddle with him again. And as the years went by, it only got worse. At twelve, Matthew had been an exuberant, smiling boy. At fifteen, he was putting on muscle from his daily exercise, shaving the scruff from his chin, and taller than her. By the time he was eighteen years old, every girl in town followed him around on market days, giggling. Liv, in the meanwhile, found herself in the role of his adoptive sister. And not even an older sister, any longer. At thirty years old, she was increasingly exasperated to see that she looked no more than half that age. The girls that trailed Matthew in the market, for all they had no chance of winning his affections, at least didn¡¯t look like children. Worst of all, as the harvest neared its end, was the knowledge that hovered over everything she did: as soon as all the crops were in, Matthew would be leaving for Coral Bay, while she stayed behind. It was that particular problem that she was mulling over at The Laughing Carp, halfway through a goblet of watered wine, while Matthew danced with a girl named Mary. Or was it Maude? Liv couldn¡¯t keep them straight. Master Grenfell had downright refused to let her go to college with him, no matter how much she argued. They were in the Lower Banks because the Old Oak had become too boring for Matthew¡¯s tastes, and it was a busy night. Whether because of the crowd or her own troubles, Liv was the last to notice the musicians had stopped playing, and that everyone in the common room was gathering at the windows. ¡°What is it?¡± Liv called, scooping up her staff and pushing her way through the crowd to Matthew¡¯s side. ¡°Look at the sky,¡± he said. Liv looked. Rather than a brilliant blue, the horizon glowed the orange and red of a banked fire, while above, the entire sky was painted in burning shades of purple and pink. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a sunset like that before,¡± she said. From the bar, the sound of shattering glass was heard. Liv had time to think that someone must have dropped something, before the horror began. 37. The Laughing Carp ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± the innkeeper, Giles, said. Liv had turned at the sound of glass breaking, and now she saw him reaching for a cloth to wrap his hand. ¡°Just a small cut.¡± Drops of blood lifted off his skin, spinning around each other as they rose through the air. Then, they merged together into a dark, liquid blob, which hovered over the bar. ¡°What in the name of the trinity,¡± someone in the crowd near Liv exclaimed. The gathered blood somehow turned toward them, looking for all the world like a disembodied eye, rolling in an invisible socket as it searched the room. All the while, more drops of blood flew up from the open cut on Giles¡¯ hand, joining the blob with soft smacking sounds upon impact. ¡°Magic,¡± Giles gasped, his face pale. The orb of blood shot downward to the bar, where it scooped up the shattered pieces of glass from the wine bottle that the innkeeper had broken. Then, it thinned into a kind of lash, swiped across the man¡¯s neck, and opened the flesh beneath his chin from ear to ear using the sharp, broken edges. Giles tried to say something, then choked as a cascade of blood poured out of his opened neck and soaked his shirt and vest. Around Liv, the crowd that had been dancing and drinking moments before screamed. Some of them ran for the door, and others to the back of the common room, but Matthew drew his sword. In the years since their adventure to the Sign of the Terrapin, he¡¯d taken to carrying a rapier instead of the broader arming sword he¡¯d worn that night. Liv didn¡¯t see how a sword was going to do much good against whatever was happening, so she stepped between the bar and the remaining customers. The position of the orb meant they would have to get by the growing mass of blood to get to the door. With every spurt from Giles¡¯ neck, the blood flew through the air up into the shivering orb, which pulsed and swelled. ¡°Get behind me,¡± Liv told the panicked people. She lifted her staff, gripped it in both hands, and got to work. She¡¯d known an eruption would come, sooner or later: and this time she was old enough not to hide inside Castle Whitehill. ¡°Celevet Aen Kveis,¡± she intoned, drawing mana up from inside her to wake the word of power. While Matthew edged toward the pulsing globe of blood, she walled off the entirety of the back of the common room, sealing everyone but the two of them behind an Icewall six inches thick. Liv hoped it would be enough. Mentally, she kept a tally. Normally, that spell would have cost her only three rings of mana, but she also didn¡¯t usually create a barrier so large. Call it four, which left her with twelve rings of mana - plus what was in the stone she wore on her finger. Giles was well and truly dead by this point, his body a shrivelled and pale husk, and he finally toppled over. The blood was a swirling thing, enough to fill a large bucket or pail, maybe two. The broken glass shards occasionally glittered at the edges of the orb as it floated out from above the bar, into the center of the common room. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this does,¡± Matthew said, and slashed at it with his rapier. The blade moved through the mass of blood easily, without meeting any resistance. The globe didn¡¯t give so much as a shudder of pain, but it did wind a tendril of scarlet fluid, sparkling with fragments of glass, up Matthew¡¯s sword. He tried to flick it off, but as it slithered up closer to the hilt and his hand, he was forced to drop the weapon and back away. ¡°You need to use magic,¡± Liv said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t stab the river, would you? Try Ters.¡± From what she¡¯d read about his family¡¯s word of power, it seemed perfect for this situation. ¡°I¡¯m not very good with that,¡± Matthew said. By that point, he¡¯d made it back to where Liv stood with her back against the wall. ¡°Why don¡¯t you freeze it, instead.¡± Liv looked over to the table she¡¯d been sitting at. Her spellbook was sitting there, halfway across the room. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I even have the right words to affect blood,¡± she admitted. ¡°Well you¡¯d better look!¡± Matthew dived out of the way as a lash of blood shot out from the orb, knocking aside two chairs and breaking the floor where he¡¯d just been standing. ¡°I think I made it angry.¡± ¡°Keep it from paying attention to me, then,¡± Liv shouted back, taking her skirt in her left hand and running for the table. The red orb, whatever sort of monster it was, seemed capable of paying attention to more than one thing at a time, for it grew a second tendril and lashed out at her. Liv shoved a table into its path, grabbed her book, and then scampered back to her wall. Matthew, in the meanwhile, began throwing chairs at the thing. She couldn¡¯t see how that was going to kill it, but for the moment it turned both crimson lashes to breaking every piece of furniture hurled in its direction. Liv put her back to the ice and began flipping through pages furiously. She was certain that the original set of words and charts Master Jurian had given her had not contained the V?dic word for blood. She¡¯d copied down every spell to be found in the diary of Semhis Thorn-Killer, practically looting the book for pieces that could be used in her own invocations. Liv also had notes she¡¯d taken when working on spell construction with Master Grenfell. Between all of that, Liv suspected that she had a better compilation of V?dic grammar and vocabulary than anyone else in Whitehill, with the sole exception of her teacher. Unfortunately, that meant there were still a lot of gaps. A chair crashed through one of the paned windows set into the Laughing Carp¡¯s outer walls, sending shards of glass flying in every direction. Liv flinched back instinctively, losing her place. The red orb drifted over to the broken glass, scooping it up. The lashes that swirled around the mass of blood now contained nearly as much glass as liquid. ¡°Stop giving it ways to hurt us!¡± Liv shouted at Matthew. ¡°And don¡¯t let it get into the street!¡± Matthew ran forward and scooped up his discarded rapier, though she didn¡¯t see what good it was going to do him. He lunged forward and swiped at the orb once, twice, three times, with none of the slashes having any discernable effect. When he was fully extended, however, both whips of blood swept toward him, one from each side. Matthew managed to duck one, but the other struck him across the back, and he cried out in pain. Blood bloomed in a stripe along the back of Matthew¡¯s shirt, where the orb had whipped him. Drops of it fell to the floor, then rose again, flying through the air into the pulsing mass. Liv looked over to the bar, where the corpse¡¯s feet could be seen sticking out across the floor. Whatever this monster was, it had sucked out every drop of the poor man¡¯s blood, consuming him utterly until he was shrivelled and dry. Now it was going to start on Matthew. The thought sent a sudden rush of anger through Liv, and she gripped her staff in both hands. He might be frustrating; he might even be an idiot, charging that thing with nothing but a sword when he should be using magic. He¡¯d practically ignored her in favor of every silly town girl who threw herself at him for months, but there was no way that Liv was going to let him die. At the very least, she owed it to his mother. ¡°Celent¡¯he Trei Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae,¡± Liv intoned, letting her mana flood through the core of her staff. The sigils lit, and three glistening shards of ice appeared in front of her, coalescing from the air itself. Matthew was scrambling backward, away from the orb, useless sword still clutched in his hand. Liv let the shards fly.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! One took the mass of the blood dead center, another deflected the lash whistling through the air toward Matthew, and the last went wide, hitting the wall of the inn and shattering. Where the blades of ice had impacted the monstrous thing, frost coated the wet blood. It was the closest thing to a wound that Liv had seen yet; perhaps if she could hit it with enough shards, she could kill the thing by freezing it. It spun away from Matthew, whipping both lashes in Liv¡¯s direction, and she didn¡¯t have any time to think. Instead, she ran for the broken window, leaping up onto the last standing table. The whistle of the lashes cutting through the air told her how close they¡¯d come, and she tucked her arms, rolling across the table and then out the window into the streets of the Lower Banks. Somehow, Liv managed to land on her feet, and not cut herself in the pile of broken glass outside the window. Three more rings, Liv counted in her mind. That left her with nine to use, though emptying her body of mana entirely was a recipe for exhaustion. She was pretty sure she could keep herself from passing out, but she also couldn¡¯t afford to slow down, because the pulsing mass of blood had followed her out the window. The crowd gathered in the street outside the Laughing Carp pulled back in fear as the monster emerged from the inn. Liv could have run, if she was willing to leave all of these people in danger. Instead, she set her back to them and raised her staff. Would it be better to put everything she had into one casting? Throw as many shards at the thing as she could, and hope that put it down? Or leave herself room for another spell or two? A third lash extended from the hovering orb of blood, reaching down to scoop up the broken glass outside the window of the inn. Liv tried to imagine how much larger this monster would grow once it had sucked up the blood from all the people in the street: it would be enormous. The sun was nearly down, and something about how the blood glistened darkly nudged a memory that Liv hadn¡¯t thought about in years. The thief, Wren - the one who¡¯d pulled her out of the ice, and then stolen from the old baron¡¯s collection. Liv remembered her at the window: her body, her clothing, even that statue all turned dark, glistening wetly in the light of the moon and the stars. Like blood. And Master Grenfell had said the name of the statue was¡­ ¡°Ractia,¡± Liv muttered, her thoughts whirling faster than a bird¡¯s wings. ¡°Feminine, singular, nominative case. Change it to locative¡­ Celet Aiveh Ractae!¡± The magic roared up from inside her, blazing white out of the sigils along the length of her staff, and Liv thrust the polished aspenwood forward, jamming it right into the approaching mass of blood. Where the tip of the staff struck, a wave of frost spread out, crackling through the orb and then beyond, down the lengths of each tendril. The lashes of blood were frozen in the very act of striking at her, one curled up above Liv¡¯s head, the others coming in from either side. For a moment, the sphere twitched, and Liv worried that what she¡¯d done wouldn¡¯t be enough. She doubted she had another spell like that in her. Then, with a cracking sound, the orb froze through. It hung in front of her for just a moment, then fell to the ground, shattering on the cobblestone street. Exhausted, Liv set the butt of her staff on the ground, so that she could lean on it, and closed her eyes. She was shaking, and it was all she could do to remain upright. ¡°Liv, are you alright?¡± Matthew burst out through the door, sword in hand, shirt soaked in blood. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, opening her eyes. Around her, the crowd was murmuring. ¡°You¡¯re going to need torches,¡± Liv told them, raising her voice. ¡°I made a wall of ice in there, to protect everyone. You¡¯re going to have to melt them out.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see to it, m¡¯lady, Lord Matthew,¡± one of the men in the crowd called. ¡°We need to get back up to the castle,¡± Matthew said. ¡°If there¡¯s been an eruption, Father will need us.¡± Liv looked up to the darkening sky, searching for a mass of stonebats. ¡°This isn¡¯t like last time,¡± she said. ¡°But you¡¯re right.¡± They untied the horses, and Matthew swung up easily into Boulder¡¯s saddle. Liv had borrowed Master Kazimir¡¯s gelding, Ember, and she was glad of it. She had no wish to deal with the awkwardness of sharing a saddle with Matthew. She ran back into the Laughing Carp, grabbed her spellbook, and then got a hand up onto Ember¡¯s back from one of the men in the crowd. Then, she followed Matthew through the streets of the Lower Banks, heading uphill for the castle. ? ¡°Is it an eruption?¡± Matthew asked, when they reached the gate. They swung down out of their saddles, handing their reins off to the guards. ¡°Your father¡¯s in the great hall, m¡¯lord,¡± one of the guards told him. ¡°He¡¯s waiting for you both there.¡± ¡°What about Lady Julianne?¡± Liv asked, following Matthew across the courtyard. His back was soaked in blood. ¡°Out in the streets,¡± the man called back, and Liv frowned. Something about this wasn¡¯t right. Matthew couldn¡¯t possibly remember, but she did, and this didn¡¯t feel like the last eruption. Baron Henry was waiting in the great hall with half a dozen of his knights, along with the new castle chirurgeon, Mistress Trafford. ¡°Matthew, good,¡± the baron called. ¡°Come over here, you and Liv both. We need anyone who can use magic.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Matthew asked. ¡°An eruption?¡± ¡°No, something worse,¡± his father answered. ¡°We would have seen the flare of the eruption from here, and there was nothing. We have reports from all over town: a monster of blood at the butcher shop, another one that burst out of a mansion on the Hill.¡± ¡°That sounds exactly like what we fought at the Laughing Carp,¡± Liv said. ¡°The innkeep cut his hand on a broken wine bottle, and the blood all gathered up into a kind of ball, floating in the air.¡± ¡°That matches what we¡¯ve been told,¡± Henry said, with a sharp nod. ¡°Master Grenfell has gone to deal with the one on the Hill, and Julianne to the butcher¡¯s shop. No one has been able to hurt either of them with any kind of normal weapon.¡± ¡°It was like my blade did nothing,¡± Matthew agreed. Baron Henry narrowed his eyes. ¡°Why in the name of the gods did you use your sword, boy?¡± he asked. ¡°Blood is liquid. Dry it out and it clots, then crumbles.¡± Matthew shrugged and looked away from his father. ¡°Liv got it,¡± he said. ¡°It turns out these monsters freeze as easily as anything else.¡± Liv turned to Mistress Trafford. ¡°And before we get any further, Matthew needs his back seen to. The one we fought scooped up a lot of broken glass and used it against us, and he¡¯s been bleeding the entire way back.¡± Amelia Trafford was quite a bit younger than Aldo Cushing had been, even in Liv¡¯s earliest memories. Her hair was pulled back in a bun the color of warm, polished wood, but her eyes were gray as stone, and just as hard as the old chirurgeon¡¯s had been when presented with the foolishness of his patients. ¡°Come along upstairs, then,¡± she ordered. ¡°I need to see whether there¡¯s any glass stuck in the wound.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come after we know every one of these monsters has been stopped,¡± Matthew protested. ¡°You¡¯ll go now,¡± Baron Henry interrupted. ¡°And that¡¯s the end of it. Apprentice Brodbeck will remain with me.¡± With a scowl, Matthew followed Mistress Trafford out of the hall. ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord,¡± Liv said, taking the chirurgeon¡¯s empty seat at the baron¡¯s side. He watched her sit, and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Everyone who would normally sit here is somewhere else,¡± she explained. ¡°And I assume you want someone else who can cast spells ready to go at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± Henry said. ¡°Thank you for getting my son out of there in one piece, and nipping that foolishness before it grew. Not using his magic.¡± The baron snorted. ¡°I know he¡¯s had a hard time with it,¡± Liv said, ¡°but I didn¡¯t realize it was this bad.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll beat this nonsense out of his head at Coral Bay,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°Whatever it is.¡± Liv waited with the baron while runners came and went. She snacked on jerky she and Emma had smoked from mana-beast venison. So far as she could tell from listening to the reports, no further monsters had been found inside the town itself. Half a bell after arriving, she was ordered into the fields west of Whitehill, where a farmer¡¯s wife had killed a chicken for the evening meal. By the time word made its way back to the castle, a mass of blood said to be the size of a horse was rampaging from one farmstead to the next, slaughtering livestock as it went. ¡°I¡¯ll take Master Grenfell¡¯s horse again,¡± Liv said, rising as soon as the messenger had stopped talking. ¡°I¡¯d send half a dozen men with you,¡± Henry muttered, ¡°but they wouldn¡¯t do any good. Come back as soon as you¡¯ve finished. If these monsters are cropping up everywhere blood is spilled, it¡¯s going to be a long night indeed.¡± 38. A Day of Blood Inkeris lifted his hand silently, first two fingers raised, while he checked to be certain that everyone was in position. Sohvis and Rika each had two men with them, while Keri had three, all of them armored in enchanted steel. They¡¯d never cracked a cell of the cult that had more than a dozen, and the Unconquered House of B?lris held a threefold advantage: in training, magic, and equipment. He was confident that he¡¯d brought more than enough people to handle things. Sohvis and his men were lined up opposite Keri, on the right side of the entryway, while Rika and her guards hung back as a reserve. That had been part of their deal: there was no way he would risk her not coming home to their son when this was over. After making eye contact with each of them in turn, Keri chopped his hand down and forward, toward the dark tunnel into the earth, giving his cousin Sohvis the signal to move in. The cult¡¯s cells made their shrines in out of the way places where they hoped to pass unnoticed. Over years of hunting across the north, Keri had broken down the doors of abandoned barns, and ripped up the floors of modest homes. He¡¯d dug through a mess of frozen fish to find a secret hatch, and climbed above the tree line to where blood-spattered shrines clung to rocky crags. Today, they¡¯d tracked their targets to a stretch of forested hills northwest of Al''Fenthia. This particular hill had been excavated and braced, with a stone doorway built into the earth itself, leading down into darkness. It would be cramped, dim and dangerous to follow their prey into this particular rat hole. At least the word of B?lris could deal with one of those problems. Sohvis and his men moved as soon as the signal was given, Keri¡¯s cousin darting down into the tunnel with a muttered invocation. Light burst out of the doorway: with any luck, the sudden glare would catch the cultists by surprise and blind them. Keri counted to ten slowly, then took his men and followed. The tunnel was just as tight as he¡¯d feared it would be, and Keri grimaced. His spear was a better weapon for this sort of thing than Sohvis¡¯ blade, but his cousin had insisted on going first. Up ahead, the ring of metal on metal told Keri that their forward team had made contact. Keri picked up his pace, dashing out of the tunnel into an open chamber no more than thirty feet across, and perhaps ten high. A full third of the place was taken up by the grotesque altar built into the far wall: the figure of a nude woman, sculpted from clay, holding her swollen belly with both hands. Her head was adorned with braided and knotted cords of yarn, in a dozen or more shades of red, and her eyes had been set with pale stones. Beneath her, a shallow pit had been dug into the earth and lined with tightly packed and mortared stones. Oil lamps lined the irregular walls of the chamber, illuminating the pile of bones heaped around the feet of the icon. The stench was horrible: blood, offal and rot, the air so thick with it that Keri nearly choked. They¡¯d waited until the cult had come to perform their dark rites, in an attempt to catch them all at once, and as a result there was a freshly killed chicken in the sacrificial basin at the base of the statue, still leaking blood. It also meant the room was filled with people. Keri caught a glimpse of Sohvis spinning his blade through the neck of a middle-aged man, decapitating him with a single cut. Keri¡¯s three men piled into the chamber, and he saw a young woman in the simple garb of a merchant or shopkeeper make a run to get past him. He thrust forward with his N?v¡¯bel, taking her in the thigh, and she screamed, clutching the wound. Instead of pulling the blade of the spear out, Keri muttered the invocation to a spell. ¡°Savelet Aisarg ?''N?v¡¯bel.¡± The words carried his mana up from inside, down through his arms, and out into his spear. The blade, still buried inside the woman¡¯s thigh, flashed with light and heat, causing her to cry aloud in pain once again before he drew it forth. Smoke wafted up from her charred flesh, but she would not bleed to death before he was able to question her. ¡°Keri!¡± The cry came from behind him, and Rika charged out of the tunnel into the subterranean shrine. ¡°Something¡¯s happening,¡± she said, drawing herself up short at his side. ¡°The sky-¡± ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± Sohvis cursed, and Keri spun away from his kwenim to see his cousin scrambling back. Above the sacrifice, a swirling vortex of blood was sucking in every bit of viscera and gore that had been spilled during the raid. The pulsing orb consumed the blood of the dead chicken, but also that of the man Sohvis had beheaded, and seemed to feed from the very wounds of the defeated cultists. Before anyone had wrapped their minds around what was happening, a lash of blood whipped out, taking one of Sohvis¡¯ men around the neck and jerking him up into the air. The man dropped his blade, trying to pry the tendril of gore away from his neck with his own fingers. The horror spawned in front of the altar gave him no time: instead, it swung the man, headfirst, into the mortared stones of the sacrificial basin. When it jerked him back up again, limp, Keri watched the blood leaking from his split scalp drawn inexorably into the hovering orb. ¡°Burn it!¡± Keri shouted. He repeated his spell, and the blade of his spear erupted into blazing, hot sunlight. Then, he charged. ? Jurian of Carinthia had still not quite gotten used to the life of a professor at Coral Bay. In the time since he¡¯d walked the halls of the College of V?dic Grammar as a student, little had changed with the school itself. No, he was the one who had changed. He¡¯d gotten old, for one thing. Twenty-five - no, it had been twenty six years, he corrected himself. When he¡¯d been a student here, Master Coleridge had occupied this office, and it still didn¡¯t feel like a place that Jurian belonged. Eating his evening meal in the office was still preferable to dining with the students or the other professors, however, so here he was, sitting in front of the open windows that looked out on the bay at sunset. At least the sea breeze was nice. The food, on the other hand, he was getting well and truly sick of. Years on the road had accustomed Jurian to eating in all manner of common rooms, sampling hearty meals from all across the kingdom of Lucania, and beyond. From the market stalls of Al''Fenthia to the Dancing Lady in Calder¡¯s Landing, he¡¯d loved the variety. And not only that, but the experience of sharing a meal with good friends. Companions that he trusted to watch his back in the deadly chaos of an eruption. Swallowing yet another helping of mana-rich lobster bisque, alone in his office, it was hard not to feel like he¡¯d lost something. ¡°You were right, Genny,¡± Jurian said to break his own solitude. ¡°It¡¯s possible to get sick of anything. Even seafood.¡± He finished off his goblet of watered wine, and fished the locket out from inside his academic robes. A flick of his thumb, a click, and the silver cover swung open to expose the miniature portrait within. The artist had been skilled; he¡¯d not only got her hair right, but her eyes, as well - the wildness of the first, the bright glow of the second. ¡°I should get rid of this,¡± he told himself, for the hundredth time. Screams from outside the window broke through Jurian¡¯s maudlin mood. That didn¡¯t sound like a duel, and no one should have been teaching combat classes but him. He thumbed the locket shut, tucked it back under his robes, and got to his feet, hurrying over to the window.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Below, students were pouring into the courtyard, backing away from Professor Annora¡¯s infirmary. Jurian frowned. What sort of trouble, in the name of the trinity, could the students possibly have caused in there? If this was another prank by that Hobart boy- The window of the infirmary exploded outward, unable to halt the momentum of the person who¡¯d been thrown into the glass. A grey-haired woman in professor¡¯s robes tumbled across the cobblestones before coming to a halt twenty feet from the building, and Jurian recognized Annora. She¡¯d be fine; anything that didn¡¯t kill her would be quickly dealt with by her healing magic, but at the same time, there shouldn¡¯t have been any threat on the campus capable of rag-dolling a mage of her experience. The thing that stalked his colleague out of the infirmary lashed out in every direction with whips of some viscous, red liquid, shattering stone and catching a slow student by her leg. The center of the thing pulsed and spun, glistening wetly. It was, Jurian realized, as if someone had gathered up every wound on every patient in the place, scooped them all up, and then sent what clumped together out to kill. Jurian grinned. ¡°Finally,¡± he said. ¡°Something to liven the place up.¡± He reached out his hand, and the staff of driftwood, silver and gold he¡¯d carried since his days as a student shot across the room into his palm. It felt right. Without a second thought, Jurian climbed out the window. A plane of shimmering blue and gold sparked into existence a few feet below him, remaining corporeal for just long enough that he could push off it with his boot, aiming for the next point in his descent. Ephemeral step by step, Jurian made his way down from the third floor of Blackstone Hall, landing in the courtyard. ¡°It ripped through my patients,¡± the professor of healing shouted to him, from where two students had helped her to her feet. The girl who¡¯d been caught by the leg was little more than a smear on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll clear you a way back inside, Nora,¡± Jurian called back to her. Best to speak aloud for the next bit: it wasn¡¯t something he did often, and he¡¯d rather not make a mistake. ¡°Aluthet Aiveh Demia,¡± he called out. It was going to be a large spell, so he pulled in the ambient mana in the courtyard around him, especially the traces carried on the sea breeze, from the shoals of the Tidal Rift, gathering up every scrap of power he could. Then, he shaped it with his intent, building a dome of raw magical force just large enough to surround both himself, and his prey. Curved panes of shining blue light, sparking gold, snapped into place one after the other, interlocking like the scales of a fish, until everything outside of his chosen arena was barred from interfering. The sphere of blood, lashing about with its whips, turned its attention to Jurian and began to float toward him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are,¡± Coral Bay¡¯s professor of combat said. With a practiced thought, raw mana condensed into a blade in his left hand, plates of armor about his body. ¡°But you have no idea how much I have been missing this.¡± He stepped forward with a grin that would have terrified his students. ? The world shook around Wren Wind Dancer. Above her, the sky was blotted out by a plume of ash and smoke. Below, down the slopes of the mountain, the trees were burning, set aflame by the rivers of lava spilling down from the site of the eruption. The air was so hot she could barely breathe. ¡°Father!¡± Wren screamed. The shrine had been obliterated in the first explosion, when a column of light had linked the peak with the ring in the sky above, and shards of black rock had shot down the mountain. Everyone else who could fly had already left, darting between burning cinders on black wings, heading down toward the river. Those who were too young or old had been sent away days before, and would be waiting there. But her father had been inside the rift, and he still hadn¡¯t come out. It had taken them years to fight their way through the shoals to the depths, clearing the mana-beasts as they went, bleeding for each precious foot of ground. Wren had been a vital part of it, which was the only thing that helped her find the entrance to the rift now, when the entire mountain had been so altered. Everything green was gone, leaving only a burning nightmare. The doorway was of obsidian, sharp and polished to a glossy finish, and it was a miracle that it still stood. Wren murmured a thanks to the goddess, ducked inside, and hoped that the eruption had not collapsed any of the tunnels. A part of her knew that was the least of her worries: it would be far worse to rush around a corner and find the entire passage obliterated by a river of molten lava. It had been nearly twenty years of work, first to take the heart of the rift, and then to hold it against every creature that absorbed enough mana to grow mad and dangerous. Wren couldn¡¯t count how many warriors they¡¯d lost, waiting for the next eruption to come. When the blood-letters had finally announced the signs, her father had declared he would wait at the heart of the rift himself, standing vigil until the appointed time. She¡¯d begged him to let her stay at his side, but Nighthawk, Chief of the Red Shield Tribe, had refused. ¡°If something should happen to me,¡± he¡¯d said, putting his massive hand on her shoulder, ¡°you must lead our people. Succeed or fail, do not let our memory pass away from this world. Survive.¡± Wren slid around the corner which marked the transition from the shoals to the depths, skidding on the stone, then found her balance and kept running. Something was wrong: when they''d first made it this far, even she had been able to feel the heaviness of the mana in the air. Now, there was absolute emptiness, instead. There was nothing to do but keep going, so she pressed on to the tomb itself. Even the blood-letters had not been confident the old stories were true, but her father had never lost faith. And there, at the very depths of the rift, they¡¯d found it. The chamber where, a thousand years before, the goddess¡¯ last, faithful servants had taken her body, after the day the sky fell. Now, the massive doors of stone were cracked open. It had taken weeks of work, with chisels and hammers, while warriors stood guard all the while. Wren slipped through, into the tomb itself. ¡°Father?¡± she called into the darkness. The faintest sound, of something shuffling on stone, and two red eyes, shining like hot steel in a forge, turned to Wren. A great weight pressed down on her, and she could not help but fall to the floor of the tomb, first onto her hands and knees, and then finally flat on her belly, cheek to the stone, hair in her face. Something assaulted Wren¡¯s mind, and she heard herself screaming as if from a great distance. Memories flickered: her mother, before she¡¯d died coughing up blood. Her father, showing her how to fletch an arrow. Faster and faster, the memories came, flickering like the wings of a moth, until Wren couldn¡¯t keep track of them any longer. The last, however, slowed. She paused in the window of Castle Whitehill, the white statue of the goddess in her hand, the girl with the pointed ears staring at her in the moonlight. ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to your baron, either,¡± Wren said, in her memories. ¡°It was stolen, and brought here from Varuna, across the sea. I¡¯m just taking it back. I¡¯m sorry you woke up tonight, girl. They¡¯re going to blame you for this, and you don¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°Rise, child,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said, filling the chamber. The memories slipped away, and the pressure eased. Wren sucked in a breath, got her hands under her, and pushed herself up from the floor, onto her knees. ¡°Goddess?¡± Wren gasped. ¡°My father-¡± A great bulk moved in the darkness, a shadow. A woman¡¯s hand, delicate and pale, rose up, bringing a dim, red light into the chamber. Ractia¡¯s dark hair hung loose past her shoulders, and it was the only thing she wore. Her eyes were shaped oddly, and the features of her face as well, though Wren couldn¡¯t have put into words how. Her hips were wide, her belly gently curved, and her breasts full and heavy. Like the idol Wren had stolen near twenty years before, the Lady of Blood was no young woman, but a mother goddess. ¡°Be at peace, my daughter,¡± Ractia murmured. ¡°Now that I am returned, there are a great many wrongs to be set right. You and your father will stand at my side for all of it.¡± The shadow at Ractia¡¯s shoulder stepped forward, revealed by the ruddy light, and Wren looked upon the face of the chief. Nighthawk Wind Dancer¡¯s visage was grim, set as stone, and he showed no expression at the sight of his own daughter on her knees. There was nothing left of Wren¡¯s father in his red eyes. 39. The Cotter Farm Liv found the blood monster in the fields of a particularly dilapidated farm, just as the first stars were peaking out of the purple eastern sky. She was thankful that the last few years of riding practice had finally been enough to make her feel comfortable in the saddle, because she ended up having to go off the road and even jump a drainage ditch before she made it to the family. They were gathered around a singular oak tree, on a rise between fields, which had grown to a height of thirty feet. Liv knew that trees like these were sometimes used as markers on Baron Henry¡¯s surveys of the land. She reined in, slid down out of her saddle, and tied Ember up to a low hanging branch. To Liv¡¯s surprise, she recognized the head of the family by the light of the sunset. ¡°Big Whit Cotter,¡± she called, ducking under the branches. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you know my name, m¡¯lady,¡± the large man said, making an awkward bow that the rest of his family mimicked. There were four of them, all dressed in worn old clothing that had been patched and repaired too many times: a middle aged woman who must have been Whit¡¯s wife, and Little Whit, a man now in his prime. Liv guessed the woman he had an arm around was probably his wife, not a sister. ¡°You used to win the bare knuckle fights at every fair day when I was little,¡± Liv explained. ¡°No one could beat you.¡± Big Whit grinned. ¡°That was when I was younger!¡± he said. ¡°Even so, if this thing was just some jumped up field mouse, or even a fox, I might¡¯ve given it a smack. As it is,¡± he waved an arm helplessly at the carnage in his field. ¡°You see. I don¡¯t know what we could even do.¡± It was lucky there was still enough light to see by; the sun had not entirely passed beneath the mountains to the west of the valley. The orb of blood, looking just like the one Liv and Matthew had fought at the Laughing Carp, had clearly got in among the chickens, because there were feathers everywhere by the coop. The corpse of one old milk-cow lay in the field, desiccated and shrunken, and not far away the monster was currently engaged in draining the blood from a pig, with no less than four whips of gore wrapped around its victim. ¡°It started over at the Hardwick¡¯s place,¡± Little Whit spoke up, pointing past the fields to where another farmhouse could be glimpsed in the distance. ¡°We¡¯re not sure if they got out alright.¡± Liv didn¡¯t see any lights in the windows, but she kept her doubts to herself. ¡°It¡¯ll make things easier if you all stay out of sight,¡± Liv told them. She¡¯d been chewing jerky the whole way over, but she still didn¡¯t figure she was holding as much mana as she could. Maybe fourteen or fifteen rings, if she had to guess. In any case, she didn¡¯t want to have to protect the Cotter family at the same time as she was dealing with the monster. They really needed to come up with a name for these things. Once the family had descended the hill, putting it between them and the field where Liv intended to fight, she got to work. This was the first time that she¡¯d even been sent to solve a problem like this entirely on her own, and Liv didn¡¯t intend to make a mess of it. That meant she wanted to first keep the monster from fleeing, and then dispose of it. Who knew how big it would get if it continued rampaging across the countryside. Liv momentarily considered, then discarded, the idea of using her Grasping Ice spell. If the blood-monster had been more solid, she might have tried it, but she figured it would probably just ooze past the pillars. She only had a little time before it finished with the pig; when that happened, it would either notice her, and close distance, or it would wander off searching for some other victim. It was that thought that gave her an idea. ¡°Celet Manis,¡± Liv intoned, lifting her staff and pointing it at a patch of earth just in front of the feeding orb. She built the sculpture just like she did when providing targets for Matthew to cut in the practice yard, a man of ice with a sword raised, as if charging in to fight. She took her time with it; this part didn¡¯t have to be quick, it only needed to draw attention. A lash of viscera flung out from the orb, wrapping around the legs of the statue. Tossing the pig aside, the mass of blood closed on Liv¡¯s decoy, throwing out the rest of its whips to bind a new target. It was smart enough to keep its prey from escaping, apparently, but it hadn¡¯t yet realized what she was doing. Even touching the ice would start to congeal the blood, but Liv didn¡¯t give the monster a chance to pull back. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Encve N?v¡¯belim¡¯o¡¯Manis,¡± she continued her chanting, before the sigils blazing on her staff had a chance to even dim. Spears of ice shot out of the decoy, piercing the orb of blood and two of its lashes. The monster shook, trying to pull itself back off the frozen spikes it was impaled on, but Liv didn¡¯t let up. ¡°Celet Aiveh N?v¡¯belium Ractae,¡± she finished, then lowered her staff to watch the results. The spears that pierced the monster of blood radiated cold, chilling and freezing everything they touched. Frost spidered out from each spear, encasing the monster until it stopped moving entirely. Only when the lashes crumbled and the frozen orb fell to the ground, shattering into scores of icy pink chunks, did Liv relax. It had been a more complicated sequence of casting then she had ever used in an actual fight before, but it had worked, and left her with a sliver of mana. With the emergency power stored in her ring, she might even be able to get off a single spell, if she needed to. ¡°By the trinity,¡± Little Whit¡¯s wife gasped. ¡°Did you see that?¡± Liv turned, and saw that the entire family had crept over the rise of the hill, on their bellies, to watch what she¡¯d done. With a sigh, she trudged back through the gathering darkness toward the tree, where Master Grenfell¡¯s gelding was waiting. There was no way she was going to walk back to Castle Whitehill after that. ? By the time Liv had returned to the castle, the moon was up, and the courtyard torches had been lit. She found that both Lady Julianne and Master Grenfell had returned, and that Gretta and her mother had cooked up two massive pheasants, from the shoals of Bald Peak, with mushrooms and onions in a wine sauce. Liv settled in next to them and helped herself to a large serving of meat: who knew what further attacks might happen in the night? ¡°I dealt with the one in the west fields,¡± she said, in between bites. ¡°Good,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°That¡¯s the last we have word of, but I want someone headed south tomorrow to check on Fairford, and then the pass.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Lady Julianne offered. ¡°I want to speak to Aunt Rhea, in any case, before we leave.¡± ¡°Which means that I should go north,¡± Master Grenfell spoke up. ¡°To see whether the miners at Bald Peak came under attack.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Liv asked, then took a large gulp of watered wine. ¡°First,¡± Lady Julianne said, ¡°I want you checked over by Mistress Trafford. You¡¯ve been in two fights today, and I want to be absolutely certain you¡¯re in good condition to travel. You can go up to her chambers once you¡¯ve had something to eat; she¡¯s already wrapped my son¡¯s wounds and put him to bed.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Liv grimaced, but didn¡¯t object. She wasn¡¯t as comfortable with Amelia Trafford as she had been with Master Cushing, but she didn¡¯t have any real objection to the woman. ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± she said. ¡°Travel? Do we need to check in with Al''Fenthia?¡± It was a lot sooner than she¡¯d planned on seeing Airis Ka Reimis again, but it would make a certain amount of sense to send her, out of anyone. ¡°No,¡± Julianne said, shaking her head. ¡°The Eld are more than capable of taking care of themselves. My father will be summoning a great council.¡± ¡°The king can¡¯t possibly have sent a messenger yet,¡± Liv objected. ¡°It¡¯s only been hours. Even pigeons take days.¡± Lady Julianne grinned. ¡°My father did not send me so far away without making certain we had a means to communicate.¡± ¡°In any event,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°While King Roland is still gathering information, he did tell us that there were attacks at the capital, and at Coral Bay, as well. At this point, we are all acting under the assumption that this event encompassed much of the kingdom. Master Grenfell, between the five of us, I presume it should be possible to use the Waystone at Bald Peak?¡± Liv¡¯s teacher nodded his head. ¡°With the burden spread among so many, I foresee no difficulty.¡± ¡°Three days should give us time to scour the valley for any more of these things,¡± the baron said. ¡°I¡¯ll have each knight take a team at first light. Until my wife and Master Grenfell have returned, Apprentice, I will need you to be available here. You will be the first one I send after anything they find.¡± ¡°What about Matthew?¡± Liv asked. It was clear to everyone why Baron Henry couldn¡¯t go. ¡°Unlike my son, you¡¯ve already shown you can defeat these enemies,¡± Henry told her. ¡°This stubbornness about his magic has gone on too long. I don¡¯t care whether he likes fencing better, it''s foolishness to put aside a tool that has use.¡± Lady Julianne reached a hand over and rested it on her husband¡¯s arm. ¡°The College will set him right,¡± she said. ¡°Set it aside for now, Henry. Liv, see the first footman about making certain your things are packed.¡± ¡°It sounds like I have a list of things to do before I can sleep,¡± Liv said, pushing her plate aside and standing. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, then, m¡¯lord, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°My Lord,¡± Julianne corrected her. ¡°It may not matter here, but it will at court. Talk like a peasant and you¡¯ll be treated like one.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lady,¡± Liv said. She curtsied, grabbed her staff, and headed upstairs to find Mistress Trafford. When she knocked on the door to the chirurgeon¡¯s chambers, there was only a brief pause before a woman¡¯s voice from within called for her to enter. Liv slipped inside, then closed the door behind her. The room felt warmer than it had in the past, and there was a new, plush carpet on the floor. Amelia Trafford was sitting at her desk, reading through a sheaf of notes, a quill in hand and a pot of ink at her elbow. A set of spectacles perched on her nose, which she adjusted with one finger. ¡°Good, Apprentice Brodbeck,¡± she said. ¡°Have a seat on the table. I was just reviewing Master Cushing¡¯s notes on you.¡± Liv set her staff against the wall in the corner of the room, then climbed up. ¡°Is there something I should be worrying about?¡± she asked. ¡°Not as such,¡± Mistress Trafford said. She removed her spectacles, rose from her desk, and approached. ¡°But you are something of a special case. Thankfully, Master Cushing kept meticulous records. Any wounds?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°No. Neither of the monsters ever touched me.¡± Though the first one, at the inn, had been a near thing. ¡°Did you take any falls?¡± Trafford asked her. ¡°I rolled across a table and jumped out a window,¡± Liv said. ¡°I want to check your legs, then,¡± the chirurgeon told her. ¡°For any fractures.¡± She knelt on the floor in front of Liv and began running her hands up her calves, squeezing gently as she moved upward. ¡°Tell me if there¡¯s any pain.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t broken a bone for years,¡± Liv protested. ¡°Since my arm in the courtyard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve been careful,¡± the chirurgeon pointed out. ¡°Today, you weren¡¯t being careful. Sometimes, soldiers don¡¯t even realize they¡¯re wounded until after a battle is over. Given your history with fractures and breaks, we can¡¯t be too cautious. Nothing?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°I feel fine. Just tired.¡± Mistress Trafford nodded. ¡°You can go, then. It¡¯s going to be a busy few days, so be sure to get a good night¡¯s sleep,¡± she said, standing up and turning back toward her desk. ¡°Can you tell Lady Julianne that I¡¯m ready to go to Coral Bay?¡± Liv said, before she could think better of it. The chirurgeon turned back to her. ¡°I would think that is a question you should be asking Master Grenfell,¡± she said. Liv shook her head. ¡°It isn¡¯t about magic,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m better at magic than Matthew. A lot better,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve had more time and training than probably anyone else going there this year, but they won¡¯t let me go because they say I¡¯m not old enough.¡± Mistress Trafford walked back over to her desk, and consulted her notes. ¡°Master Cushing estimated that you were maturing at half the speed of a human,¡± she said. ¡°And everything I have seen, whether in these records, or since I¡¯ve come here, supports that. How old were you when you bled for the first time?¡± ¡°Twenty-four,¡± Liv answered. ¡°It was the year you came here.¡± ¡°Twelve years old would be consistent with the growth of a human girl,¡± Amelia Trafford said. ¡°It¡¯s been six years since then, which would make you about fifteen, physically. Your growth has slowed, but you still added half an inch since last winter. You¡¯re skinny, you haven¡¯t filled out yet. Every piece of evidence I have, every measurement, even just glancing at your face, Liv, tells me that you¡¯re aren''t an adult yet. Close, maybe but not there. We don¡¯t send children to Coral Bay, we send people who have reached the age of majority.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m older than any of them!¡± Liv complained. ¡°This is ridiculous. I¡¯m better at magic than they are. Anyone I go to school with will be half my age. I don¡¯t see what waiting another six years will do for me. If I went now, I could at least go with someone I know. A friend.¡± ¡°I can understand why you would want that,¡± the chirurgeon said. ¡°And I sympathize Liv, I really do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say you understand me,¡± Liv shot back, suddenly furious. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to grow up different than everyone else. Emma was younger than me, and now she¡¯s talking about getting married, and I¡¯m still treated like a child. Matthew was a baby, and now he¡¯s allowed to go to college before me? It isn¡¯t fair!¡± Mistress Trafford waited a long moment before she responded. ¡°If we send you to Coral Bay now, we are telling everyone that you are available for marriage. Half the reason the aristocracy sends their children there is to make matches. You are not ready for that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about finding a husband!¡± Liv shouted. ¡°I just want to go with a single friend, instead of all by myself.¡± ¡°Your body isn¡¯t the only thing that needs to finish growing,¡± the chirugeon said, crossing the room and tapping her finger against Liv¡¯s forehead. ¡°This. Right here. Your mind isn¡¯t ready. You know why we start children learning V?dic so young? You learn language easier as a child, rather than as an adult. There¡¯s something in our heads, in our brains, that goes away as we get older, or at least changes. And you, right now? You¡¯re acting exactly like what you are, which is a fifteen year old girl. You get angry, you get frustrated, and that¡¯s normal, Liv. You think I don¡¯t remember what it was like to be that age? Half the time I wanted to scream at my mother, the other half I wanted to lock myself in my room and cry, and whichever I was feeling I was probably mooning over some stupid boy at the same time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not you,¡± Liv said, glaring at her. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t,¡± Trafford said. ¡°You¡¯re a girl who doesn¡¯t fit in anywhere. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t fix that for you. When we do let you go to Coral Bay, in some ways, you¡¯re going to be smarter than everyone there. You¡¯re right, no one else will have twenty years of training in magic like you will. But that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re ready. I know you don¡¯t want to hear this, but you need to just be patient and trust us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice, do I?¡± Liv complained, pushing herself off the table and striding over to the wall, where she took her staff back. ¡°No,¡± Mistress Trafford said. ¡°You do not. I¡¯m sorry Liv, but that¡¯s all there is to it. Try to get yourself a good night¡¯s sleep; I have a feeling it¡¯s going to be quite busy around here over the next few days.¡± Without another word, Liv stormed out the door, slammed it, and set off down the hall to her room. 40. The Endless Horizon Over the next three days, Castle Whitehill descended into barely controlled chaos. Liv could barely remember the last time Baron Henry had gone to the capital, nearly twenty years before. She¡¯d been only a scullery maid, at the time, left behind when he went to negotiate his marriage to Lady Julianne. Her mother and Gretta had stayed, as well, though Archibald and the other footmen had gone. ¡°There must have been other councils called since the eruption,¡± Liv said, while the seamstress fussed around her with a mouthful of pins. ¡°The small council meets regularly,¡± Lady Julianne pointed out, taking a sip of her tea. They were in her sitting room, and Mistress Ethel had been summoned from her shop on The Hill to come and take measurements. ¡°The great council, on the other hand, is called only to approve new taxes, war, or to deliberate some other truly monumental matter. There have been two, since my husband¡¯s injury, and Henry has delegated his vote to Duke Thomas on both occasions.¡± ¡°But this is more important,¡± Liv guessed, holding her arms up and out of Mistress Ethel¡¯s way. ¡°Precisely,¡± Julianne confirmed. ¡°A debate on taxation is one thing; it would be too much trouble to go for that, in his condition. But if these attacks truly have spread across the kingdom, we need to attend ourselves, to learn everything we can. Even if I would prefer to avoid it. How is she looking, Ethel?¡± ¡°She needs a whole set of new dresses, in all honesty,¡± the seamstress said. ¡°You¡¯ve grown out in the hips and bust since last we measured you, Livy. I¡¯m surprised you fit into the old ones at all.¡± ¡°They¡¯re only a little tight,¡± Liv protested. ¡°How many can you make before we leave?¡± Julianne asked. Ethel walked over to the desk, where she made notes with chalk on a slate. ¡°Two for her, one for you,¡± she said, after chewing the problem over for a moment. "Just travelling clothes, nothing fancy.¡± ¡°I have plenty of court gowns,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Though none will be in this season¡¯s style. We¡¯ll get the fancier things in Freeport; it will be one of our first stops when we arrive.¡± ¡°I thought the city was named Lucania, too?¡± Liv said, stepping down from the stool where the seamstress had placed her. Julianne shook her head. ¡°The old Barony was Lucania,¡± she said. ¡°And even that was only a few generations after the city was founded. Lucan himself just called the place Freeport. From what I¡¯ve read of him, he would have been a bit embarrassed to have an entire kingdom carry his name. Be that as it may, I know a seamstress once we get there. Or at least I did, twenty years ago,¡± she admitted. ¡°The three dresses, then. I¡¯ll pay you double the normal price to get them done before we leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have them here the night before you leave,¡± Ethel said, curtsying. She gathered up her things and departed. ¡°Other than the dresses,¡± Lady Julianne asked, ¡°are you packed?¡± Liv shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have much to bring, m¡¯lady,¡± she said. ¡°Clean shifts and stockings, my staff and books. A quill and ink bottle, and I thought I might bring some of the jerky that Emma and I have smoked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thought; bring as much of it as you can,¡± Julianne said. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hunt at the capital: everything we want to eat will have to be paid for in coin. Bring your winter cloak; it¡¯s a cold wind that comes in off the ocean, once the harvest is in. And have yourself a good bath below the castle. There aren¡¯t any hot springs there.¡± ¡°As you say, m¡¯lady.¡± Liv curtsied, then headed out into the hall. It was a special treat to bathe in the waters under the castle, and she still felt a bit self conscious about using the space unless she was given explicit permission. No servant would ever be allowed to, and though she wasn¡¯t a servant anymore, she also didn¡¯t feel quite a member of the court. ? On the morning of the third day, Liv found both her new dresses laid out in her sitting room when she rose. She¡¯d been given a large leather trunk to store her things in, though she hadn¡¯t been able to fill it completely. She simply didn¡¯t own very much. She was just trying to choose which of her new dresses to pack, and which to wear, when a knock came on her door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Liv called, padding across the room in her stockings. ¡°I wanted to come see you off,¡± her mother¡¯s voice came from the other side of the door. Liv opened the door, and immediately found herself wrapped up in her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°Let me help you dress,¡± Mama said. ¡°I was just trying to choose.¡± Liv led her mother over to where the new dresses had been set out. Both were dark gray, different only in the choice of color in the lining. One was a floral pattern in burgundy and yellow, while the other was green with white blossoms. ¡°This one,¡± her mother said, picking up the skirt lined in green and white. ¡°Summerset colors. Will show everyone who you¡¯re with right when you arrive.¡± Liv nodded, and quickly stowed the other dress in her trunk. ¡°I wish you were coming,¡± Liv admitted, while her mother worked the laces at her back. ¡°Five or ten years ago, I might have,¡± Mama admitted. ¡°But you¡¯re old enough to look after yourself now, and my back isn¡¯t what it used to be. They¡¯ll hire a cook - I¡¯d be amazed if Lady Julianne hasn¡¯t already arranged it. She¡¯s a sharp one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not that old yet, Mama,¡± Liv teased. ¡°I¡¯m fifty-four years old, my dove,¡± her mother said, coming around in front of her to look the dress over. ¡°I¡¯m not young, either.¡± Liv paused, really looking at her mother for the first time in ages. They spent so much of their days apart, now: Mama in the kitchens, and Liv in the practice yard, or the forest, or in Master Grenfell¡¯s study. There was gray in her mother¡¯s hair, and not a little of it. Though she smiled, her face was lined. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about me, Livy,¡± her mother said. ¡°I¡¯ll still be here when you get back. You look after yourself in the capital, you hear?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine we¡¯ll be gone that long,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll want to come back before the snows fall, won¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Once they get a council going, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it goes all winter,¡± her mother said. ¡°I remember when the old baron used to go. Now, you do exactly as Lady Julianne says, understand? I want a good report of you when you come back. And watch yourself around those boys at court.¡± ¡°I will, Mama,¡± Liv promised, taking up her staff from where she¡¯d leaned it in the corner. ¡°Come on then,¡± her mother said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you downstairs.¡± ¡°I have to call someone to come get my trunk,¡± Liv said.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No need for that.¡± Her mother opened the door, to reveal the first footman and Gretta waiting outside in the hall. No one had gone around to snuff the oil lamps yet, and the light of early morning was streaming in through the window panes. ¡°I¡¯ll take your trunk down, Miss Brodbeck,¡± Archibald said, with a smile. ¡°Your mother wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to see you off.¡± He nodded his head to the woman who¡¯d been waiting at his side. ¡°Give me a hug before you go,¡± Gretta said. When Liv wrapped her arms around the old woman, she was surprised by how fragile her body felt. ¡°I want you all to still be here when I come home,¡± Liv said, and then, on impulse, gave her mother another hug. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± her mother said. ¡°Come along. Let¡¯s get you down to the courtyard. You don¡¯t want to be the one they¡¯re all waiting for, do you?¡± Three carriages waited in the courtyard, each with a team of horses hitched, and half a dozen horses were saddled besides, each with one of the castle guards already in the saddle. ¡°The first is for the family,¡± Archibald explained, as he lugged Liv¡¯s trunk over to the second carriage. ¡°This is you, Master Grenfell, and the chirurgeon. I¡¯ll be with Edward, Thomas and Sophia in the third.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. The door to the carriage was open, and she saw that her teacher and Mistress Trafford were already seated inside, on opposite benches. Liv climbed in, took a seat next to Master Grenfell, then leaned out to wave once more at her mother and Gretta. One of the guards came over to close the carriage door, so she sat back on the padded bench. ¡°The cooks packed us all a meal to eat on the way,¡± Amelia Trafford said. ¡°Apple tarts. Have one.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Liv regarded the chirurgeon warily; now that a few days had passed, she regretted yelling at the woman, but it didn¡¯t seem like Mistress Trafford was angry with her. She picked out one apple tart, hesitated, and then grabbed a second. ¡°There¡¯s a bottle of tea, as well,¡± Master Grenfell said, lifting it from where he¡¯d tucked it between his leg and the carriage. ¡°Still hot, but it won¡¯t be for long.¡± Liv set the tarts on her lap, accepted a drink of the tea, and then handed the bottle back. By the time she¡¯d started in on her first tart, they were off. Surrounded by Baron Henry¡¯s soldiers on horseback, and with no less than five people capable of using magic split between two carriages, Liv found that she didn¡¯t feel any worry that a stray blood monster might ambush them. With little else to do once she¡¯d finished eating, she pulled the hood of her cloak up and snuggled into it, doing her best to get comfortable for the rest of the ride. As she dozed, she wondered what they would find at the capitol. Lady Julianne would clearly know people there, even if she¡¯d been gone for a long time. She was the king¡¯s daughter, after all. Baron Henry would be a part of this grand council, however that worked, and Matthew would probably go along to learn from his father. Archibald and the other two footmen would make certain they were settled in and that the household functioned. She wondered, for a moment, whether Baron Henry or Lady Julianne owned a house in Freeport, or if they would be guests of the king. The thought of staying at the palace was enough to make her shudder. Liv really wasn¡¯t certain why they¡¯d decided to bring her. Was she just to be one more person to throw magic at the problem, if those monstrosities attacked? She certainly wouldn¡¯t be welcome at the council or at the king¡¯s court, would she? Finally, she couldn¡¯t take the wondering any more, and pulled her hood back. ¡°What are we going to be doing?¡± Liv asked Master Grenfell. He was leaning against the window, and now he opened one eye to regard her. ¡°We will serve at the pleasure of the baron, as he requires,¡± her teacher told her. ¡°And when we are not occupied doing that, there may well be a chance for us to meet up with some old colleagues of mine.¡± ¡°Other mages?¡± Liv asked. Grenfell smiled. ¡°If most of the aristocracy will be present for the great council, they will bring their court mages along with them. I can¡¯t very well leave a promising young apprentice to her own devices when I might need her assistance, can I? Pay attention and you may learn a few things. Anyway, there are a few specific people I want to introduce you to.¡± Liv turned away from him and looked out the window. ¡°What are people in the capital going to think of me?¡± she asked. ¡°You mean, are they going to curse at you and want to trim your ears?¡± Mistress Trafford asked her. ¡°If you went to the wrong part of town, certainly. I¡¯d recommend you travel by carriage, Apprentice. And keep your hood up.¡± ¡°Court will be different,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°Words are sharper than knives, in that crowd.¡± If any of that was meant to make her feel better, Liv decided, they had failed. Nonetheless, when the carriages rolled up to the waystone on the bluff overlooking the Aspen River, there was at least one thing to be excited about. She followed Master Grenfell out of the carriage and onto the stone, where they were joined by Matthew and Lady Julianne. ¡°Come and look over here, children,¡± Grenfell said, striding across the waystone to a particular set of sigils. ¡°Before it was the capital of Lucania, and before Lucan named it Freeport, where we are going was called Gre¡¯Dua. Which means...?¡± He looked back and forth between Liv and Matthew. ¡°...something green?¡± the baron¡¯s son guessed. ¡°Grassy dunes,¡± Liv corrected him. ¡°Yes, Liv,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°It hosted one of the pleasure palaces of the V?dim. The beaches south and north of the city are still beautiful - or at least they were, when last I was there.¡± He looked to Lady Julianne for confirmation. ¡°They are,¡± she agreed. ¡°Too far to walk, now. The city has grown large. You need a carriage to get there. A bit cold for bathing in the ocean, this time of year.¡± ¡°So this is the sigil for the capital, then,¡± Liv said, putting her hand on the one Master Grenfell had pointed out. ¡°And last we were here, you said it took twenty rings of mana to activate the waystone.¡± Assuming everyone did their part, five rings wasn¡¯t a bother for her at this point. Master Grenfell put his hand on the sigil. ¡°Remember, once it begins to glow blue, a slow count of two hundred. That should be enough for everyone to get back into their carriages.¡± ¡°And for anyone near the other end to get out of the way,¡± Liv recalled. ¡°Just so.¡± Grenfell looked over to Matthew. ¡°Go ahead, put your hand down with ours.¡± Lady Julianne knelt opposite Master Grenfell, and placed her palm on the stone. Finally, across from Liv, Matthew reached out. For a moment, Liv wasn¡¯t certain how to begin. Next to her, Master Grenfell began to pour mana into the waystone, and it opened up like thin ice breaking. Liv¡¯s mana fell out of her before she could think to stop it, even more easily than when she used her staff to cast a spell. In fact, she wasn¡¯t certain if she would have been able to stop the process once it had begun. A moment later, a soft blue light began to rise from the waystone, beginning at the sigil they were touching and then spreading like flames over dry leaves. It shone brighter and brighter, and then Liv felt the pull on her mana ease. ¡°There. Back to the carriages,¡± Lady Julianne said, rising and leading the way herself. Liv scrambled after Master Grenfell, but they¡¯d both managed to sit and close the door of the carriage by the time her count reached one hundred and sixty. She was settled, face practically pressed against the window, well before she reached two hundred. There was a moment of hesitation, and Liv was just about to ask Master Grenfell whether something might be wrong, when the blue radiance coming off the stone flared into brilliant white. The light burned through everything, even Liv¡¯s eyelids when she closed them, and the world seemed to drop far away and grow very distant. Liv abruptly realized she was floating in a dark place, though what ¡®she¡¯ was precisely was unclear. Did she breathe? Did her heart beat? Was there anything to her at all? Suddenly, Liv drew in a deep breath, and sat up from where she¡¯d fallen against the carriage seat. She patted her legs and body, to make sure everything was still there. The fabric of her new skirt felt rough, as if her tender fingertips had never touched anything before in her life. ¡°That is very strange,¡± she said, and even her voice was wrong. ¡°My own Master used to say that you don¡¯t come back quite the same,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Or rather, that the you that returns isn¡¯t quite the same as the one that left. The feeling will fade in a few moments, Liv.¡± ¡°What does it actually do, though,¡± Liv asked. ¡°I thought it would move us fast, maybe, or open a doorway, but that almost felt like-¡± ¡°It feels like dying,¡± Amelia Trafford said, looking out the window. Before Liv could ask the chirurgeon what she had meant, the carriage jerked and then rolled forward. Outside, the clomp of horse¡¯s hooves signalled that Baron Henry¡¯s guards were moving along with them. Liv sat up and looked out again. They were atop a hill or a rise, for to the west Liv could see the city falling away from them, down to the largest expanse of water she¡¯d ever seen. It went on and on, dark and specked with the white breakers of waves, to an endless horizon that was terrifyingly flat. There were no comforting mountains to cradle her world, and even the air here was different. Heavier and wetter, somehow, instead of clean and clear. They rolled off the waystone through a walled gate, and then out into a cobblestone street that led down the hill. Instantly, the carriage was bracketed on either side by crowds of people walking, talking, selling all manner of things. Between the people, and the endless expanse of the ocean, Liv shrunk back from the window into her bench. ¡°Welcome to the lowlands, Apprentice,¡± Master Grenfell said, then sighed. ¡°I already want to be back in the mountains.¡± 41. Freeport The capitol was at least twice the size of Whitehill, with street upon street of merchants¡¯ shops, houses, inns and taverns, and buildings that served no purpose that Liv had ever seen before. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she asked, for probably the third time, jabbing her finger at the carriage window. ¡°A theater,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°For an acting troupe to perform regularly.¡± ¡°An acting troupe?¡± She turned her face back into the carriage, looking between the mage and the chirurgeon. ¡°I sometimes forget you¡¯ve never been out of the mountains,¡± Mistress Trafford remarked. ¡°Men who dress up in costume and act out a story on stage. The whole business is often quite rowdy and disreputable. We¡¯re not passing through the best part of town, at the moment.¡± ¡°Do you think we can go and see?¡± Liv wondered aloud, turning back to the window. Now that it had been mentioned, she did notice a few men who seemed obviously drunk, along with a beggar who¡¯d set up shop with his bowl at the end of an alley. ¡°Certainly not without an escort,¡± the chirurgeon told her. ¡°You¡¯re a young woman under the care of House Summerset, and here in Freeport that means what you do will reflect on Baron Henry. While you haven¡¯t officially been adopted as a ward of the family, it¡¯s close enough people will treat you that way. You can¡¯t be seen in public some place like that among the rabble. Perhaps in one of the boxes.¡± The procession of carriage and mounted guards turned a corner onto a street that led downhill, toward the ocean. Now that Liv had time to examine it, she saw two arms of land stretching out to embrace the water, far enough away to just be visible along the outer edges of the horizon. ¡°The bay must be enormous,¡± she observed. ¡°It is.¡± Grenfell nodded. ¡°No reefs this far north, like there are at Coral Bay, but there are several sandbars to break the worst of the surf. Three, if I recall correctly. To the south are the city docks, where fishers and trading ships weigh anchor. You can see them there,¡± he said, leaning over to point out her window. Liv followed his finger to a forest of masts, all standing up from scores of ships tied up to the quays. Above, white birds circled low, as if hunting for something. ¡°What¡¯s that to the north, then?¡± Liv asked. ¡°The King¡¯s Port,¡± Master Grenfell explained. ¡°For the exclusive use of the royal family and their guests. Much smaller, and walled away from the rest of the city, along with the entire palace compound. We¡¯re going in that direction, though not inside.¡± ¡°Does Baron Henry own a house here?¡± Liv asked. ¡°He does,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Though he¡¯s rented it out for many years now. We are going to Acton House, where Lady Julianne lived as a young woman. It has remained in her possession, one of her wedding gifts from her father, if I recall correctly.¡± Around them, the rather disreputable neighborhood of the theater gave way to walled estates and wide streets as the procession turned and made its way north. The houses were all at least three stories, if not four or five, and each was made entirely of stone, though they had far too many windows to be defended like a castle. Even the walls looked, compared to Castle Whitehill, rather ornamental. They were often of brick or iron, or perhaps of stone that matched the home they closed off, and some weren¡¯t even as tall as a man. Even here, however, there were signs of those less fortunate: a young girl with sunken cheeks and an old dress watched the procession pass with solemn eyes. Finally, the procession wheeled to the left and passed through a gate of wrought iron, where two guards held the way open for them. Beyond the gate was a circle paved with cobblestones, where the three carriages had plenty of room to pull to a halt in front of the house. The center of the circle was unpaved, and featured a marble fountain surrounded by a flower garden, now somewhat wilted in the late days of harvest season. The house itself was of white stone, with wide steps leading up to the door. It was four stories tall, with a wing extending out to either side, all surrounded by more gardens. Beyond the house, Liv could see the ocean, though the water looked somewhat distant and below their current height. Lined up to receive them were a dozen or more servants, including maids, cooks, and one portly man with a wild mop of white hair. Master Grenfell led the way out of the carriage, then extended a hand to help out first Mistress Trafford, and then Liv, who made certain to tuck her spellbook under her left arm and take her staff in the other. ¡°Lady Julianne,¡± the portly man exclaimed, opening his arms wide. ¡°Basil!¡± Liv was surprised to see Julianne rush forward and embrace the man. ¡°It¡¯s been far too long, my lady,¡± Basil exclaimed, catching her by the shoulders so that he could examine her at arm¡¯s length. ¡°You look well.¡± ¡°And you look like you¡¯ve gotten old,¡± she teased him. ¡°You remember my husband,¡± Julianne said, stepping away from the portly man. ¡°Baron Henry.¡± Basil extended his hand, and Liv saw that the guards had already unpacked the litter which was used to transport the crippled man. Henry took the man¡¯s hand from his seated position. ¡°Basil, this is our son, Matthew,¡± Henry said, beckoning the young lord forward. ¡°Basil is Steward of Acton House, and has been in your mother¡¯s service for many years.¡± ¡°It is my honor to meet you, Lord Matthew,¡± Basil said. ¡°We have all greatly looked forward to this day. Baron Henry, Lady Julianne, the house stands ready to receive you, and we are all at your service.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Rooms have been prepared for Master Grenfell and Mistress Trafford?¡± Basil offered his hand to the master mage first, and then proceeded to the chirurgeon. ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°I believe you will both find your chambers quite adequate. And I believe there was one more? You asked for a daughter¡¯s room to be prepared?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Julianne said, beckoning Liv forward. ¡°This is Miss Brodbeck, Apprentice of the mages¡¯ guild. While she is not officially a ward of the family, that is how the staff should treat her.¡± Basil¡¯s eyes flicked to Liv¡¯s ears, and she resisted the urge to flinch. Rather than say anything cruel, he took her hand and bowed over it. ¡°Our young miss was always very kind,¡± he said, meeting her eyes. ¡°It does not surprise me at all to find she has taken in such a treasure. Ah! Archie, you old scoundrel! Get over here!¡± Liv blinked, unable to square her image of the first footman with the sight of Basil catching Archibald up in a bear hug and pounding him on the back. Indeed, Archibald stiffened for a moment, as if he might resist, but then relented and hugged Basil back. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t changed a bit,¡± Archibald muttered. ¡°No sense of propriety whatsoever.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Not a bit!¡± Basil said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had a good partner at honours since you¡¯ve left.¡± ¡°No scandals this time,¡± Henry warned the two of them. ¡°Of course not!¡± Basil promised. ¡°We¡¯re old men now, after all. Much more dignified. Come on in, come along, let¡¯s get you all settled.¡± Liv found herself led up to the third floor by a mousy-looking maid who ushered her into a suite panelled in finely carved wood, with carpets, a small fireplace and mantel, end tables, a desk and chair, and oil lamps ready to be lit. There were even two cushioned benches, like the one in Lady Julianne¡¯s room at Whitehill, for receiving guests. Beyond, through a doorway, she saw a four post bed already made and with the curtains drawn aside. ¡°This can¡¯t be the correct room,¡± Liv said, turning to the servant. ¡°I¡¯m not actually a member of the family.¡± ¡°We were instructed to prepare the room meant for the eldest daughter of the house for Miss Brodbeck,¡± the maid said. ¡°It¡¯s too much,¡± Liv muttered. This was more luxurious than any room at Castle Whitehill. It had been one thing to be told that Lady Julianne was the king¡¯s daughter, but now Liv was starting to get an inkling of just what sort of wealth she¡¯d grown up with. ¡°If anything isn¡¯t up to your standards, m¡¯lady, just let me know and I¡¯ll have it fixed,¡± the maid said. ¡°I¡¯ll have your things unpacked shortly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Liv said, turning away from the bed chamber. ¡°Did you say you¡¯ll unpack my things?¡± ¡°I¡¯m to be your maid while you¡¯re at Acton House,¡± the woman said, curtsying. ¡°Thora, at your service, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°Your pardon,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m not used to having a maid. Please forgive me if I don¡¯t do things quite correctly.¡± The sight of the bay caught her attention, and she walked over to the window to get a better look. Acton House, it turned out, was perched above the dunes, with a long stair of cut stones leading down from the gardens behind the house to the beach below. Liv couldn¡¯t imagine how much it had cost to wall the entire thing in, down to the sand. There, the wall turned inward, and a second iron gate closed off the stairs that led up to the house. ¡°If you go down to bathe in the bay, be certain you take one of the guards,¡± Thora cautioned her, coming up beside Liv to point out the window. ¡°You can¡¯t build on the sand, really. So while the house is private, any one of the neighbors could come wandering along the beach. Mostly it isn¡¯t a problem, since the houses to either side of us are all owned by families of good quality.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to guard me,¡± Liv said. Would the girl have urged Matthew to take someone for protection? He hadn¡¯t even been able to kill one of the blood-monsters, while she¡¯d taken care of two. ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re a mage, aren¡¯t you?¡± Thora commented. ¡°That must be wonderful. I can¡¯t even imagine. Anyway, there¡¯ll be tea served in the library, when you¡¯re ready. I can show you the way?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Liv said. She almost - almost - set her staff against the wall in the corner. After all, the house was walled in and private, and Baron Henry had brought six of his best men, including Piers, whom she¡¯d known for years. But then she thought of the night at the Sign of the Terrapin, and kept it in her hand. ¡°That¡¯s a magic staff, is it?¡± Thora asked her, as they descended the grand staircase to the second floor. ¡°Not magic itself, really,¡± Liv said, absently. Everywhere she looked were thick tapestries, sculptures on pedestals, and rich panelling of carved and polished wood. ¡°It helps me to focus my mana, so that I don¡¯t waste so much when I cast a spell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± Thora said. ¡°You don¡¯t see most young ladies carrying one of those. Maybe because they haven¡¯t been to college yet? Here¡¯s the library, m¡¯lady. Ring if you need me.¡± ¡°Thank you, Thora,¡± Liv said, and stepped through the door. The library could have fit four of the old baron¡¯s Room of Curiosities inside it. Every wall was stuffed full of books, with built-in shelves reaching up to the ceiling. A fire was banked in the hearth, and a low circular table had been set with a pot of tea, cups, and trays of snacks. Cushioned chairs and benches were arranged around the table, and two men rose when Liv entered. ¡°Ah, my Apprentice,¡± Master Grenfell said, reaching out an arm to invite Liv over. ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet my nephew, Isaac Grenfell, Baron Ashford. Isaac, this is Liv Brodbeck.¡± ¡°A pleasure to meet you, my lord,¡± Liv said, offering a curtsy. It still felt odd not to shorten the address, but she could practically feel Lady Julianne glaring over her shoulder, even if the woman wasn¡¯t actually in the room. The baron took her hand and bowed. ¡°Apprentice,¡± he said, then released her. ¡°I feel I know you from my uncle¡¯s letters.¡± Isaac was clearly several decades younger than her teacher: where his hair was now more gray than black, the younger Grenfell wore a neatly trimmed mustache and beard as dark as midnight. ¡°If I had a son the right age, I would have brought him along,¡± he said. ¡°But my eldest is only ten. A pity. I was just bringing Uncle Kazimir up to date on how the council is shaping up.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t let me stop you,¡± Lady Julianne said, striding into the room. ¡°My husband would greet you, Baron Isaac, but travel is difficult for him these days. He has retired to his rooms, but be assured that you are most welcome.¡± ¡°Thank you, my lady,¡± Isaac said, stepping forward to take Julianne¡¯s hand. ¡°It is a pleasure to see you again. Duke Thomas will be here tomorrow, they say, and I imagine we¡¯ll all be meeting up once he¡¯s settled.¡± ¡°I intend to visit my father tonight,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Please, everyone, take a seat. I imagine my son will be down in a moment, but we don¡¯t need to wait for him.¡± Liv made certain everyone else sat before she did, and then took it upon herself to pour tea, beginning with Lady Julianne. ¡°Thank you, Liv,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said. ¡°The king rarely receives visitors these days,¡± Isaac said. ¡°I must warn you, Julianne, your father has grown old in your absence. The man¡¯s over seventy. Most audiences these days are held by Queen Milicent or Prince Benedict.¡± ¡°My father will see me,¡± Julianne said, with all the certainty of a rock tumbling down the mountainside. Isaac accepted his tea, and shrugged. ¡°As you say. It¡¯s good you brought Miss Brodbeck here; Princess Milisant is hosting tea for the young ladies of the court tomorrow. I don¡¯t have a daughter to send, but I suspect there will be just enough novelty about the apprentice, here, that she would be received.¡± ¡°The queen and the princess have the same name?¡± Liv asked, frowning. With everyone else served, she found a seat in one of the cushioned chairs. ¡°Quite a statement, isn¡¯t it?¡± Isaac said, turning to offer her a smile. ¡°Really tells you where Benedict¡¯s mind is at. He¡¯s more of a Sherard than anyone wants to say out loud.¡± ¡°House Sherard,¡± Master Grenfell explained to Liv, ¡°is the queen¡¯s family. Be cautious around them.¡± ¡°You might as well come out and say it, Uncle,¡± Isaac broke in. ¡°They¡¯re snakes.¡± The door to the library opened, and everyone looked up to see who it was. Liv let out a breath when she saw it was Matthew. ¡°Ah, good,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Isaac, this is my son, Matthew. He¡¯ll be off to Coral Bay shortly. Matthew, this is Isaac Grenfell, Baron Ashford.¡± ¡°A pleasure to meet you, young man,¡± Isaac said, rising to clasp Matthew¡¯s hand in his own. Liv leaned forward, lifted the teapot from the table, and poured another cup, which she handed to Matthew as he came over to take a seat. ¡°If we¡¯re to send Liv to a tea at the palace, I need the seamstress this afternoon, rather than tomorrow,¡± Lady Julianne said, reclaiming her seat. ¡°Matthew, you will escort her there, with two of the guards. It will give you a chance to meet some of the young women of the court when you drop her off and pick her up. Perhaps you can even bump shoulders with some of their brothers, while you¡¯re at it.¡± ¡°Yes, Mother,¡± Matthew said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Don¡¯t be looking to marry me quite yet, though. There¡¯s plenty of time for that after college. I want to do some travelling first.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s an alliance to be made to help the family, you¡¯ll do it without complaint,¡± his mother shot back. ¡°That¡¯s enough about our enemies, Isaac. What friends do we have coming?¡± ¡°Thomas Falkenrath, of course,¡± Baron Isaac said. ¡°Miss Brodbeck, I imagine you¡¯ll meet his daughter, Cecily, tomorrow at tea. The Crosbie¡¯s have been at it with the Trading Guild; I think with a bit of work, we could have their vote. If you had a second son, we could wrap up the Corbett¡¯s, but that¡¯s right out. What Duke Richard will do is anyone¡¯s guess, but I can¡¯t see why he would side with the guilds over us.¡± ¡°I thought we were meeting about the monsters,¡± Liv said. Everyone turned to look at her, and she flushed. ¡°I mean, because of the fire in the sky, and the blood-things rampaging through the countryside.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why King Roland called for a great council, certainly,¡± Isaac said. ¡°But once the politics begin, they won¡¯t stop at that. My people tell me the guilds finally have enough votes to make their push.¡± ¡°Their push?¡± Liv asked. Any talk of the guilds always made her think of the old mayor, Alban Cooper, and how he¡¯d tried to take advantage of her. ¡°For seats on the great council,¡± Lady Julianne explained. ¡°They¡¯ve been trying for thirty years, and for thirty years they¡¯ve been put off. But money can buy a great many things, and I fear it''s finally bought them enough influence to make their play.¡± ¡°This whole place is a snakepit,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°Are you starting to understand, Liv, why I was so eager to flee to the mountains?¡± Julianne asked. ¡°There¡¯s no helping it, however. Now we¡¯re here, it¡¯s time to sharpen our knives. Matthew, Liv, you¡¯ll both have your parts to play, and that begins tomorrow.¡± 42. In Need of a Daughter ¡°I can¡¯t wear this,¡± Liv protested. ¡°I¡¯m amazed no one has ever complained when I wore merchant dresses, but this is a step even beyond that.¡± The overskirt was blue, edged in white lace, while the bodice was as pure white as the underskirt, with blue trim to match. The shoulders were blue, as well, while the sleeves were a pale yellow with gold thread, and the entire thing rested on crinoline hoops that pushed out over her hips and rear. Melody, the seamstress who had come - not the one Julianne had been looking for, but her daughter - fussed around Liv, pinning the skirts up where they touched the floor. ¡°You can¡¯t very well attend Princess Milisant¡¯s tea dressed as a guildswoman or a peasant,¡± Julianne responded, taking a sip of tea. ¡°And I need you to go there, because I can¡¯t go myself. I¡¯m a generation too old.¡± ¡°Matthew-¡± ¡°My son can deliver you and retrieve you when it¡¯s all over, but he can¡¯t stay,¡± Julianne said. ¡°No, for this particular event, I find myself in need of a daughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you don¡¯t have one,¡± Liv said. She waited in silence while Melody helped her back out of the dress, piece by piece, and folded it all up. The crinoline hoops were set aside for later. Finally, she was left in her shift and stockings. ¡°You can have it altered for tomorrow?¡± Julianne asked the seamstress, while Liv reached for her everyday dress. ¡°I will, your highness,¡± Melody said, gathering up her measuring tapes, pins, and slate. ¡°None of that,¡± Julianne commanded. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®my lady,¡¯ Melody. Anything more than that could get you in a great deal of trouble. Give my best to your mother, now.¡± With a curtsy, the seamstress hurried out. Once the door was closed, Lady Julianne set her tea aside and rose. ¡°I need to prepare to visit my father,¡± she said. ¡°If all goes well, I will have something for you in the morning. You must be certain to see me before you leave. Here, let me help you with that.¡± Julianne came up behind Liv and took the laces of her bodice in hand. ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said, pulling her hair off her neck and holding it in front of her, so that it would be out of the way. ¡°You¡¯ve done so much for me, m¡¯lady,¡± she said, then corrected herself before she could be caught. ¡°My lady. Apologies. I¡¯ll help you if I can. But it¡¯s against the law for anyone not noble born to wear colors like those.¡± ¡°A law that I believe has done more harm than good,¡± Julianne grumbled. ¡°I argued against it. All it did was insult the guilds, and now we all have to deal with the results. You reap what you sow. There, you¡¯re tied.¡± Liv stepped away, picked up her shoes, and sat on the bench so that she could get them on. ¡°All the same, I can¡¯t be of much help to you if I¡¯m arrested.¡± ¡°Leave that to me,¡± Julianne assured her. ¡°And I don¡¯t even understand what you want me to do.¡± Liv stood up, shoes secured. ¡°I want you to listen, that¡¯s all,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said. ¡°Make a friend or two, if you can. Cecily Falkenrath would be a good beginning. Be cautious of the princess, however, or any of her family. But Milisant is the one to listen to the most, and those who cozy up to her. When my son picks you up, you are to come directly back here and report to me on what you¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your spy, then,¡± Liv realized. ¡°It might help if I knew what you were looking for.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t give away what you don¡¯t know, my dear,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Safer this way, for you and me both. Do you trust me?¡± Liv sighed, and looked the woman over. Like everyone else, it seemed, the baron¡¯s wife had only gotten older. There were lines at the corners of her eyes, now, and Liv thought she could see traces of gray at the roots of her dark hair. ¡°You¡¯ve always looked after me when you could,¡± she said. ¡°Gave me a home, seen to it that I was taught just like one of your own children. I trust you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Julianne reached a hand up and rested it on Liv¡¯s cheek. ¡°Come and sit next to me over breakfast. I¡¯ll have more to tell you then.¡± Liv nodded, the hand dropped away, and she took her leave, fetching her staff on the way out. Thora, who¡¯d been stationed outside the door to Lady Julianne¡¯s chambers, peeled herself off the wall and fell into step at Liv¡¯s heels. Glancing at the horologe in the hall, Liv saw that she had nearly a bell before dinner, with nothing in particular to do. At Castle Whitehill, she might have gone down to the kitchens, to help her mother or sing songs with Gretta, but here she wouldn¡¯t know any of the cooks or kitchen maids. ¡°Can you show me the way down to the sea?¡± Liv asked the maid. ¡°Aye, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. "We can pick up one of the guards along the way.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Liv said. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡± That wasn¡¯t the end of it, of course: Liv had to insist twice more, at various stages of the process, before the two women got their feet onto the stone steps at the back of the gardens. Once they were making their way down the bluff, however, the wind off the water was loud enough that Liv could pretend she didn¡¯t hear the maid¡¯s protests. ¡°This is so strange,¡± Liv remarked, once she¡¯d made it to the foot of the stairs. She sat down on the last step, pulled off her shoes and her stockings, and then stepped onto the sandy beach. ¡°Nothing like this up in the mountains?¡± Thora asked her with a nervous smile. Liv shook her head. ¡°We have the river, and that¡¯s sandy along the banks, and there are a few lakes, but those are more like sucking mud at the bottom than this.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but grin at the way the grains of sand shifted against her toes and the bare soles of her feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t think the water would smell so strongly,¡± she admitted. ¡°I heard someone was staying in that old house up there,¡± a boy¡¯s voice broke in, over the crashing of the waves. ¡°My good luck the family includes a pretty daughter.¡± Liv spun, nearly slipped on the sand, and caught her balance by putting her weight on her staff. Standing where the waves met the sand was a young man, dark haired and dark eyed, with sharp features. He was barefoot, as well, having presumably discarded his shoes and hose somewhere back along the way. ¡°My apologies,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to startle you. Cade Talbot, my lady. My family¡¯s house is two down that way.¡± He pointed south along the shore. ¡°Liv,¡± she said, until Thora nudged her with a sharp elbow. Then, she offered her hand, and Cade took it. The casual ease of the way he bowed while holding her fingers would have been plenty enough clue to tell her that he was noble born, even if he hadn¡¯t said his family owned a house in this part of the city. ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Liv,¡± Cade said. He kept her hand just a little too long, smiling up at her and holding her eyes with his own, and she felt her cheeks getting hot. ¡°I should get back up to the house,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ll be wanted for dinner soon.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the boy said. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you. But it¡¯s nice to have a neighbor who is about the same age. I often come down in the morning to bathe. Perhaps I¡¯ll see you.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Liv said. ¡°Good day to you, Master Talbot. Come along, Thora.¡± They were halfway up the stairs before Liv thought to look for her shoes and stockings, but thankfully the maid had brought them along. When she looked down at the beach, Cade Talbot was still down there, a dark blot upon the sand. He raised his hand once, and she turned away to scamper up the stairs. ? Lady Julianne was not at dinner that evening. ¡°Your mother is dining with the king,¡± Baron Henry explained when Matthew asked about it. That left six of them, for Isaac Grenfell had stayed the entire afternoon, catching up with his uncle. The cooks had prepared them a first course that consisted of a creamy soup, full of chunks of potato, crispy bacon, and some sort of shellfish that Liv had never tasted before. There were open shells, as well, stuffed with some sort of spiced breading and set with a thick slice of butter on top, to melt and get wonderfully gooey. The wine was white, rather than red. ¡°Do you think the cooks would mind terribly if I asked them for these recipes?¡± Liv asked Archibald, when he brought in the second course. ¡°Oh my. What is this?¡± The first footman set before each of them, in turn, a bread bowl filled with another kind of soup, smooth and a yellow so rich and deep it was nearly orange. The entire thing was topped with chunks of red fish of some kind. ¡°This is lobster, m¡¯lady,¡± Archibald told her. ¡°And I will inquire downstairs.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv told him, unable to restrain her grin. She waited until everyone had been served: for some reason, she wasn¡¯t last. That particular honor went to Mistress Trafford. Instead, she¡¯d been served right after Matthew. The soup was thick, rich and buttery, and she couldn¡¯t help but moan in delight when she tasted it. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to arrange for mana-enriched food,¡± Master Grenfell remarked, while everyone dug in. ¡°I checked with the cook, and they didn¡¯t make a practice of keeping it on hand while they only had the staff to feed.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be expensive,¡± Baron Isaac said. ¡°With so many households coming into the city for the great council. Might be better to not worry about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my fault, isn¡¯t it,¡± Liv said, putting her spoon down to take a sip of wine. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m the only one who really needs it, and now I¡¯m going to put you out, my lord.¡± ¡°While it may be true that only you absolutely require that kind of food,¡± Baron Henry answered, ¡°I think it best for us to be prepared at all times for any eventuality. I would rather invest a few crowns now, so that we don¡¯t find ourselves short mana when we need it. Do not concern yourself with it any further, Miss Brodbeck. How are you settling in?¡± ¡°You went down to the beach, didn¡¯t you?¡± Matthew asked. ¡°I saw you coming back up the stairs. I wish you¡¯d waited for me, Liv. I want to dip my toes in the water, too.¡± ¡°I did, yes,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Oh, and I met someone down there. A Master Talbot. He said his family had the house two down, I believe.¡± ¡±Talbot, is it?¡± Baron Henry looked over to Isaac. ¡°The Talbots are sworn to the Duke of Carinthia, if I recall correctly. Do I have that right?¡± ¡°So far as I can remember,¡± the baron of Ashford said. ¡°I¡¯ll ask around about the boy. Older than you, or younger, Liv?¡± ¡°Um, hard to say,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not - well, my age is a bit complicated. Younger than Matthew by a few years, I believe. Maybe three or four?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to meet him,¡± Matthew said. ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± his father agreed. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be down there again, Liv? Did he say?¡± ¡°He said he bathes in the ocean every morning, and that he hoped to see me down there,¡± she said. ¡°Now I really want to get the measure of him,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Consider it one of your tasks tomorrow,¡± Henry told him firmly. ¡°Rise early enough to go down with Liv and get an opinion of this boy with your own eyes. Then, you¡¯ll be escorting Liv to tea at the palace, and picking her up again when it''s over. I know your mother will have instructions for you tomorrow. Now, let¡¯s see what we have for dessert.¡± ? Liv didn¡¯t see Lady Julianne¡¯s carriage return that evening. Her rooms faced the wrong side of the property, which meant she went to sleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, rather than carriages passing in the street. In the morning, she found that Thora had already taken delivery of the blue dress, which she supposed was one less thing she needed to worry about. As soon as she rose, Liv threw a robe over her shift, shoes on her feet, and met Matthew heading out through the rear garden. He was wearing a linen shirt and breeches, but no hose, and his hair was still wild from the night¡¯s sleep. ¡°Piers will be coming with us,¡± Matthew said, and Liv nodded to the guardsman. He wasn¡¯t wearing a jack of plate, but he did have a rapier at his hip. With Thora carrying a pile of towels, that made four of them on an expedition down the stone stairs that wound back and forth along the bluff. When they got to the bottom, a young man waved from the water, bare-chested. ¡°Come on down!¡± Cade Talbot called to them over the surf. ¡°It¡¯s warm enough once you¡¯re in.¡± Matthew pulled his shirt off, and began to untie his breeches. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Liv hissed, turning around. ¡°What did you expect us to swim in, then?¡± Matthew said, and then she heard his feet pounding across the sand before a great splash signalled he¡¯d made it to the water. Liv looked to Thora in panic. ¡°What do I do?¡± she asked. ¡°Ladies don¡¯t-¡± ¡°No,¡± Thora assured her. ¡°Ladies bathe in their shifts, m¡¯lady. I¡¯ll just take your shoes and stockings.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Liv decided. She sat down on the last stair to peel her stockings off, handed them to the maid, and then scampered across the sand down into the waves. When the surf broke about her ankles, she couldn¡¯t help but shriek. ¡°I thought you said it wasn¡¯t cold!¡± ¡°Ironic for you to complain about that,¡± Matthew called back to her, a wide grin on his face. ¡°Come on, then, introduce me to your friend!¡± Liv took a deep breath, then pushed her way in. The shift ballooned up around her, soaking through in an instant, and she dove forward to get it over with. When she came up, she had to pull her hair back out of her face. ¡°This is your brother, then,¡± Cade said, swimming over to her. ¡°Cade Talbot.¡± He stood up in the water, exposing most of his chest and belly, and extended his hand. ¡°Matthew Summerset,¡± the other young man answered, standing and clasping the hand in his own. ¡°A pleasure. This is quite a way to wake up.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it, though?¡± Cade let himself fall back into the waves, until he was once again submerged to the neck. ¡°As I told Liv the other afternoon, it¡¯s good to have a few people of my own age and class around.¡± ¡°No brothers or sisters, then?¡± Matthew asked. Cade shook his head, and the shadow of an old pain flickered behind his eyes. ¡°No. My mother didn¡¯t survive her second labor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that,¡± Liv said. Before she could think better of it, she reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°It was a long time ago,¡± the dark-haired boy said. ¡°I hardly even remember her. Come on then, don¡¯t let me ruin the morning!¡± With a flat hand, he splashed a spray of water in Matthew¡¯s direction, and before she knew it, Liv was caught in the middle of a vicious battle, all three of them laughing and shrieking. ? ¡°What¡¯s the report on this boy, then?¡± Baron Henry asked a bell later, over the morning meal. ¡°Only child, like me,¡± Matthew answered. ¡°Mother¡¯s dead. He behaved himself while I was there, at least. He¡¯s probably about the age Liv looks to be.¡± ¡°I can find that out one way or another,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Put him aside, for the moment. Two of my goals in meeting my father last evening were accomplished. Matthew, you¡¯re to be presented to your grandfather. He wants to meet you at least once before you go off to Coral Bay. Wants it a great deal, I think. His age is catching up with him, and I suspect he knows it might be his last chance.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Matthew said, awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to meet the king.¡± ¡°The other matter was about you, Liv,¡± Julianne said, reaching her hand up and snapping her fingers. Basil, the steward of the house, must have been waiting for the signal, because he stepped over and placed a piece of parchment in her hand. The baron¡¯s wife set it out on the table, where Liv could read it. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked, scanning through the overly formal and archaic sentences that made up the bulk of the writing. ¡°I asked my father to approve and seal a petition for legal adoption,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Liv, you know that my husband and I can¡¯t have any more children. Since the moment you first came to my attention, you¡¯ve proved you have the wit and courage to support our family. You saved my life, and the life of my son, when you were just a girl. I¡¯m not going to send you off to the palace this afternoon without the shield of a family name. If you sign this, you will be legally recognized as my adopted daughter, and a member of this family.¡± Basil placed a quill and a pot of ink in front of Liv, and she dropped her fork. It clattered off the table, then across the floor, while everyone looked at her, waiting to see what she said. 43. Flowers in the Garden ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Liv said, pushing her chair back and bending down to find her fork. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just-¡± ¡°The footmen will get it,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Liv. Leave the fork.¡± Under the table, at least no one was staring at her. Liv sucked in a breath and held it. In, hold, out. It was usually so good for calming her down, but sooner or later she was going to have to sit up, and the thought of doing that filled her with panic. The longer she hid, the more she must look like an idiot. Liv left the fork on the floor, wherever it had tumbled off to, and sat up. She tried to relax, but she could feel her shoulders hunching anyway. This urge to make herself smaller, to be unnoticed, had never really gone away from the time that she was small. ¡°Perhaps we should give Liv a chance to get her thoughts together,¡± Baron Henry suggested, his voice softer than she could recall ever hearing before. ¡°It is quite a large decision. Liv, you don¡¯t need to make a choice right now. And I believe you have quite a bit to do to get ready for tea.¡± Lady Julianne shook herself, and smiled. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sorry dear, I didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot. I wasn¡¯t certain my father would approve, and I wanted to let you know first thing. But even just having this piece of paper ready will help us to protect you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv managed. ¡°I- it¡¯s just, I wasn¡¯t expecting this. It¡¯s quite a surprise. And you¡¯re right, my lord, I do have a lot to do. I know Thora wants to do my hair, and - well, wait a moment. What do I say, if someone asks me? Is the princess going to know?¡± ¡°She may,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me; little remains secret for long in the palace. If someone asks, Liv, just tell the truth. We¡¯ve offered to adopt you, it¡¯s quite a shock, and you¡¯re taking a bit of time to decide what you want to do.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Liv stood up. ¡°May I be excused?¡± ¡°You may,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°Matthew, stay behind. I want to talk with you a bit about your role this afternoon.¡± Liv snatched her staff up and practically fled the dining room, but she wasn¡¯t able to get far enough down the hall to avoid hearing Lady Julianne¡¯s voice: ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Henry. I thought she¡¯d be happy-¡± Thora, waiting beside Sophie outside the dining room, fell into step at Liv¡¯s heels. ¡°Are we heading upstairs, m¡¯lady? I¡¯ll have a bath drawn, and we can do your hair. Did you have enchanted pipes up there in the mountains?¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv said. ¡°We had hot springs. Why don¡¯t you get it started, Thora. I¡¯m just going to take a bit of air in back.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go alone, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora protested. Alone, of course, was exactly what Liv wanted to be. She picked up her pace and tore out through the gardens, leaving Thora to scramble for one of the half dozen guards that had accompanied the family from Whitehill. By the time the man had made it halfway down the stairs, Liv was on the beach. She didn¡¯t recall his name, but at least he was kind enough to wait for her at the bottom of the steps, and give her a bit of privacy. Liv looked up and down the strand, but there was no one in sight, not even Cade Talbot. She wasn¡¯t certain whether she felt relieved or disappointed at the dark-haired boy¡¯s absence. ? Eventually, Liv was left with no choice but to allow Thora to coax her up to her rooms. Rather than a wooden tub lined with linen, the bathing facilities here at Acton House were much newer. A great black cast iron tub, connected to clay water pipes, dominated the small bathing room attached to her bed chamber. The pipes ran up the wall, and disappeared into the ceiling. ¡°There¡¯s a great cistern on the roof,¡± Thora explained. ¡°With sand, charcoal, and gravel to filter the rainwater. Don¡¯t ask me how the magic part works, though.¡± She opened the tap at the end of the pipes, and steaming hot water poured out into the tub. ¡°There must be a sigil inscribed into the clay,¡± Liv speculated. ¡°Using a word of power that heats the water as it passes through.¡± ¡°I¡¯m told the pipers¡¯ guild had to get a license from two different families to make it all work,¡± Thora said. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t tell you which. In you go, m¡¯lady, so I can brush your hair.¡± Liv had never had a maid before, which meant she¡¯d washed herself ever since she was old enough to do so. The memories of her mother bathing her as a child were old ones, and more fragmentary glimpses than anything specific. She found, to her surprise, that there was something relaxing about being tended to. First, Thora scattered a handful of herbs into the water as the tub filled. Liv could smell sage and camomile, and she also noticed small shavings of orange peel floating in the water as it rose. ¡°I¡¯m going to smell like a garden by the time this is done,¡± Liv grumbled, as she stepped into the tub. The maid gathered her hair and held it up, so that once Liv had settled into a sitting position, it was hanging over the side of the iron tub. Then, Thora set to work with a brush, and Liv found herself lulled nearly to sleep, eyes closed, by the hot water and the gentle rhythm of her hair being cared for. Afterward, in a clean shift, Liv sat at her desk with her hand-copied volume of Semhis Thorn-Killer¡¯s diary, while Thora piled her hair up onto her head and pinned it in place. She looked over the spells that Baron Henry¡¯s ancestor had recorded. If she did agree to the adoption, did that mean that the Summersets would teach her to use their word of power? She assumed so, if the intent was for her to truly become part of the family. The word itself, however, did not fill Liv with a great deal of enthusiasm. Ters was a word that did only a very few things, though it did them well. One could use it to dry out their clothes, of course, but there was little reason to use high magic for that when the drying charm existed. It could also be used to pull all of the water or juice out of any kind of meat or fruit, resulting in travel rations that kept for a very long time. Henry had set Matthew to doing that as practice, and Liv had even tasted a few of the results. Ters could also be used to dry green wood, another practical application. But those things aside - it was a word of power that killed. It turned out that all living things responded to sudden, urgent thirst and dehydration in pretty much exactly the same manner: they shrivelled and died. And that was the problem. Liv could think of a dozen ways to trap, distract, trip, bind, or wound using ice. She could kill something - and she had, when a stonebat had charged her. But she could also protect people behind an icewall, or make a chute from the top of a mountain to the bottom, so that children could ride shields down. Ters seemed to either be good for dull things that she would never want to waste her time doing - even if she could admit they were quite practical - or for killing one¡¯s enemies without a shred of mercy. All told, she wasn¡¯t certain she actually wanted to learn that kind of word of power.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°There you are, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said, finally. ¡°Take a look.¡± Liv closed her book and set it aside so that she could examine herself in the hand mirror the maid had brought over. The sides of her hair, from just above her ears up, had been woven into two braids, then pulled back to hold the rest of her hair, which fell loose down her back. The braids were held in place with ornate silver cuffs, set with pearls, and the entire affair had been so thoroughly brushed that every strand gleamed a brilliant white. It left her ears exposed, but Liv supposed there was no help for that. ¡°Her ladyship has sent over a few pieces of matching jewelry, to go with it,¡± Thora told her. She fastened a carcanet, consisting of three rows of white pearls, around Liv¡¯s neck: it looked as if it should choke her, in the mirror, but was actually quite comfortable. There was a silver and pearl bracelet to match, for her left wrist. ¡°It¡¯s a pity your ears aren¡¯t pierced,¡± Thora said. ¡°Or we could do studs there, as well.¡± ¡°Scullions don¡¯t tend to pierce their ears,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have anything to wear, if they did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a scullion any longer, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. ¡°Hard to believe you ever were.¡± When the dress was on and properly arranged, Liv was forced to agree. ¡°I look like a princess or something,¡± she said, spinning once before the standing mirror to watch her blue overskirt swish. ¡°They¡¯re even fancier,¡± Thora told her with a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s get you downstairs, m¡¯lady.¡± ? Matthew was waiting for her at the carriage, wearing a green doublet and a rapier at his belt. He grinned when he saw her, and offered Liv a hand up. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can move in skirts like that,¡± he teased her. ¡°But you look good, Liv, all done up.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said, with a smile. She set her staff in the corner, and straightened her skirts while he climbed in and pulled the door closed. For a moment, she wondered if the boy on the beach would agree with him, and then the horses were off and the carriage in motion. ¡°Mother wanted me to remind you,¡± Matthew said, ¡°that anything the princess says is worth paying attention to. Any talk of the guilds, or voting, she wants to know as well. And anything about the succession.¡± Liv nodded, turning her mage guild ring on her finger. Out of all the jewelry she was wearing right now, it felt like the only piece she¡¯d actually earned. ¡°Three things isn¡¯t so much to remember,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you in,¡± Matthew explained, ¡°say a few pleasantries, and then leave you be. I¡¯ll come back at the end to pick you up, as well. Likely say a few words to the other brothers, on our way in and out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m to be your sister, then,¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°You might as well have been already,¡± Matthew remarked, as the carriage took a turn. ¡°I¡¯ve known you my whole life. And it¡¯s been clear this was what my mother wanted for a long time, hasn¡¯t it? I mean, she gave you rooms meant for a daughter, both here and back home. I expect the only reason it hasn¡¯t happened before now was that we hadn¡¯t come to Freeport.¡± Liv looked out the window. Everyone else had seen this coming, apparently - everyone but her. They were all ready to welcome her into their family. In most ways, they already had. Did Mama know, too? Had she realized what was going to happen when she¡¯d said goodbye? What would she think if her daughter came back a Summerset instead of a Brodbeck? She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn¡¯t realize they had reached the palace until Matthew scrambled out of the carriage and offered his hand to help her down. When he saw her pull her staff out and take it in hand, he grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be any drunks at tea, Liv.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope there won¡¯t be anything worse,¡± she said, and turned to look over the palace. It wasn¡¯t quite what she¡¯d expected: for one thing, it looked to be of much more recent construction than Castle Whitehill. The carriage had come down a long lane, paved with cobblestones, which looped around a great fountain. To every side, extensive gardens and lawns spread out, taking up so much space that she couldn¡¯t even see the walls that surrounded the grounds. Where the Summersets¡¯ castle was built for war, and only later adapted for comfort, the palace at Freeport was made of red bricks, neatly laid in ornamental patterns. It looked to be perhaps four stories, and the crenellations struck Liv as more for show than for use. There weren¡¯t any curtain walls, or a moat, or even a proper keep, and there were far too many windows to be defensible in the event of a nearby eruption. As Liv was looking over the building, another carriage pulled up behind them. Rather than a young man getting out first, a blonde woman wearing tight breeches and a doublet, with a sword on her hip, hopped out entirely without aid. ¡°Hello, then,¡± Matthew said, turning to greet her. Liv was forced to follow, given that she was holding onto his arm. ¡°Is it the new fashion for ladies to wear a blade?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a fig about the fashion,¡± the woman told him with a grin. ¡°You have any idea how to use that sword you¡¯re wearing, or is it just for show?¡± ¡°Perhaps you could find out sometime,¡± Matthew shot back, and Liv was probably the last to realize they were flirting. ¡°Triss Crosbie,¡± the woman with the sword introduced herself, extending her hand like a man. ¡°Well, Beatrice, but that¡¯s a mouthful.¡± ¡°Matthew Summerset, and this is Liv Brodbeck,¡± he responded. Liv noticed that he held onto Beatrice¡¯s hand for a moment longer than he would have done if she were a man. The girl looked to be of an age with Matthew, which meant that she filled out those breeches in a way that was positively scandalous. ¡°Your betrothed?¡± Triss asked him. Matthew shook his head. ¡°My sister. Well, soon, at any rate. Mother just got the papers signed by the king last evening.¡± ¡°My congratulations, in that case,¡± Triss said, extending her hand to Liv, who took it. ¡°Thank you. Shall we head in?¡± Liv asked. There was something about this girl she didn¡¯t like. ¡°Of course. Lady Beatrice, would you allow me to escort you both in?¡± Matthew asked, lifting his left arm. Triss laughed. ¡°Why not. Off we go then.¡± She wrapped her arm around Matthew¡¯s, and together the three of them proceeded down the garden path where palace servants waited. They were ushered along to an eight-sided pavilion, with stairs leading up to a wooden deck where tables and chairs had been set up. On the tables were pots of tea and platters of tarts, cakes, fresh fruits and sliced cheese of many kinds. Around the edges of the gathering were half a dozen footmen and maids, but most of the young ladies had stepped down into the garden, where they were gathered in a cluster. ¡°Lady Beatrice Crosbie,¡± the footman who had escorted them in announced, with a voice that rung out across the garden. ¡°And Apprentice Liv Brodbeck, of the mages¡¯ guild. Both escorted by Lord Matthew Summerset, of Whitehill.¡± ¡°Get over here then, Triss,¡± a dark haired young woman dressed in purple, with matching rings, bracelets, and necklace of emeralds set in gold, called out. ¡°Princess Milly¡¯s challenged us all to the game of flowers, and it¡¯s my turn.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave you both here, then,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Liv, I¡¯ll be back for you at the fourth bell. I hope I see you then, too, Lady Crosbie.¡± ¡°Maybe you will, and maybe you won¡¯t,¡± Triss told him with a grin. ¡°Come along then, Liv.¡± The girl with the sword grabbed Liv by the hand before she knew what was happening, and pulled her away from Matthew. ¡°Watch,¡± she said. Liv cast one last glance back at Matthew, but he was already striding away up the path to where they¡¯d left the carriage. With nothing to do but plunge in, she turned back to the group of girls. There were perhaps a dozen, all told, ranging between those who looked just a bit younger than Liv, to those who looked about the same age as Matthew. Other than Triss Crosbie, they were all wearing dresses in a similar fashion to the one Lady Julianne had procured for Liv, so in that respect at least she didn¡¯t stand out. She could feel the eyes on her, however, and she was very aware of how obvious the tips of her ears must be. The other girls were also, down to the last one, taller. One of the youngest girls, with dark hair, held a rose made of pure fire above her hand, grinning. Each individual petal or thorn was picked out in shades of scarlet, orange and bright yellow. ¡°Beat that, then, Cecily,¡± she said, with a grin. ¡°So long as her highness doesn¡¯t mind the damage to her garden,¡± the dark haired girl in purple said, looking over to a younger blonde. ¡°It¡¯s part of the game,¡± the girl, presumably Princess Milisant, said with a distinct lack of interest. ¡°The gardeners will fix it. We might as well get some work out of them, with how much we spend on their wages.¡± Cecily bent her knees, gathering her skirts with her left hand, and traced a finger along the neatly trimmed grass. ¡°Necet Greium Belia,¡± she intoned. Where the girl¡¯s finger passed, the grass withered and died, leaving an outline in withered yellow, picked out against the vibrant green of the lawn. Fingerstroke by fingerstroke, she drew a flower in death. ¡°There,¡± the girl said, standing back up. ¡°Someone beat that.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try, Apprentice Brodbeck?¡± the princess asked. ¡°After all, you¡¯re the only one here who is already a member of the mages¡¯ guild. Give us a demonstration of your magic. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all absolutely dying of curiosity.¡± For the second time that day, Liv found herself pinned by the gaze of everyone around her. 44. The Meaning of a Glove Liv thought that she would have given just about anything to have a single friend in the garden right at that moment. She looked from face to face, and saw that the girls¡¯ expressions ranged from curiosity, to disinterest, to the sort of predatory look one might glimpse in the eyes of a hunting cat. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever played this game before,¡± Liv said. ¡°Perhaps someone could explain the rules.¡± At the very least, it would give her time to think. ¡°It¡¯s a game of intent,¡± Princess Milisant said. ¡°Surely your time in the guild has taught you a great deal about visualizing your intent, when using a word of power. I expect you¡¯re better than all of us. Make the most impressive flower, using your own word of power.¡± ¡°What decides the winner?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Size? Detail?¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually fairly obvious,¡± Cecily Falkenrath said, strolling back up the stairs to the table, where she retrieved a cup of tea and took a sip. ¡°When it isn¡¯t, we settle things with a vote at the end.¡± ¡°Some of us,¡± Triss Crosbie remarked, ¡°don¡¯t have words that are very useful for the game. You can think of me as an impartial vote.¡± She headed over to the table to snatch up a fruit tart of some kind. ¡°I¡¯m not certain I know the word for flower,¡± Liv said. ¡°It¡¯s not really something I¡¯ve studied.¡± After all, what use was there, precisely, in a spell to make pretty flowers? Was that going to distract a stonebat, a violent drunk, or some sort of strange blood monster? ¡°Belia,¡± Milisant offered. ¡°You should be able to construct a spell based on that, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t flower, it¡¯s ¡®bowl,¡± Liv protested. ¡°Actually, it can be used for either,¡± a young girl in spectacles spoke up. ¡°Not every word has a single meaning, even in the way we speak today. You can hear a dog bark, or scrape the bark off a tree, for instance. You can say someone rose from their seat, or that they plucked a rose. There¡¯s quite a few homonyms, actually, though I¡¯m not certain Belia is a proper example, because there seems to be sort of a symbolic meaning, in that flowers hold nectar, while bowls hold something like soup-¡± ¡°Enough, Sidonie,¡± the princess snapped. ¡°No one wants to hear it.¡± The girl in glasses wilted as easily as the grass under Cecily¡¯s finger. ¡°The fact the word has more than one meaning is part of the game. People who don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing mess it up.¡± ¡°And what do I win?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Bragging rights?¡± ¡°Millie¡¯s offered her first dance at the ball as a prize,¡± Cecily said, from inside the pavilion. ¡°So we¡¯re playing for our brothers, or cousins in some cases. I hope you win; Thurston has two left feet.¡± ¡°Of couse, you don¡¯t have a brother, do you?¡± the princess asked Liv, as if it had just occurred to her. ¡°We¡¯ll have to think of something else, I suppose. How about a new gown? I can¡¯t imagine you have very many.¡± Liv gritted her teeth, but did her best to keep her face neutral. ¡°No need to change things for me,¡± she said. ¡°If I win, I¡¯ll choose one of these ladies to take the prize.¡± Lady Julianne had told her to make friends, after all. ¡°Go ahead then,¡± Princess Milisant urged. Liv planted her staff in front of her shoes, and wrapped both hands around it. She closed her eyes and practiced her breathing exercises. She could use the calm, but she could also use a moment to compose the incantation in her mind and build the image of what she wanted. She knew just the flower, and she could picture a whole field of them in the meadows of the Aspen River Valley. ¡°Celet Belia,¡± Liv began, holding out her staff to touch the ground in front of her. The sigils flared to life, silver-white, and, guided by her intent, a frozen stalk began to rise, rooted at the point where the butt of the staff touched the lawn. She built the stalk until it was chest high, then allowed five petals to flare out, each slightly pointed. Liv kept the ice thin there, but when she built the next layer, she thickened it to make the rounded inner petals as close to white as she could get. When she¡¯d built the delicate stamen, rising up from the center, it was recognizably a blue columbine - to her, at least. ¡°Very nice,¡± Triss commented, and scattered applause rang out from the small audience. ¡°I¡¯m not finished,¡± Liv said, and then let more mana spill out of her into the staff. ¡°Celent Belium Venia Seg Encve Sekim.¡± From two of the outer petals, tendrils of ice began to rise. Carefully, Liv shaped them into boots, legs that joined together in a torso, and then arms. One of the girls watching gasped, but Liv didn¡¯t let that distract her. It was just like making practice targets for Matthew in the yard, only smaller. Well, almost. When she was finished, a miniature woman with long flowing hair and a sword held in each hand stood upon the blue columbine. Three more swords rose behind her, like birds about to strike, supported by the thinest stands of ice she could manage. ¡°Who is that?¡± Cecily asked, and Liv realized all of the girls had crowded around her. ¡°It almost looks like you.¡± ¡°My aunt,¡± Liv said. ¡°Or at least, how I imagine her. She died before I was born.¡± ¡°Well, I think we know who the winner is,¡± Triss said. No one raised an objection, though the princess looked as if she¡¯d just sucked on a lemon. ¡°You should try some of these tarts, Liv. Come on up.¡± ¡°I will, thank you,¡± she said. It was too warm for her sculpture to last; it was already sweating under the harvest sun. Still, it had been nice to see the look on the princess¡¯ face. She found a seat at the table, next to Triss, and picked out a pastry stuffed with red fruit preserves. It was pleasantly sweet when she took a bite. ¡°That was beautifully done,¡± the girl in spectacles said, plopping down in the chair to Liv¡¯s left. ¡°I¡¯m Sidonie Corbett. My family¡¯s word of power isn¡¯t very good for that game, so I always have to watch, too,¡± she remarked to Triss. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Sidonie,¡± Liv said. ¡°I thought what you said was interesting, even if no one else did. I¡¯ve only ever used Belia for bowl - well, until today. I¡¯d love to compare notes with you sometime. Have you ever done any work with the future tense?¡± ¡°No!¡± Sidonie said with a gasp and a grin. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to. Are you?¡± ¡°Master Grenfell let me try once,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°So that I could see how it worked. I¡¯d love to experiment more.¡± A peal of laughter rang out from a cluster of girls surrounding the princess. One of them, a younger girl with honey-blonde hair, leaned across the table. ¡°Is it true you¡¯re a peasant?¡± she asked Liv. ¡°How did you get here, then?¡± Liv repeated what Lady Julianne had told her to say. ¡°The king has approved Baron and Lady Summerset¡¯s request to adopt me as their daughter,¡± she said. ¡°Leave it to a bastard to take in a bastard,¡± Princess Milisant said, slowly and deliberately. She met Liv¡¯s eyes the entire time, as if daring her to say something. ¡°Lady Julianne has been very kind to me,¡± Liv said, refusing to look away. She was surprised at how angry she felt, all of a sudden. ¡°I¡¯m sure she has,¡± the princess said. ¡°But I¡¯m not saying anything that isn¡¯t true, am I? Julianne was born a bastard, to one of the king¡¯s mistresses. I¡¯m surprised anyone was willing to marry her at all. Who was your mother, Liv? Another whore like hers? Who else would bear a half-breed?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± Liv hissed. Before she¡¯d even realized what she was doing, she¡¯d stood up and leaned across the table. ¡°You don¡¯t even know my mother.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°She clearly didn¡¯t teach you how to address those of higher rank,¡± the blonde at Milisant¡¯s side said with a sneer. ¡°You should get down on the ground right now and apologize. Maybe Milly will forgive you.¡± ¡°Unless,¡± the princess said, ¡°the insult is too much for you to stand for. If you¡¯re going to pretend to be a noblewoman, you could at least try to settle this like one.¡± Carefully and deliberately, she lifted a white glove from the table. Liv hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the hats, gloves, and purses piled up there, and now she frowned in confusion. The princess threw the glove down onto the floor of the pavilion, and then waited, silently. ¡°Stop it, Milly,¡± Cecily said. ¡°Look at her. She clearly doesn¡¯t even know what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a challenge,¡± Triss Crosbie explained, from where she sat next to Liv. ¡°If you pick up the glove, it means you¡¯re accepting.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it,¡± Sidonie warned, from Liv¡¯s other side. ¡°A duel,¡± Liv repeated, her heart sinking. ¡°With swords?¡± ¡°Challenged party chooses weapons, challenger picks time and place,¡± Triss said. ¡°You could choose magic, if you wanted.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Princess Milisant said. ¡°She¡¯s afraid, you can tell. Only a fool would duel a member of the royal family. What you should take from all this, Miss Brodbeck,¡± she said, ¡°is that you don¡¯t belong here. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, and you aren¡¯t welcome. Tell that dried up old bastard you refuse her offer, and then scamper home to whatever shit-stained hovel you came from.¡± With a cry of frustration, Liv bent over and picked up the glove. ¡°Magic,¡± she said, before she could think about what she was doing. Unsure what else to do, she threw the glove back onto the table, next to a pie. The princess grinned. ¡°Excellent. Tomorrow evening, on the north beach. Eleventh bell. Cecily, will you be my second?¡± The dark haired girl tapped her finger against the table, frowned, and then shook her head. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate. The Summersets are my father¡¯s vassals. I¡¯ll be a witness, though.¡± ¡°Lady Howe?¡± Princess Milisant asked, turning to the blonde at her side. ¡°Gladly,¡± the girl said. ¡°Name your second, bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Triss said, rising from her chair. ¡°Come along, Liv, we have things to talk about. Thank you hosting us, Princess. It was¡­ eventful.¡± Liv allowed herself to be pulled away, past the melted lump of ice which was all that remained of her sculpture. For a moment, she thought Sidonie might follow them, but instead the spectacled girl lowered her eyes and remained in her chair. As soon as the footpath had taken them away from the pavilion, and placed a few ornamental trees between the two girls and the party, she couldn¡¯t stay silent any longer. ¡°I messed that up, didn¡¯t I?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I gave her what she wanted. Lady Julianne just wanted me to come and listen, and now I¡¯m going to cause her all sorts of problems. But that- that-¡± ¡°Bitch?¡± Triss offered. ¡°That bitch,¡± Liv repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever used that word before. She just made me so angry!¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky your brother is cute,¡± Triss grumbled. ¡°Tell me you at least know how to fight. You must, living all the way up north.¡± She pulled Liv off to one side, where a wrought-iron bench was set in the shade of a massive oak. ¡°I¡¯ve probably killed more monsters than anyone else at that stupid tea-party,¡± Liv growled. ¡°If you¡¯ve killed so much as one, you¡¯re likely right,¡± Triss agreed. ¡°You think they let the princess anywhere near an eruption? You know what she has killed, though? Two women in duels.¡± ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± Liv swore. ¡°What¡¯s worse,¡± Triss said, ¡°is that if you actually kill her, you¡¯re done for. The queen will have your head. So you need to hold back and still win, somehow.¡± ¡°Let me guess. No one will care if she kills me,¡± Liv said. ¡°You¡¯ve got that right.¡± ¡°What¡¯s her word of power, then,¡± Liv asked. ¡°Words,¡± Triss said. ¡°She has more than one?¡± Liv felt like more and more of an idiot with every new revelation. ¡°The whole royal family does,¡± Triss explained. ¡°Everyone knows she¡¯s got her grandmother¡¯s word, but that isn¡¯t your problem. It¡¯s Luc you¡¯re going to have to worry about. Lightning.¡± ¡°How would you beat her?¡± Liv asked, after a moment. ¡°I¡¯d choose swords,¡± Triss said. ¡°Never magic. I can¡¯t beat anyone in a magic duel.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get along just fine with Matthew, then,¡± Liv complained bitterly. ¡°He hates using his word. That¡¯s not an option for me, though. Lightning. What¡¯s the other word you were talking about?¡± ¡°House Sherard¡¯s word of power,¡± Triss said. ¡°Lets them talk to birds, and control them. See through their eyes, some people say. But unless she¡¯s planning to send a flock of seagulls to peck you to death, you won¡¯t have to be afraid of that one.¡± ¡°Birds I could deal with,¡± Liv grumbled. ¡°Lightning. If she hits me once, I¡¯m done for. I guess that¡¯s not any different from fighting a stonebat; kill it before it gets you.¡± She turned, looking over the older girl¡¯s face for a moment. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Triss asked. ¡°You¡¯re the only one there who was brave enough to take my side,¡± Liv said. ¡°Everyone else just watched.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Triss said. ¡°She was being a bitch, wasn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°She was,¡± Liv agreed, and grinned. Maybe this girl wasn¡¯t so bad, after all. ? They stayed at the bench until the fourth bell of the afternoon, then raced along the footpath back to the circle where the carriages were arriving. Matthew was waiting next to one, chatting with a dark haired boy in a purple doublet. ¡°We need to leave,¡± Liv told him, rushing up hand in hand with Triss. ¡°Now.¡± ¡°Liv, Triss, this is Thurstan Falkenrath,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Why are you two in such a rush?¡± ¡°Because we need to get out of here before the princess comes!¡± Beatrice exclaimed, reaching over to grab Matthew by the arm. Liv clambered into the carriage, making room for the other two. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later, Matthew,¡± Thurstan said, watching with a grin. ¡°Did my sister get up to any trouble, ladies?¡± ¡°Cecily?" Triss said, stepping up into the carriage and yanking Matthew along with her. ¡°She¡¯s fine. Tell my coachman to come find me in a bell at - where are you two staying?¡± ¡°Acton House,¡± Liv called out. She did her best to fake a smile, waved once, then pulled the door of the carriage closed and thumped her fist against the roof to signal to the driver. They could just see the other girls emerging from the gardens as they pulled away. ¡°What was all that about?¡± Matthew asked. Liv noticed that he¡¯d ended up on the opposite bench, next to Beatrice. ¡°I have to duel the princess,¡± Liv told him. ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± Matthew looked back and forth between the two girls. ¡°Tell me you¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m her second,¡± Triss said. ¡°I should be her second!¡± Matthew complained. ¡°I¡¯m going to be your brother, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You can come as a witness,¡± Liv grumbled. ¡°Did you at least do what you were supposed to? Maybe it can make up for how badly I made a mess of things.¡± ¡°I just met Thurstan Falkenrath, and he seems a decent sort,¡± Matthew said. ¡°I also struck up a conversation with Roger Corbett, after I dropped you off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± Liv said. He might have been useless with magic, but Matthew was always better than her at talking to people. His popularity at the Laughing Carp and the Old Oak spoke to that. ¡°Have either of you ever fought a duel, before?¡± Triss asked, and both Liv and Matthew shook their heads. ¡°Alright, you need to practice, then. Do you have room?¡± ¡°We can use the beach,¡± Liv said. ¡°We might even be able to pull in Cade Talbot to help.¡± ¡°The beach, that¡¯s good,¡± Triss said. ¡°She wants to fight you on the north beach, so practicing on sand will help get you ready for it. The Talbots - that¡¯s not the worst word to practice against, but you¡¯re going to need a chirurgeon on hand.¡± Matthew was silent, staring at Liv with narrowed eyes. ¡°What?¡± she asked him. ¡°You met him yesterday,¡± Matthew said. ¡°You trust him to fling magic at you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as if I can have you do it,¡± she shot back. ¡°Let¡¯s hope he¡¯ll help, because if not I don¡¯t know who we¡¯re going to go to." ? When the three of them piled out of the carriage in front of Acton House, Liv was surprised to see a familiar, weather-beaten man coming down the steps, still in conversation with Lady Julianne. Across the street, a gang of boys in dirty clothes were kicking a ball of rags around, laughing. Liv thought it an odd sight for such a wealthy neighborhood, but was immediately distracted by Captain Athearn¡¯s boisterous greeting. ¡°Young Lord Matthew! Miss Brodbeck!¡± he called. ¡°Good to see you both again. Staying out of trouble, I hope.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help blushing, but Matthew at least kept a straight face. ¡°Of course. Good to see you again, Captain,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you were in port.¡± ¡°Well, I got word the owners would be in town,¡± Athearn said, ¡°so I stopped by to talk a little bit of business.¡± ¡°And who is your friend, children?¡± Lady Julianne asked, looking Triss up and down. Liv thought she noticed an eye twitch at the sight of the sword and tight breeches the girl was wearing. ¡°Mother, this is Beatrice Crosbie,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Triss, this is my mother, Lady Julianne.¡± ¡°A pleasure to meet you, my lady,¡± Triss said. ¡°How was the garden party?¡± Julianne asked. Liv looked away and shuffled her feet awkwardly. Matthew coughed. ¡°I said, how was the garden party?¡± When Liv looked up, Lady Julianne was glaring back and forth between the two of them as if trying to decide who she was going to punish first. ¡°Perhaps we could talk about that after Captain Ahearn is on his way?¡± Liv suggested. ¡°I can take a hint,¡± the mariner said. ¡°Good afternoon to you all. I¡¯ll be in touch, m¡¯lady.¡± He set off through the gate, which one of the guards closed behind him, and then down the street on foot. ¡°Out with it,¡± Julianne snapped. Liv winced. ¡°I¡¯m dueling the princess tomorrow night.¡± 45. Fulgurite ¡°You had all better come inside,¡± Julianne said, turning on her heel. Liv had been preparing to withstand a tongue-lashing, and it took her a moment to hurry up the steps and into the house. Lady Julianne led them into the library, pulling the first guard she saw along in their wake with a crooked finger. ¡°Guard the door,¡± she instructed. ¡°And don¡¯t let anyone but my husband in.¡± ¡°M¡¯lady,¡± the guard said, inclining his head, and then took up a position just outside the room. Matthew waited for Triss and Liv to enter before him, then pulled the door shut. ¡°Well, let me have it,¡± Julianne said, taking a seat. ¡°What happened.¡± ¡°It started out alright,¡± Liv began. It did not escape her notice that Beatrice sat next to Matthew on one of the cushioned benches. ¡°They wanted me to play the flower game-¡± ¡°Which she did splendidly,¡± Triss broke in. ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said. ¡°But then after that, Princess Milisant started saying these horrible things. About me, of course, but also my mother, and even you,¡± she told Julianne. ¡°And you got angry,¡± Lady Julianne guessed. ¡°I did,¡± Liv confirmed. ¡°But that wasn¡¯t entirely why. I just- you remember Mirabel Cooper?¡± Matthew looked confused, but his mother nodded her head. ¡°She and her friend used to always be so cruel to me,¡± Liv said, looking down at her lap. ¡°Not just insults, but spilling ink on my dress, anything they could think of. And it never stopped. Trying to just endure it didn¡¯t fix anything, it only let them keep going. It didn¡¯t stop until I fought back. I realized - people like that. The princess is just like them. She won¡¯t ever stop unless someone makes her. So this time, I¡¯m not going to suffer through it hoping she¡¯ll leave me alone. I¡¯m going to fight back now, right at the beginning.¡± When she finished, and looked up again, Liv saw that Julianne was smiling. ¡°I was worried, for a moment, that it was over something foolish,¡± she said. ¡°But I can¡¯t argue with your reasons, Liv.¡± ¡°All the same, it¡¯s what the princess wanted,¡± Triss said. ¡°She wasn¡¯t even trying to be subtle: just as nasty as she could get, to push and push until Liv would have no other choice.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s never even met you before,¡± Matthew said. ¡°This goes beyond mere snobbery. Why would she do this?¡± ¡°Because of me,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°I knew they were going to come at me while I was here, but I was hoping they would leave the two of you out of things. I think I underestimated the queen - or perhaps overestimated her.¡± ¡°Can you get the king to step in?¡± Matthew asked his mother. Julianne shook her head. ¡°Not for a duel. If they broke the law, that would be one thing, but this is perfectly legal. No, what we need to do is to make sure that Liv wins.¡± ¡°We thought we would go practice down on the beach,¡± Liv said. ¡°I was thinking that maybe Cade Talbot might help us, if we can find him. Or do you think Master Grenfell would?¡± ¡°I am certain he would, and will,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°You have very little time, my dear, and we can¡¯t waste it. Matthew, go to the door and send for every guard you can round up. Have them bring their crossbows. Oh, and tell someone to get both Mistress Trafford and Master Grenfell. He¡¯s to bring that great stone of his he always lugs around; I know he packed it. Who¡¯s to be your second, Liv?¡± ¡°Triss,¡± she answered. Matthew stood up and walked over to the library door, where he stepped out into the hall. Lady Julianne turned to the girl he¡¯d left behind on the bench. ¡°We could probably get you out of this if you want,¡± she offered. ¡°If you go through with it, your family will be perceived as taking a side. Against the queen, and with me.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯d do it,¡± Triss told her. ¡°I won¡¯t go back on my word. I would like to know a bit more about what I¡¯m getting myself into, however. It seems like quite a mess.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose it¡¯s time I told you all a few things,¡± Julianne said. ¡°And if you¡¯re determined to stand with us, Beatrice, you deserve to hear it as well. I¡¯ll answer your questions after we put Liv through her paces. I don¡¯t want to waste the light.¡± Matthew stepped back into the room. ¡°Everyone is being fetched,¡± he said. ¡°Good.¡± Lady Julianne rose. ¡°Let¡¯s head on down to the beach. I¡¯ll meet you children down there; Matthew, you can show Beatrice the way. Liv, you probably want to get out of that dress.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Liv said. She hurried up to her rooms, where Thora helped her change into one of the gray dresses she¡¯d brought from Whitehill. She took her staff and spellbook, leaving Thora to pack away the borrowed jewelry she¡¯d worn to the tea party, and made her way out through the back garden and down to the sand. The wind was whipping in off the sea, and Liv guessed there was only an hour or two of daylight left. Three of Baron Henry¡¯s guards were there, with loaded crossbows. ¡°Begging your pardon, m¡¯lady,¡± Piers said, as Liv reached the final step, ¡°but the gulls? Are you certain?¡± ¡°Shoot every one of them that comes in range,¡± Julianne said. She¡¯d taken off her shoes, and was holding a long rod or wand in her right hand. It was bleached white, with inlaid sigils of gold and silver. ¡°Is that a bone?¡± Liv asked looking the wand over. The sight of it sent a shiver through her body. ¡°The bone of a dead god,¡± Julianne said, nearly shouting over the wind. ¡°When Miriam killed Sivis, she turned his two femurs into wands. The matching set was passed to her son, Lucan, and has been handed down through the family ever since. I want you to fight against this one, now, because I would bet anything the princess will have the twin when you face her.¡± ¡°The king gave you that?¡± Triss asked. ¡°No,¡± Julianne answered. ¡°My uncle Caspian did, when I was at Coral Bay. But the important thing today is to prepare Liv for what she will be facing. Master Grenfell,¡± she called up the stairs. Liv turned, to see the old mage and the chirurgeon coming down to join them. ¡°Walk us through the steps of a duel. Matthew, act as my second. Mistress Trafford, you¡¯re here to treat injuries.¡± ¡°I see things are proceeding faster than we had ancitipated,¡± Master Grenfell said. The wind whipped his hair back from his forehead, making the scar along his scalp stand out more clearly. ¡°Grenfell? Related to the Baron Ashford?¡± Triss asked. ¡°My nephew.¡± The master mage handed his great chunk of mana-stone to Mistress Trafford. ¡°Keep an eye on this for me, please. Here we had planned for the first duel to be fought by you, my lady,¡± he remarked to Julianne. ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d move against the children, at least not so openly or so soon. I should have been ready. Liv, it will be the Court Mage to the king, Genevieve Arundell, who oversees your duel.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Is she a friend?¡± Liv asked. Master Grenfell laughed. ¡°Not if she knows Jurian is technically your master. Alright, here is how it begins,¡± he said. ¡°First, both of you must present every enchanted item or mana-stone you are going to use in the duel, to be checked over by the judge and both seconds. The point is so that neither of you will be unaware of what you¡¯re facing. The judge can bar the use of any magical item which they deem to employ only killing force.¡± ¡°Because a duel is supposed to be till first blood,¡± Triss explained to Liv. ¡°First blood, death, or if one person can¡¯t continue by the judge¡¯s count of ten,¡± Grenfell confirmed. ¡°Or if one person leaves the circle. You aren¡¯t supposed to be trying to kill anyone, but if it happens, death during a duel is legally distinct from murder. Present what you¡¯re bringing in with you.¡± ¡°One of the two stormwands,¡± Lady Julianne declared. ¡°Um, my staff,¡± Liv said. ¡°And my guild ring.¡± ¡°Good. All of those are allowed. Seconds, any objections?¡± Grenfell asked. Matthew and Beatrice shook their heads. ¡°Duelists, set your backs to each other.¡± Liv turned around, as did Lady Julianne, and they pressed their backs together. ¡°Fifteen paces,¡± Grenfell called out. ¡°One. Two¡­¡± Liv walked out along the beach, taking a step each time Master Grenfell called a number, until she had taken fifteen steps. ¡°Seconds, confirm distance,¡± Grenfell shouted. ¡°At this point, if one of them is much closer to me than the other, the seconds could call for an extra step,¡± he explained. ¡°You both look fine. Turn.¡± Liv turned about in the sand, planting her staff in front of her. Master Grenfell muttered something, but she couldn¡¯t make out the incantation over the wind coming off the ocean. A circle of brilliant blue light flared up, extending from just behind her feet to curve all the way around to Julianne, encompassing the two of them. Grenfell and the seconds left the circle. ¡°Ready!¡± Master Grenfell called. ¡°Begin!¡± Before Liv could even decide what to do, Lady Julianne whipped her wand down like a riding crop. The world in front of Liv flashed blinding white, and a blast of heat and sprayed sand threw her backward, and when she hit the ground she tumbled end over end further still. Half a heartbeat later, she heard the crack of thunder. ¡°Victory to Lady Julianne,¡± Grenfell shouted. ¡°You left the circle, Liv.¡± Liv rubbed at her eyes, trying desperately to get her vision back. ¡°What was that?¡± she shouted. ¡°You didn¡¯t even say anything!¡± When she could finally see again, the seconds, Master Grenfell, and Lady Julianne had all crowded around her. Tiny arcs of lightning were still sparking off the bone wand. ¡°When you have practiced a spell sufficiently,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said, reaching down a hand to pull Liv to her feet, ¡°speaking the words aloud is no longer necessary. Merely thinking them is enough. And quite a bit faster, as well.¡± ¡°If she can do that, I¡¯m done for,¡± Liv said. Where lightning had descended from the sky, a gout of sand looked like it had been frozen in time, at the moment of the explosion. It rose two or three feet high, knotted and ugly, like a cloud of smoke made solid. ¡°She¡¯ll need to speak,¡± Julianne said. ¡°The technique isn¡¯t taught until the second year at Coral Bay, and I can¡¯t emphasize enough how much practice it takes. That will slow her down. But I wanted to show you just how bad this can get, at the beginning. Alright children, all three of you: start with the worst. What are the dangers, what are the disadvantages. What does Liv need to avoid.¡± ¡°Getting hit,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Obviously.¡± Liv rolled her eyes. ¡°I can see how she¡¯s killed those other girls. If that struck me, I¡¯d be dead. But even if she misses, it¡¯s blinding. She could have just walked over and took a rock to my skull in the time it took to clear my eyes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too quick to dodge,¡± Triss said. ¡°By the time you see it, you¡¯re already dead. You can¡¯t throw yourself aside or something.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Julianne said. Her tone was almost exactly like Master Grenfell¡¯s when he was teaching a lesson. ¡°Now, the weaknesses. What can Liv take advantage of?¡± ¡°Strike first,¡± Triss suggested. ¡°Can you get her before she finishes that spell, Liv?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t dodge it, maybe you can parry,¡± Matthew suggested. ¡°Not with a sword, obviously, but what happens when lightning hits ice? Does anyone know? I¡¯ve never even heard of it happening.¡± ¡°That will be our next experiment, I think,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Liv?¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t gone to college yet, has she?¡± Liv said. ¡°Or joined the guild. And she¡¯s entirely human, right? No Elden blood?¡± ¡°All of that is correct, so far as I am aware,¡± Grenfell told her. ¡°So I can probably hold more mana than her, right?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Don¡¯t count on it,¡± Julianne told her. ¡°She¡¯s second in line to the throne, Liv. She¡¯s going to be wearing a great deal more mana-stones than that ring you¡¯ve got. With enough wealth, Aluthet''Staia can compensate. Don¡¯t expect to outlast her.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Liv said. ¡°I still have one idea. But let¡¯s see whether an Icewall can stand up to one of your lightning blasts.¡± ? Three dead seagulls, one mostly emptied chunk of mana-stone, and the arrival of one Cade Talbot later, they had an answer. ¡°Why,¡± the dark haired boy asked, looking over the feathered corpses, lightning blasted sand, and shattered chunks of ice, ¡°are you all killing birds on the beach? And doing-¡± he waved a hand. ¡°Whatever this is.¡± Liv, skirts filthy with sand, gulped from a flask of watered wine, exhausted. She wasn¡¯t sure that she could pry herself off the dunes and back to her feet if the princess had stormed down the steps right at that moment. ¡°This is the boy?¡± Julianne asked, turning to her son. ¡°Mother, this is Cade Talbot,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Cade, my mother, Lady Julianne Summerset. And this is Beatrice Crosbie, and Master Grenfell, our court mage.¡± Cade nodded his head, but he was frowning. ¡°You look like you washed up from a shipwreck, Liv,¡± he said, and strode over to her. He reached down a hand, and she looked at it for a moment before accepting it. He easily pulled her back to her feet. ¡°Liv is training for a duel,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°You should probably walk back to your family¡¯s home, Lord Talbot. I don¡¯t think you want to be involved in this.¡± ¡°Who challenged you?¡± Cade hadn¡¯t released her hand yet, and Liv found she had a hard time meeting his eyes. ¡°Let me champion you, then. Whoever it is, I¡¯ll teach them a lesson.¡± ¡°Someone made an impression,¡± Triss murmured to Matthew. Liv shot her a glare, and was mortified to find the other girl was grinning like a fox. ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± Liv protested. She pulled her hand free of Cade¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s the princess.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care who it is,¡± Cade said. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to cast very well with an opened throat.¡± Liv blinked. What precisely was his family¡¯s word, she wondered? ¡°No,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°Liv is right. They need to learn that they can¡¯t beat her in a duel. More than that, they need to learn to be afraid of her. That¡¯s the only way to put a stop to this. I learned that lesson the hard way. We¡¯ve lost the light,¡± she said. The ocean was flecked with orange, where only a fragment of the sun remained over the horizon. ¡°Enough for tonight. Beatrice, Cade, you are welcome to join us for dinner,¡± she said. ¡°Be certain you understand what it means to be with us, however.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already picked a side,¡± Triss said. ¡°Can¡¯t go back now.¡± ¡°Milisant is a brat,¡± Cade said, after a moment. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t abandon a woman who needs protection.¡± ¡°Up to the house then, all of you,¡± Lady Julianne said, motioning to the stairs as if she was herding chickens. "Beatrice, you can clean up in Liv¡¯s rooms. Matthew, take young master Talbot with you. I won¡¯t have anyone coming to the table filthy.¡± Liv lugged herself up the stairs, though she had to stop and rest a few times along the way. Triss, Matthew and Cade waited with her each time, while two of the guards took up the rear of the procession with their haul of dead gulls. Lady Julian and the others, in the meanwhile, went ahead up to the house. ¡°I could carry you, if you like,¡± Cade offered. He was smiling, and Liv couldn¡¯t tell if it was a joke or whether he was completely serious. ¡°Let her get cleaned up before you¡¯re all over her,¡± Triss said. ¡°Come along Liv. Show me your rooms.¡± They did make it, eventually, and Thora must have been warned, for she had two basins of hot water, along with bars of pale green soap and towels ready in the sitting room when the two girls arrived. Liv considered for a moment going into her bedchamber to change, and then decided she was too exhausted to care. ¡°Do you have a plan, yet?¡± Triss asked, sprawling in one of Liv¡¯s chairs after she¡¯d washed her face and hands. ¡°The beginning of one, maybe,¡± Liv told her. She stripped down to her shift and stockings, piling all of her sand-encrusted clothing up in Thora¡¯s arms. ¡°Icewall is actually more effective than I feared it might be.¡± They¡¯d repeated the experiment several times, to be certain, drawing mana from Master Grenfell¡¯s chunk of stone whenever either Liv or Lady Julianne ran low. An Icewall wouldn¡¯t hold up indefinitely, and it was possible to blow a hole through it, but the spell was enough to block a lightning strike. Liv took a moment to scrub her face with warm water, than reached for her towel. ¡°Lady Julianne said it was less - conductive? - than water,¡± Triss agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure what she meant, but I know what I saw. You can block a shot, if you can get it up in time, and shaped the right way.¡± ¡°Time won¡¯t be the issue,¡± Liv said. She grabbed her spellbook, brought it over to where Triss was sitting, and found the page she wanted. ¡°If you can get the incantation right,¡± Triss agreed, after reading what was written on the page. "On the other hand, screw it up and you could kill yourself anyway.¡± ¡°So we check it, and check it again,¡± Liv said. ¡°We have all of the day tomorrow to experiment.¡± ¡°First,¡± Triss said, closing the book, ¡°we need to get through dinner. Let¡¯s get you dressed and downstairs, before the boys forget about us.¡± 46. Two Truths ¡°If I didn¡¯t know you were adopted before, it would be obvious now,¡± Triss teased Liv as the two girls descended the stairs together. ¡°Only one good dress? What self-respecting young lady would come downstairs wearing something like that?¡± Liv groaned. ¡°I¡¯m not even adopted yet,¡± she told the older girl. ¡°And this is a perfectly fine dress for a commoner, which I currently am.¡± She plucked at the gray skirt with her fingers. ¡°You know I¡¯m just having a bit of fun, don¡¯t you?¡± Triss asked her, following Liv to the library. ¡°I don¡¯t think I even own one dress. The last time I found one in my rooms I burned it in the hearth.¡± ¡°That must have smelt awful,¡± Liv guessed, wrinkling her nose at the thought. ¡°I can assure you that it did.¡± The unfamiliar, gruff voice took her by surprise. Baron Henry had not been waiting alone; he was seated in an odd wooden chair with cart-wheels attached to it, which had been placed near the armchair closest to the hearth. There sat a man with close cropped gray hair, a thick neck, and broad shoulders, emphasized by his red and black doublet. There was a bottle of brandy on the end-table near them, and each man had a glass of it. ¡°Father!¡± Beatrice exclaimed from beside Liv. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were coming to dinner.¡± ¡°And I expected you home after tea,¡± Baron Crosbie told her with a dry humor. ¡°I did, however, receive a report from the coachman, and a letter from Baron Henry inviting me to come to dinner and pick you up here. He¡¯s just been telling me about this duel you¡¯re involved in.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised,¡± Henry said, after a sip of brandy. ¡°While my wife was putting you through your paces, Liv, I took a few steps of my own. I haven¡¯t seen Arnold for twenty years or so, but we have met before, so we had a bit to catch up on. Come take a seat, girls, while we wait for everyone else to come down.¡± Liv sat herself down on the lefthand side of the nearest couch to the two men, and Triss took a seat next to her. ¡°It isn¡¯t Triss¡¯ fault, my lord,¡± she said. After all, the girl had agreed to be her second on the very day they first met. It was the least she could do to take the blame for this mess. ¡°She was simply kind enough to offer to help me.¡± ¡°I would have no objection to my daughter serving as your second, under any other circumstances,¡± Arnold Crosbie said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m pleased to see you standing up to protect others, Beatrice. It¡¯s what a lady in your position should do. But taking sides against the royal family is another thing entirely. You know we need their support to hold Valegard.¡± ¡°What we need is the guilds to stop raking us over the coals,¡± Triss complained. ¡°The Crosbies,¡± Henry explained to Liv, ¡°watch over the Foundry Rift, on the eastern marches of Duke Thomas¡¯ holdings. It is one of the most dangerous rifts in Lucania, prone to a great deal of trouble even between eruptions.¡± ¡°Which is why my daughter is the only one of my children to accompany me here,¡± Baron Arnold said. ¡°Beatrice, while your brothers hold Valegard in our absence, you are here to make a marriage alliance. Or did you forget that?¡± Liv could feel the older girl stiffen next to her, stirring the cushion they sat upon. Before she could think better of the gesture, Liv reached out and clasped Triss¡¯ hand with her own. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten, father,¡± Beatrice said, and Liv was shocked at how subdued her tone was. ¡°Putting that aside for a moment,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°Arnold, we are very grateful for your daughter¡¯s support, and we recognize that it may place you in a difficult position. My wife and I have a proposal that may help to make it up to you.¡± ¡°And will, I suppose, bind me even further to Julianne¡¯s cause,¡± Arnold grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t see a way that you win this, Henry. Even if you could convince the king to legitimize her, Prince Benedict has spent years building alliances while you and Julianne puttered about off in the mountains doing trinity knows what.¡± ¡°Trying to stay out of this, for the most part,¡± Lady Julianne said, sweeping into the room. ¡°How odd, I thought my son and that Talbot boy would have gotten down here before I did.¡± Like Liv, she had changed into a clean dress, and there was no sign of the bone wand she¡¯d used down on the beach. Baron Arnold rose, though the sour look did not leave his face. ¡°And how has that worked out for you? Staying away from the capitol?¡± Nonetheless, he took Julianne¡¯s hand when she offered it, bowed, and then waited for her to be seated before returning to his chair. ¡°For the most part, quite well,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said. ¡°We had nearly twenty years to raise our son in peace. If the king hadn¡¯t called a great council, we would have stayed at Whitehill - and hopefully out of the queen¡¯s intrigues.¡± ¡°We¡¯re thick in them now,¡± Henry said. ¡°No use moaning about it. Arnold, what if we could help you to strike a better deal with the trading guild? A better exchange of all that metal you trade to them for food?¡± ¡°You mean what we¡¯ve been trying to get the king to negotiate for years?¡± Baron Arnold asked. ¡°Of course we would want it. The fools bleed me of every coin, while never stopping to think about what would happen if we can¡¯t hold the rift. It¡¯s shortsighted, selfish, stupid-¡± ¡°Would that be enough to place you firmly in our corner?¡± Julianne asked. Arnold took another sip of brandy. ¡°If you could do it,¡± he said, after a moment. ¡°And if you could guarantee no repercussions from the queen. Then yes, I would be satisfied.¡± ¡°Then we need your vote twice,¡± Julianne said. ¡°And to allow us to speak for you with the guilds.¡± Matthew and Cade Talbot strolled into the room before Beatrice¡¯s father could answer, and that meant a round of introductions. ¡°An honor to meet you, Baron Henry, Baron Arnold,¡± Cade said, shaking each man¡¯s hand in turn after they¡¯d been introduced. Matthew was finished first, having been introduced only to Triss¡¯ father, and took a seat before Cade could, in the chair closest to Liv. That left Cade Talbot next to Triss, in the only empty seat close to the fire. Liv watched the two boys closely: they had taken quite a while to come downstairs, as Lady Julianne had observed. In her experience, Matthew hardly ever took very long to get changed. There was something odd about the way they held themselves, as well: a certain stiffness or wariness. ¡°How is your father, Lord Talbot?¡± Baron Arnold asked. ¡°Well enough,¡± the dark-haired boy answered. ¡°He never did remarry, did he?¡± Lady Julianne inquired. ¡°No,¡± Cade admitted. ¡°I¡¯m his only child.¡± ¡°A good match for any young lady,¡± Arnold pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s a pity you¡¯re not a few years older, or I¡¯d consider you for my Beatrice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure any man would be lucky to wed your daughter,¡± Cade said, though Liv thought the words must have tasted sour in his mouth, from his tone. ¡°Dinner is served,¡± Archibald called in from the doorway. As everyone began to rise, however, Lady Julianne interrupted them.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Young master Talbot,¡± she said, ¡°remain a moment. And Liv, as well.¡± Baron Arnold rose, took up a pair of handles on the back of Baron Henry¡¯s chair, and carefully wheeled the crippled man out of the library. Liv¡¯s jaw must have dropped, for Lady Julianne told her, ¡°One of the advantages of coming to the capital. The royal workshops can make all manner of clever things.¡± ¡°I assume we¡¯re bringing one back to Whitehill?¡± Liv asked. ¡°One?¡± Julianne laughed. ¡°We¡¯ve commissioned three more.¡± She waited until Matthew had escorted Triss out, and then gave Archibald a pointed look. Only after the first footman had closed the door did she speak again. ¡°Out with it, then,¡± she said, leveling a gaze at the boy. Liv looked back and forth between them. Julianne¡¯s eyes were hard as the bones of the mountains, but Cade refused to back down or look away. ¡°Perhaps my lady would like to ask a question,¡± he said. ¡°You want me to say it out loud, then?¡± Julianne asked. ¡°Fine. Wandering by the beach could be coincidence. Coming back could be infatuation. Offering to carry her up the stairs? Yes, my son told me about that. I suppose it could still be young love, I remember how quickly that comes on, and how overwhelming it can be. But offering to champion her against the princess?¡± The older woman shook her head. ¡°What are you looking to get out of this?¡± Liv suddenly felt sick. She¡¯d thought Cade was just being nice to her - and yes, maybe it had felt good for a boy to actually pay attention, for once. Certainly no one in Whitehill ever had. Was it all part of some scheme, and she was just too foolish to see it? Cade must have seen something in her face, for he turned toward Liv and reached out for her hand. Liv yanked it away. ¡°Answer her question,¡± she said, and tried to keep the shame out of her voice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t quite coincidence to wander up the beach,¡± he admitted. ¡°I wanted to see who was living here. I was not expecting to meet - well, a beautiful girl,¡± he said. It was the first time in their short acquaintence Liv had ever heard the boy stumble over his words. ¡°But I also knew my father wouldn¡¯t approve of anything that wasn¡¯t a good match for the family. I¡¯m his only son and heir, so I had to sell him on the idea.¡± ¡°The idea of what?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to court you,¡± Cade said. ¡°You know she isn¡¯t my daughter?¡± Julianne asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Cade Talbot said. ¡°My father asked around as soon as I talked to him. The king has already approved of the adoption papers. When Liv signs, that will make her legally the daughter of a baron. More than suitable.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t meet his eyes any longer, so she looked down at her lap. She wished her cheeks and ears didn¡¯t burn up every time something like this happened. Not that anything precisely like this had ever happened before, but- it was just frustrating to be so easy to read! ¡°There are a score of girls who are suitable, but do not bring with them the enmity of the queen,¡± Julianne pressed him. ¡°What are you looking to get out of this?¡± ¡°My father agreed that it could be very advantageous for our family if the next generation had Eldish blood,¡± Cade said. ¡°Even if our children were to live only ten or twenty years longer, or have a strong talent for magic, it would be an investment that he agrees is worth some risk.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m to be your brood mare,¡± Liv hissed. ¡°No,¡± Cade protested. ¡°That¡¯s just how I convinced my father, Liv. I like you. I hardly know you, so I suppose it¡¯s silly to say that, but I want to spend more time with you. Like that morning swimming in the sea.¡± ¡°So the bargain is political support in return for my adopted daughter¡¯s hand,¡± Julianne said, with a voice devoid of emotion. ¡°Thank you for making your intentions plain, Lord Talbot. If - and I emphasize the if - we agree to this, your father will vote as we decide twice during the council. Please convey that to him. We will send a letter to your home after we¡¯ve had a chance to discuss your offer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not staying for dinner then, I take it,¡± Cade said, rising. ¡°I think it¡¯s best you don¡¯t, no,¡± Lady Julianne said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll convey your regrets to the rest of the party.¡± ¡°Very well. Thank you, my lady, for your time and your hospitality,¡± Cade said, and then turned back to Liv. ¡°This wasn¡¯t how I wanted to ask,¡± he said. ¡°I hope - I hope I haven¡¯t hurt you or completely made a mess of things, Liv. It isn¡¯t either, or - I like you, and I think it would be a good move for my family, both. I hope you¡¯ll consider me, and I hope that whatever answer, we can be friends.¡± Liv tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. She knew what was expected of her, so she extended her hand without looking up. Instead of simply taking it and bowing, the dark haired boy pressed his lips to her knuckles, and a shiver ran through Liv¡¯s body. ¡°Good evening, Lord Talbot,¡± she said. ¡°Good evening, Liv.¡± Cade released her hand, and she waited until his footsteps had receded from hearing before she looked up again. ¡°I won¡¯t make this decision for you,¡± Lady Julianne said. ¡°But if you want to refuse him, I am more than willing to take the blame.¡± ¡°Would it help?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Those two votes, I mean.¡± ¡°It would mean that we have a block of four votes when we negotiate with the guilds, rather than three,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I want as many as we can get, before we go that far.¡± ¡°Summerset, Grenfell, and now Crosbie,¡± Liv counted. ¡°Talbot would make four.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lady Julianne extended a hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go in to dinner. You don¡¯t need to decide right now.¡± ¡°You have a plan, though,¡± Liv asked her, accepting help to her feet. ¡°I do,¡± Julianne said. ¡°A block of votes to support the guilds gaining a place on the great council, in exchange for their votes on what I really want.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you sent me to make friends,¡± Liv guessed. ¡°Yes. Beatrice was a good find,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said. ¡°Is there anyone else you think you could invite here, who would accept?¡± ¡°Sidonie Corbett,¡± Liv said. ¡°In fact, can we have her over tomorrow? She seems good with spellwork, and I think I could use her help.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have Archibald send over an invitation. Come along, they¡¯re waiting for us.¡± Liv accompanied Lady Julianne into the dining room, though she was unable to help glancing at the empty place setting that would have been for Cade Talbot. ¡°Lord Talbot was unfortunately called away,¡± Julianne said. ¡°But he wanted to thank you all for a lovely evening, and convey his regrets.¡± Liv set her staff in the corner, and once both ladies had taken their seat, the footmen began to serve. She noticed that neither Master Grenfell, nor Mistress Trafford were present at the table, and wondered where they were. ¡°I believe you owe us a story, Mother,¡± Matthew spoke up. Liv observed that he had been placed between his mother and Triss, while Baron Arnold had been seated between Liv and Henry. ¡°I suppose I do,¡± Julianne said, then wet her tongue with a sip of wine. ¡°The first thing to know, I suppose, is that my mother was hardly more than a commoner. She was the daughter of a knight, and my father would never have met her at all if he and his brother hadn¡¯t stayed for a night in Carinthia on their way to cull a rift. They were just princes, in those days.¡± ¡°A prince would never be allowed to marry the daughter of a mere knight,¡± Matthew observed. ¡°A baron could get away with it - it isn¡¯t unheard of. But not a prince.¡± ¡°I¡¯m told the night in question didn¡¯t occur at their first meeting,¡± Julianne said. ¡°But when my father came back from the rift wounded.¡± Baron Arnold gave a huff. ¡°That¡¯s an old story. He wouldn¡¯t be the first man to fall for the woman who nursed him back to health.¡± ¡°Regardless,¡± Julianne said, ¡°when he found out I existed, my father sent for me to be brought to court. He couldn¡¯t keep me in the palace, so he put me here, at Acton House, with a nursemaid and governess and everything else you could imagine. He spent a good deal of time here, too, until his marriage.¡± Liv noticed a slight smile on Julianne¡¯s lips. There must have been at least a few good memories from those times. ¡°What about your mother?¡± Triss asked. ¡°She couldn¡¯t come, of course,¡± Lady Julianne answered. ¡°It was already enough of a scandal. I don¡¯t even remember her.¡± ¡°Let me guess,¡± Matthew broke in. ¡°The queen didn¡¯t appreciate having you around.¡± ¡°That would be an understatement,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Especially once Prince Benedict was born. Anything that could be a threat to her son¡¯s succession became an obstacle to be removed. The entire reason my father let me go to college at Coral Bay was to get me away from the endless duels. You¡¯ll notice, Liv, her tactics haven¡¯t changed. It¡¯s a legal way to kill someone.¡± ¡°Of course, what the queen hadn¡¯t counted on,¡± Baron Henry broke in, ¡°was that Julianne was actually quite talented. She was a star pupil at Coral Bay, and all of a sudden people began saying that House Loredan might produce a second archmage.¡± ¡°Which made me even more of a threat,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I had to leave Coral Bay after one of my classmates slipped a dagger in my back while we were culling the Tidal Rift. It seemed like wherever I went, whatever I did, she¡¯d keep coming after me.¡± ¡°When I made a marriage proposal,¡± Henry said, ¡°I sweetened the pot for the king with a few V?dic artifacts from my father¡¯s collection. But the real argument was that Whitehill is about as far away from Freeport as it¡¯s possible to get and still be in the kingdom.¡± ¡°So you were safe,¡± Liv said, ¡°until we left home.¡± ¡°Mostly,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Though you will recall there was one attempt on my life, when Matthew was born. An attempt from which you saved me, Liv. I¡¯m sorry that instead of repaying you as you deserve, I¡¯ve only succeeded at dragging you further into my own troubles.¡± 47. Duel at North Beach I When Beatrice left with her father, it was with a promise to return the next morning, after breakfast. Basil delivered two notes to Liv, while Thora was brushing her hair out before bed. One was from Sidonie Corbett, promising to arrive around the tenth bell the next day, and to stay through lunch. The other was from Cade Talbot, asking Liv¡¯s permission to attend her duel. She couldn¡¯t decide what to write back, so she set it aside on her desk and climbed into bed. Liv wished for a cat, to cuddle up against her purring and help her go to sleep. She was fairly certain there were a few mousers in residence at Acton House, but she hadn¡¯t managed to befriend any of them yet. Instead, she hugged Rosie, her old rag doll, who had been packed at the very bottom of her trunk. The other times she¡¯d risked her life, there hadn¡¯t been nearly as much advanced warning. Tomorrow, a girl Liv barely knew was going to try to kill her, and not even because of anything she¡¯d done herself - just because of who she was associated with. It was not a thought that lent itself well to a good night¡¯s rest, and she found herself tossing and turning, drifting in and out of anxious dream fragments. She was up in the morning before Thora. The bed-chamber was too unfamiliar, still, to be comforting. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep, so Liv stripped off her stockings and padded down the stairs and out to the garden barefoot, in her shift. When she got to the beach, she ran across the sand and splashed into the waves, letting the cool sea water close over her head. It wasn¡¯t the same as a mountain lake, or the fast-moving Aspen River, but it was something. She let herself float under the water until her lungs were about to burst, and then finally stood up. The waves lapped about her waist, and the salt water stung her eyes, but somehow Liv felt better. She tossed her head back to get her hair out of the way, rubbed most of the sea water out of her eyes, and then jumped when she saw Cade Talbot waiting on the shore. ¡°I thought you might come down here this morning,¡± the dark-haired boy called to her. Liv was suddenly aware of how very alone she was, with a boy she hardly knew, and wearing nothing but a shift that was soaked through. ¡°I needed to get some air,¡± she said, then sunk down in the water up to her neck. The waves lifted her hair, splaying strands out around her head like seaweed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Cade said. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you, Liv. I just wanted to tell you again that I¡¯m sorry for how that happened; it wasn¡¯t the way I intended it to be. If you¡¯ll let me, I¡¯d like to come and support you at the duel.¡± Liv bit her lip, and considered. ¡°You can come,¡± she said. ¡°I could use as many friendly faces as I can get, I think. But it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve agreed to anything, yet.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Cade said. ¡°And I understand. I¡¯ll head back, now; I don¡¯t want to cause you any scandal.¡± True to his word, he turned and headed back down the beach. Liv waited until he was out of sight before wading out of the ocean and scampering back up the stairs to the house. ? After breakfast, Liv brought all of her books to the library, and stacked them up on the nicely polished wooden desk at one end of the room. She brought three quills and a pot of ink, as well, and Lady Julianne gave her five pieces of parchment to work with. Baron Henry, Lady Julianne, and Master Grenfell set up by the fire, after the court mage had dropped another half dozen books on the desk. Matthew was conspicuous by his absence, but Liv knew that he didn¡¯t have much of a head for magic anyway and didn¡¯t hold it against him. When Beatrice Crosbie and Sidonie Corbett arrived, Basil showed them up, and they joined Liv at the desk. ¡°Thank you for having me over,¡± Sidonie said, with a shy grin. ¡°What are we doing?¡± ¡°Planning how to give Princess Milly a kick right up her pompous ass,¡± Triss said. ¡°Oh!¡± Sidonie blushed at the swear, and Liv found herself relieved not to be the youngest person in the room. Not that Triss was actually older than her, being human, but she certainly looked like it. ¡°Have you thought about where to begin?¡± Lady Julianne asked, from her seat by the fire. ¡°Yes,¡± Liv said. ¡°The first thing, of course, is that I can¡¯t allow myself to be hit. If she manages to strike me with lightning, it''s over. I don¡¯t feel comfortable just hoping that I can get an incantation before she can; that seems like a good way to lose. I don¡¯t want to leave anything to chance.¡± ¡°So, she¡¯s going to open up with an attack,¡± Triss said. ¡°Lightning down from the sky. We know your ice can take at least one hit, but we don¡¯t know what direction she¡¯s going to strike from, do we?¡± The three girls looked to Lady Julianne. ¡°Lightning forms in the clouds,¡± she explained. ¡°The stormwand will let her skip having to gather a storm, but it still wants to get to the ground as quickly as it can. Luc can be used to create it, and guide its path. Essentially, she can convince the lightning that you represent its best route to the ground. It will come from above.¡± ¡°Which means using the shape of a wall is no good,¡± Liv said. ¡°I need something that will surround me on all sides.¡± ¡°How are you going to make sure your spell is finished before hers?¡± Sidonie asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to use the future tense,¡± Liv said, looking over to Master Grenfell to see if he would stop her. ¡°Oh no,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me to stop you. You¡¯re fighting for your life, Apprentice. Use every tool you have.¡± ? They took two carriages from Acton House to the north beach, carrying Baron Henry, Lady Julianne, Master Grenfell, and Mistress Trafford in the first. The second was Liv, Matthew, and Triss Crosbie, who assured them that her father would meet them on the beach. Sidonie had returned home: she said that her parents would be furious if she went to a duel, but Lady Julianne made certain she took an invitation to luncheon the next day for her and her mother both. Four guards from Castle Whitehill rode with them, two in front and two in back, led by Piers. Every one of them wore their jack of plate, in the green and white of the Summersets, and they carried halberds with the butts set in their stirrups, and crossbows hanging from their saddles. North Beach, it turned out, was outside of the city walls of Freeport, though still in sight of the city¡¯s skyline. There was a paved road that led right to it, and an open field for a carriage park. Raised wooden walkways led through high stands of sea grass down to the beach itself, which was a beautiful stretch of smooth white sand, scattered with old pieces of driftwood and great rocks just offshore. The waves crashed and swirled around the rocks, and farther to the north, the beach ended where a stream emptied into the bay. Small seabirds circled overhead, as well as the larger - and louder - gulls. The entire expanse was lit by a ring of tall torches, on poles thrust into the sand.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Cade Talbot was waiting at the end of the walkway, where the wood met the dunes. He was wearing a doublet as dark as his hair, with gold buttons and thread of gold embroidery, and there were two men at arms lingering just behind him, at just enough distance to give the illusion of privacy. ¡°You look like you¡¯re ready to chew her up and spit her out,¡± Cade called, with a smile, as their party approached. Liv was wearing a brand new dress that Lady Julianne had presented her with just that afternoon: the underskirt was pure white, and the sleeves as well, but the overskirt and bodice were in green. House Summerset colors, as were the new white leather gloves. She extended her hand, and Cade lifted it, once again leaning down to press his lips against her knuckles, though this time the leather prevented skin to skin contact. ¡°Come off it,¡± Matthew grumbled at the sight. ¡°You should be grateful,¡± the younger boy told him, releasing Liv¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ve just publicly sided with your house, in front of this entire audience. Perhaps in return, once this unpleasantness is done with, Liv would be kind enough to allow me to escort her to the king¡¯s masque.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t distract me,¡± Liv chided them both, and stalked forward, her staff in hand, to the center of the torch-lit circle. She made certain to carry the length of Aspen wood at an angle, so that it didn¡¯t accidentally strike the ground. Triss Crosbie marched on her right, hand resting on the pommel of her rapier. Princess Milisant waited for them, holding a wand of bone, along with her second from the tea party, the blonde girl who Liv recalled addressed as ¡®Lady Howe.¡¯ Behind them were a crowd of people Liv did not recognize, gathered to watch, as well as what she presumed were royal guards. Finally, a woman who looked to be roughly Julianne¡¯s age, if not a touch older, dressed in heavily embroidered robes and a cloak, stood a pace or two off from the princess. Her hair was pale blonde and unbound, caught and tossed by the sea breeze. In the torchlight, the fine stands seemed almost to glow from within. She carried a black wand in her hand, but the most striking thing about her were the eyes: a brown so light they were nearly amber, and shining with intensity. ¡°My name is Genevieve Arundell, Court Mage to King Roland the third,¡± the woman said. Her voice carried easily. ¡°I am a Master Mage of the guild, and I will be overseeing this duel. Seconds, join me.¡± The two young women stepped forward. ¡°Duelists, present any object that is enchanted, or any mana-stone you are carrying, for inspection.¡± Liv took the glove off her left hand, tucked it under her arm, and held it out, along with her staff. ¡°I bring a guild ring, presented to me by my master, Jurian of Carinthia,¡± she said. ¡°As well as my staff, made of Aspen wood and enchanted by Master Grenfell, Court Mage to Baron Henry of Whitehill.¡± She thought she detected a change in Mistress Arundell¡¯s expression at Jurian¡¯s name, but the only thing the mage said was: ¡°Those are acceptable. Princess?¡± ¡°I bring one of the stormwands,¡± Milisant began, holding out a rod of bone inlaid with gold and silver, the matching set to Lady Julianne¡¯s. ¡°I am also wearing a bodice enchanted to warm the wearer in winter, and these rings.¡± She held up her left hand. Every finger, and the thumb, bore a gold ring set with a mana-stone. Each was linked by a delicate golden chain to a matching bracelet on her wrist, once again set with a mana-stone, though even larger than the ones on the rings. Years ago, Master Grenfell had told Liv the average student arriving at Coral Bay for college could hold at least four rings of mana. If the stones set into the princess¡¯ jewelry were the same size as the one in Liv¡¯s ring, that would be another six. Call it at least ten rings of mana available for her to use. Probably more. ¡°Those are acceptable,¡± Mistress Arundell said. ¡°She¡¯s brought eight items to Liv¡¯s two,¡± Triss objected. ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair.¡± Liv didn¡¯t expect the argument to go anywhere, but it was nice to see that Triss was trying. ¡°The princess also has no Eldish blood,¡± the court mage responded. ¡°Your objection is noted, but I judge it a fair exchange. Do either of you wish to withdraw at this time?¡± Both girls shook their heads. ¡°Very well, then,¡± Arundell continued, and raised her voice, so that she would be audible to the entirety of the crowd. ¡°This duel will proceed to first blood, surrender, unconsciousness, or my count of ten without response. If either party leaves the circle, they will be considered to have surrendered. When I call the duel as ended, you will both cease casting immediately. If you do not, I will stop you, and you will not find that pleasant. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Liv said. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Princess Milisant declared. ¡°Seconds, clear the circle,¡± Genevieve Arundell ordered. ¡°This duel is to settle a matter of honor between Princess Milisant Loredan and Apprentice Liv Brodbeck-¡± ¡°Livara,¡± Liv corrected her, raising her own voice to match the older mage¡¯s volume. ¡°My name is Livara T?r Valtteri Kaen Syv?. If I¡¯m going to risk my life, I might as well use it once.¡± She tried to ignore the muttering that broke out on both sides of the audience. ¡°Ladies, back to back,¡± Mistress Arundell commanded. Liv pulled her left glove back over her hand, having to take a moment to work it over her ring, then turned around and backed into the princess. ¡°You should have stayed up in the mountains,¡± Milisant said quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t actually have anything against you, but we can¡¯t let the bastard have you. I¡¯m just getting rid of the trash.¡± ¡°Fifteen paces!¡± Liv took a breath, and stepped forward, walking in time with the count until the royal court mage reached fifteen. ¡°Seconds, confirm distance,¡± Arundell called. ¡°Her legs are too short,¡± Lady Howe said. ¡°Have her take another step.¡± ¡°Acceptable,¡± Triss called back. They¡¯d discussed this; distance didn¡¯t really help or hurt Liv either way. There was no reason to object. Liv took another step. ¡°Turn!¡± Liv turned around, holding her staff above the ground still. Thirty paces away, give or take, the princess held her wand in her right hand. Mistress Arundell made her invocation, and a blue circle of light flared up to encompass both girls. Liv was too focused on what was about to happen to bother listening to the words. She kept her eyes locked on Milisant, and tried to remember to breathe. The court mage retreated from the circle. There was a long moment where the only sound was the surf breaking, and then Genevieve Arundell shouted: ¡°Begin!¡± Liv slammed her staff down onto the sand before Princess Milisant could finish the first word of her invocation. ? ¡°You need a trigger that¡¯s as fast as you can get,¡± Triss had argued that morning. ¡°Everything in this duel is about speed, and she has the advantage. Can you come up with a way to have it start the moment the judge starts the duel?¡± Liv looked over to where Master Grenfell sat by the fire, sipping from a cup of tea. ¡°You just said ¡®begin,¡¯ when we practiced. Is that standard?¡± she asked. ¡°Fairly standard,¡± her teacher said. ¡°But not required. I¡¯ve heard variations over the years.¡± ¡°When¡¯s the last time you even fought a duel?¡± Julianne teased him. ¡°In college, I suppose,¡± Grenfell admitted. ¡°Regardless, I don¡¯t think you can count on it,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°Control everything you can. Leave nothing to chance. What if you set the spell to trigger at ¡®begin,¡¯ and she says ¡®start?¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Liv said. ¡°So we want a trigger that I can do, that will be faster than speaking. How about when I strike the ground with my staff? Can anyone see a flaw in that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to make certain you don¡¯t accidentally set it off on the walk in,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°But otherwise, good. It¡¯s even better, because the guild has plenty of spells targeting staves and wands. We have those words readily available. Now how are you going to shape it?¡± ¡°Keep this as simple as possible,¡± Julianne suggested. ¡°Once you¡¯re fighting, you can¡¯t count on keeping your head. Complex things tend to go out the window. In fact, if you can find a way to combine a defensive intent with an offensive one, that¡¯s the best tactic.¡± ¡°Will she even have defenses?¡± Sidonie asked. ¡°Lightning doesn¡¯t exactly make armor or a shield, does it?¡± Liv grinned. ¡°I know what I¡¯m going to do.¡± ? On the beach, ice rose up at Liv¡¯s feet, in an instant building beneath her shoes and lifting her body up into the air. She swayed, but kept her balance. At the same time she rose, her magic built up layer upon layer in gentle curves, accumulating as fast as water could be poured from a bucket. The barrier reached her knees, and across the sand Liv saw Princess Milisant raise her wand. Somewhere overhead, up in the clouds, she became aware of a great deal of ice: tiny pieces of it, swirling and vibrating amidst a building energy. The word of power coiled at the back of her mind whispered that if she wanted to, she could reach out and take control of it. The ice wrapped around her, cutting off Liv¡¯s view of the princess just before the wand fell. She looked up at the sky, waiting for the ice to surround her completely. There was something freeing about it: either the spell would finish in time, or it would not. Not a thing Liv did now would make a difference. The ice had almost cut off her view of the night sky, and the stars overhead had been blotted out. The circle of sky above her was only the size of a coin. Almost- A column of lightning fell from the sky, brilliant and burning. Liv squeezed her eyes shut and waited to see whether she would die. 48. Duel at North Beach II ¡°I don¡¯t see how this will help us convince the council of anything,¡± Keri said again. He considered the enchanted gauntlets lying on the bed: in battle, he would wear them, but he wasn¡¯t actually expecting a fight. At least, not one he would be participating in. Wearing the armor was more about making an impression, or sending a signal that he had come for something of deadly importance. Sakari Ka Edvis, ambassador to the kingdom of Lucania, sighed. In contrast to the war-like image Keri was presenting, the Ambassador wore robes of soft gray silk brocade, worked with motifs of ancient wyrms, their wings and tails shimmering under the light of the oil lamps that lit the room. ¡°This is the first somewhat public event we can use to begin introducing you around, before the actual council sessions,¡± Sakari explained. Keri had heard this before, but he still didn¡¯t like it. ¡°There is a masque, to celebrate the opening of the council, but that won''t be for two more days, to give all of the barons time to arrive. Many of them have to travel to reach a waystone, or wait until enough mages are present to activate one. There¡¯s a reason the king doesn¡¯t call these often.¡± Keri lifted his N?v¡¯bel from where he¡¯d leaned it in the corner. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± he declared. ¡°That will certainly make an impression,¡± Ambassador Sakari grumbled. ¡°I wish you had brought your kwenim along with you. A single dance, and Rika would have had the entire court eating out of her hands.¡± ¡°Neither of us wanted to bring Rei,¡± Keri explained, following Sakari out of his guest chambers and through the halls of the embassy. ¡°He¡¯s too young to travel, especially with the blood cult on the move.¡± ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t blame you for that,¡± the ambassador said. As they stepped outside, two of the embassy guards, swordsmen in enchanted armor nearly as fine as Keri¡¯s, fell into step behind them. The embassy had been provided with a carriage, but all four of the Eld swung themselves up into the saddles of waiting horses, instead. The ride north to the shore passed quickly enough once they were out of the city, and by the time Sakari led the way down to the beach, a crowd of humans was already gathering around a circle of torches planted in the sand. At the arrival of the two Eld and their guards, the audience surged, and Keri had to fight down an urge to turn around and walk right back to the horses. ¡°Ambassador!¡± a human with neatly arranged blonde hair called, striding forward to grasp hands with Sakari. ¡°What a privilege you were able to attend. I know you¡¯ve met my daughter before, and we¡¯ve all heard rumors of your guest.¡± ¡°Prince Benedict, Princess Milisant,¡± the ambassador greeted them, shaking the man¡¯s hand and bowing over the young woman¡¯s. ¡°It is always an honor to spend time with either of you. Allow me to present Inkeris ka Ilmari k?n B?lris, who has come south to speak to the council on the cult of Raktia. Inkeris, Prince Benedict Loredan, heir to the throne of Lucania, and his daughter Milisant, who will be one of the participants in the duel this evening.¡± Keri switched his spear to his left hand, so that he could clasp arms with first the human prince, and then the girl. It was only when Milisant¡¯s face betrayed her surprise that he recalled that one greeted human women differently. Rather than apologize, he decided to simply press forward. ¡°It is an honor to be here,¡± he said. ¡°I look forward to addressing the council. This is a crisis that our two peoples can only overcome by working together.¡± ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Prince Benedict said. ¡°But before that, you¡¯ll be able to observe one of our most talented young women. I fully anticipate that my daughter will be the top student of her year, when she goes to Coral Bay. Millie, your opponent is arriving. You¡¯d better head over; try to wrap this up quickly, please. After you finish, perhaps the Ambassador and his guest will join us for brandy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Daddy,¡± the girl said. ¡°This won¡¯t take a moment.¡± Drawing a pale wand from the case that hung at her hip, the princess stalked forward across the sand. ¡°What is this all about?¡± Keri asked the prince. ¡°A few unkind words were exchanged at my daughter¡¯s tea party yesterday,¡± Benedict said. Keri glanced across the sand, and then stopped. He reached a hand out and took Ambassador Sakari by the shoulder, turning the older man to look. ¡°Who is that?¡± Keri asked. A slip of a girl walked across the sand toward the center of the fire-lit ring, the sea breeze tossing pure white hair behind her as she came. She was tiny, not quite an adult. There was a coltishness to her, still, that told Keri she still had a few years filling out to do. She carried a staff of pale wood in one hand, and sigils of inlaid silver and gold ran up and down its length. Oddly, she was angling it so as not to touch the ground. Her features were delicate, and reminded him of people he¡¯d seen in Al''Fenthia with mixed ancestry. ¡°A cook¡¯s bastard from the north,¡± Benedict remarked. ¡°She has a bit of magic, apparently.¡± ¡°That is no human woman,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°I thought this was a duel between your own people. We should have been informed. This needs to stop right now.¡± ¡°My name is Livara T?r Valtteri Kaen Syv?. If I¡¯m going to risk my life, I might as well use it once,¡± the girl called, from the center of the circle. She¡¯d raised her voice so that everyone could hear her. ¡°House Syv?,¡± Keri repeated. Of course, the white hair. He knew that when he got a look at her eyes, they would be blue as the winter sky. The thought stirred a memory, but he didn¡¯t have time to try to place it right now. ¡°This ends now,¡± he said, and only after he spoke did he realize it came out in a growl. Around him, people backed away. ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± the human prince objected. ¡°They¡¯ve already agreed to this and stepped into the circle. Interfere now, and you¡¯re breaking the law.¡± Keri spun on Benedict. ¡°We will have words on this later,¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°And if she dies-¡± ¡°I do not take kindly to threats,¡± the blonde man shot back. ¡°No one is making any threats,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°But keeping this from us was, at the very least, a gross oversight. Some of my people will take this as willful deception, and an insult.¡± A flare of blue drew Keri¡¯s attention back to the duel, and he gripped the haft of his spear tightly because he couldn¡¯t do anything else. He hadn¡¯t realized how ignorant and foolish the human prince would be. The two girls were now encircled by a ring of blue fire, and everyone else had cleared the area. At a call of ¡®Begin,¡± both of them moved. The princess raised her wands and began to chant, building her spell piece by piece. The half-blood girl, on the other hand, immediately slammed the butt of her staff down onto the sand, speaking no words at all. Ice gathered beneath her feet, lifting her above the strand even as it began to wrap around her body. ¡°Contingent spells,¡± Keri muttered. ¡°A bit of magic. Your daughter has no idea what she¡¯s gotten into, does she, Your Highness?¡± In the space of a single breath and exhalation, the shape of the white-haired girl¡¯s intent had become clear to everyone watching. Glittering ice coalesced around her into the shape of a delicate rosebud, the petals tightly closed, rising up the beach on a slender, thorned vine. Every leaf, thorn, and petal was shaped perfectly.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking the rose of ice. Keri blinked away dark spots in his vision - had the girl survived? He craned his neck forward, trying to get a view of what was happening, but a cloud of steam boiled out from the point of impact, and he could only glimpse shadows of shapes. ¡°There!¡± Ambassador Sakari said, pointing. A woman¡¯s shape rose from the sand, three or four yards distant from the sculpture of ice. The girl - Livara, she¡¯d said? - must have caught the lightning strike with her flower, and then ducked out and circled around. The princess screamed the same invocation a second time, with no variation whatsoever, and a second bolt of lightning fell from overhead. This time, it hit the girl directly, with nothing to shield her. ¡°If that girl is dead,¡± Keri repeated, but before he could finish, Princess Milisant screamed. ¡°Get it off me!¡± She bent down to tug at coils of icy roots, wrapped around her feet and calves. ¡°It¡¯s freezing!¡± ? ¡°We know that when lightning strikes the ice,¡± Liv had explained, that afternoon, ¡°the heat melts my walls so quickly that a lot of steam is released. At that moment, she won¡¯t be able to see me clearly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to count on that to avoid her second strike, or delay it?¡± Master Grenfell asked, rising from his chair near the fire. Liv shook her head. ¡°No. I want her distracted long enough that I can catch her and hold her in place. A target, just like I make for Matthew in the practice yard. I¡¯ll shape it to look like me, and when she sees it through the cloud of steam, she won¡¯t be able to tell the difference. That will draw her second strike, and give me time.¡± ¡°I thought we said a single intent would be best?¡± Sidonie said. ¡°I can¡¯t do this with less than two,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°But after the decoy, everything else will come from the initial spell. When I visited Alban Cooper¡¯s home with Airis Ka Reimis, he used the roots of the plants in the garden to grab onto my ice and break it apart. I wrote down the invocation he used the moment I was free to. I¡¯m going to take a page from his spellbook, so to speak.¡± ? Keri understood the moment he saw the roots. The rose of ice that had grown from the sand did not exist merely above the beach - but below it, as well. While the human princess had been distracted, the rose¡¯s roots had quested forward, digging beneath the sand, and then emerged from beneath her, wrapping around her legs to hold her in place. That meant the half-blood girl - Livara - must still be alive. Keri glanced at the spot the second bolt of lightning had fallen from the sky. With the steam clearing, what he had assumed to be the girl was revealed as only a statue of ice, now broken off at the waist from the explosion. The rose-vine flexed, drawing his gaze back, and half a dozen thorns shot off the vine like crossbow bolts, flying across the thirty paces that separated the two girls. Two of the frozen thorns missed, digging furrows into the sand just beyond Princess Milsant, but the other four hit: one took her in the thigh, one in the left arm, and the other two in her chest. The force of the impact broke the roots around her feet, and threw the girl backward onto the sand, where she lay bleeding. Across the dueling field, the rosebud opened its petals, stretching them down to the sand itself, forming a kind of ramp. ¡°She never left it,¡± Prince Benedict finally realized. ¡°Where did Julianne find a monster like this?¡± The girl held her staff in her left hand, now, and carried a sword of ice in her right, clutched tightly in gloves of white leather. ¡°She planned every step of this,¡± Keri said, a smile curling his lips. She stalked across the sand in the blue light of the dueling circle, hair blown out behind her, and placed the tip of her sword beneath the princess¡¯ chin. Though it was not yet winter, snowflakes were drifting down onto the beach from the night sky. ¡°First blood,¡± she called out. ¡°Unless Mistress Arundell wishes me to continue?¡± ¡°The sword,¡± Ambassador Sakari said, and when Keri glanced to his side, he saw the man¡¯s face was pale. ¡°She looks just like her. What did she say her name was?¡± ¡°Livara T?r Valtteri Kaen Syv?,¡± Keri answered. ¡°Livara of the Five Blades,¡± the ambassador said. ¡°It¡¯s as if a ghost has risen from the grave.¡± The circle of blue flames died. ¡°The duel is finished,¡± the court mage called out. ¡°Chirurgeons! Attend to the princess!¡± The half-blood girl - Livara, Keri reminded himself - stepped back from Milisant Loredan. The blonde girl was no longer moving or making any noise, and he hoped that she wasn¡¯t dead. That would only make things more complicated. Prince Benedict scrambled across the beach toward his daughter, while a group of young men and women from the other side of the beach rushed the circle and surrounded Livara in a knot of laughter and congratulations. ¡°What is this going to mean for us,¡± Keri said, grabbing the ambassador by both shoulders and pulling him close. ¡°Quickly.¡± ¡°We register a formal complaint that this was kept from us,¡± Sakari said. ¡°We demand an apology. That will put the prince and his people on the defensive. We send a message to House Syv? immediately. Anything they want to do other than apologize, we stall for time and say nothing can be done until a representative of her family is here. She can¡¯t be an adult yet, can she?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t look it,¡± Keri said. ¡°Right on the edge, though. If they want to count using human years, she¡¯d certainly qualify under their laws.¡± ¡°Rust their laws,¡± Sakari swore. ¡°We argue that she¡¯s a child and nothing can happen until there¡¯s an adult here to take responsibility for her.¡± ¡°She needs training,¡± Keri pointed out. ¡°If she can do all that with only human teachers-¡± ¡°I know. To awaken a word without a teacher,¡± Sakari shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how many bad habits they must have taught her.¡± ¡°I trust you to handle the diplomacy,¡± Keri said, releasing the ambassador from his grasp. ¡°Give me enough time to speak to her without interference from the prince.¡± He turned and strode across the sands, heading straight for the knot of jubilant people that surrounded the girl. ¡°Livara T?r Valtteri,¡± Keri called ahead as he approached. ¡°Of the House Syv?. Congratulations on your victory.¡± The crowd parted before him, revealing the girl. She turned toward him, brushing her hair back behind one ear, and their eyes met. Keri stumbled, unable to take a breath, as the memory came back to him at once, in awful, perfect clarity. Eyes opened, meeting his gaze. They were the blue of the winter sky, cracked over with frost. The delicate lashes put him in mind of a woman, though he could see no other part of her. Her eyes flinched away from him, like an animal who has endured too much pain. ¡°Who are you?¡± Keri remembered asking, during the vision. The only response was the sudden gust of snow, and his world became entirely white. ¡°I know you,¡± he said now, on the beach. ¡°It was you. You were the one I saw that day.¡± The girl blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever met,¡± she said, her voice no longer full of confidence as it had been during the duel, but tremulous, uncertain and fearful. ¡°I - I hope it isn¡¯t a problem, what I said. I know you must not believe me, about my father, but-¡± ¡°I believe you,¡± Keri said. ¡°Your word is Kel, is it not?¡± Livara nodded. Her friends clustered around her, as if they would protect her from him. As if they could have; as if they would ever need to. ¡°The House of Syv? is descended from Kelris, Vaedic Lord of Cold and Winter,¡± Keri explained. ¡°You have the look of them - the hair and the eyes. You have the word, with no one in the southlands to have taught you. I don¡¯t see how you can be anyone but what you claim, and that means you are Vakansa, one of us.¡± ¡°It means the free people, I was told,¡± the girl said, wrinkling her brow as if uncertain over a memory. He wondered if she knew how adorable it was. ¡°The Vaedim called us Cotheeria,¡± Keri explained. ¡°When the war was over, we took a new name to mark a new beginning. To show that we were no longer slaves, we put aside our slave name. A human boy with dark hair and dark eyes put his hand on Livara¡¯s shoulder protectively. ¡°Who are you?¡± he demanded. ¡°I am Inkeris ka Ilmari, of the Unconquered House of B?lris,¡± Keri responded. ¡°My friends and family call me Keri,¡± he continued. ¡°You may, as well, Livara.¡± ¡°Liv,¡± she said. ¡°My friends call me Liv.¡± ¡°We have a great deal to speak about, Liv,¡± Keri said. ¡°I know you must be tired, but may Ambassador Sakari and I call upon you tomorrow?¡± A human woman of middle years, her dark hair bound tightly in a bun, strode forward. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring the ambassador with you to luncheon with us at Acton House,¡± she suggested. ¡°We can speak more then, Inkeri of House B?lris.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Keri nodded, then looked back to the girl. ¡°You did well,¡± he said. ¡°You did your house proud.¡± He allowed himself to meet those winter eyes for a brief moment, and thought he saw a hint of tears there. Then, he spun on his heel and stalked toward where the ambassador was arguing with Prince Benedict. ¡°Whatever else happens here,¡± Keri promised, his words nothing more than a whisper, ¡°I will protect you.¡± 49. The Black Horse Liv spent the entire carriage ride from North Beach back into Freeport shaking. She¡¯d managed to keep it together after the duel, when everyone rushed forward to congratulate her, and even when the Elden man in the audience had come over. Inkeris ka Ilmari, she repeated his name to herself once again, so that she wouldn¡¯t forget. He hadn¡¯t expressed even a moment of doubt that she was who she said she was, and he and the ambassador were coming the next day. Liv went from smiling giddily to feeling faint. ¡°You¡¯ve got to breathe, Liv,¡± Triss said, with a big grin on her face. The older girl put her hand on the back of Liv¡¯s dress and began to move it in gentle circles. ¡°No passing out before we even get to the inn.¡± Liv nodded, then practiced her breathing. In, hold, out again. When her heart was no longer thumping like a runaway horse, she looked up. On the opposite bench, Matthew was watching her with obvious concern. ¡°You all right, there?¡± he asked her. ¡°I think I will be,¡± Liv said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure it would all work, even at the end,¡± she admitted. ¡°I kept waiting for something to go wrong.¡± ¡°No worries there,¡± Triss said. ¡°You understand how ridiculous all that was, don¡¯t you? People our age, who haven¡¯t even been to Coral Bay, might know one or two spells, at most. No one but a full mage runs through five spells in a single duel.¡± ¡°Half of them connected,¡± Matthew added. ¡°That¡¯s Liv, though. I guess now your secrets are out.¡± The carriage rolled to a halt. ¡°You going to be able to walk?¡± Triss asked. ¡°I will.¡± Liv reached out for her staff: having the length of wood in her hand was familiar, comforting. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Sign of the Black Horse,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Mother said this called for a few drinks, but I don¡¯t think you heard her. Your boy Cade was following us over, and probably others, as well. She didn¡¯t make a secret of where we were headed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I heard any of that,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t look like you were aware of much after talking to that Eldish man,¡± Triss told her. ¡°He wasn¡¯t a pain on the eyes, either. Come on, then.¡± Matthew opened the door, then helped both of the girls out in turn. The Black Horse was a massive trading inn, Liv saw, with a great circular drive and a yard for parking wagons and carriages, as well as an attached stable. The building itself was nearly a hollow rectangle, enclosing the yard but for where the drive went under a sort of bridge made by the second and third floors of the building. The entire structure was framed by massive, exposed beams, and painted white between them. Two of the guards were already on their way in, while another was lifting Baron Henry into his wheeled chair. Liv allowed herself to be tugged along by Matthew and Triss, past a ragged young boy who¡¯d taken up station against the wall of the inn. ¡°A penny, miss?¡± the urchin called out to her, and Liv fumbled at her purse. ¡°Here you are,¡± she said, pressing a copper into his extended palm. ¡°Go and get something hot to eat.¡± ¡°Just ignore them,¡± Triss murmured to her, and tugged Liv through the door and into the common room. The bar and half the tables were filled by weather-beaten sailors, recognizable by the slops they were wearing: a canvas doublet and breeches, linen shirt and stockings, and often knitted caps. Many of them wore rings in their ears, and where their sleeves were rolled up Liv could see all manner of tattoos: anchors and fishes and mermaids and stars. The entire assembled company raised their glasses and cheered when the three young people entered. ¡°They¡¯re all from the Gallant,¡± Lady Julianne half-shouted, coming up behind Liv and putting one arm over her shoulders. ¡°I told Captain Athearn I¡¯d cover their drinks for the evening.¡± With her other hand, she waved to the bar, and the sea captain raised a mug in response. ¡°Why?¡± Liv asked. ¡°In case there¡¯s trouble,¡± Matthew explained, leaning in. ¡°Father and Mother own their ship, and they all know it. If anyone comes here tonight looking for a fight, these boys will run them right out again.¡± It was strange: though none of these men looked like the sort of people Liv would have gone out of her way to spend time with on a normal occasion, the idea of the entire common room being packed with men who would fight to defend her actually let her relax a great deal. Liv ended up at a table with Triss, Mathew, Cade Talbot, who arrived just as they were getting settled, and even Cecily Falkenrath and her brother. The dark-haired girl had arrived with a gaunt older man Liv presumed to be her father, the Duke of Courland, from the way that Lady Julianne, Master Grenfell, and Mistress Trafford all rose from their seats upon his arrival. Cecily¡¯s father joined the table furthest away from the common room¡¯s wooden stage, where Matthew¡¯s parents settled deep into conversation with the other nobles. Liv picked out Triss¡¯ father there, as well as others she didn¡¯t recognize. Cecily, however, pulled Thurston, whom Liv had only seen once before, over to the closest table to the stage, where Triss had settled them all. ¡°Congratulations,¡± the duke¡¯s daughter shouted over the noise. ¡°That could have turned into an absolute mess, but you handled it about as well as anyone could have. I stayed long enough to hear the chirurgeons tell everyone she¡¯d survive, and load her into a carriage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Liv said. ¡°I never wanted to kill her.¡± Someone had brought her a glass of wine, and she nearly choked when she took a sip. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Fortified wine,¡± Cade explained. Somehow, he¡¯d managed to end up on one side of her, with Triss on the other. ¡°Be careful; it¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°I saw you speaking to the Eld of the North,¡± Thurston said, leaning forward across the table from where he and his sister had crammed in. ¡°The ambassador was there, too, but father says that one has come to address the great council.¡± ¡°His name was Keri,¡± Liv said. ¡°Careful with that one,¡± Cade broke in. ¡°You heard what house he was from, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°The House of B?lris, he said,¡± Liv recalled. ¡°The Unconquered House of B?lris,¡± Cecily said. ¡°You know why they¡¯re called that?¡± Liv shook her head, and Cade explained from next to her. ¡°Because they never joined the war,¡± he told her, leaning close to her ear. ¡°Didn¡¯t fight for the old gods, but didn¡¯t fight for the trinity, either. They stood aside.¡± ¡°Unconquered because they never lost, like the ones who stayed loyal to the old gods did,¡± Thurston finished. Before Liv could ask any further questions, the sound of a whistle broke over the room. She turned to the stage, and saw a group of sailors with instruments had taken up residence on the stools there. One had a small clay whistle, which was what had drawn her attention. Another held a tambourine, while a third tuned a lute. The fourth, a man with a broad chest, took a long drink of ale and then set his cup aside before breaking out into the dirtiest song Liv had ever heard before: ¡°We all do love the captain¡¯s whore, She opens and closes like a door!¡± Liv gasped and felt her cheeks and the tips of her ears burning up. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s singing that!¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Come on!¡± Triss grabbed her by the arm and tugged Liv up and away from a table, out into the cleared bit of floor in front of the stage. As the whistle, mandolin, and tambourine came in, and the sailors shouted along with the lyrics, the two girls spun around arm in arm, and to her astonishment Liv couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the increasingly disgusting song. By the time it was done, Cecily had joined them, and all three girls collapsed in a fit of giggles, gasping and calling for more wine. Another song followed the first, and the dancing, drinking and laughing all seemed to blur together. Liv danced with Cecily and Triss again, and sometime during the night with both Thurston Falkenrath and Cade Talbot, in turn. Never with Matthew, she realized later, though she did see him with both Triss and Cecily. The songs and her partners all seemed to blur together. She had once again the feeling of watching the world from a very great distance, as she had felt when using the waystone, except now she watched herself spinning and twirling and collapsing in exhausted laughter. ? ¡°Time to be up, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said, shaking Liv by the shoulder. Liv heard someone make a sound somewhere between a grunt and a moan in response, but her head hurt too much to sort out who it was. Instead, she rolled onto her side, tugging her blankets with her to be wrapped up tightly. ¡°I see someone¡¯s had a bit much to drink last night,¡± the maid said, with a laugh that was far too cheerful for the middle of the night. ¡°If you don¡¯t get up and dressed, m¡¯lady, you won¡¯t be able to go with Lord Matthew to the fencing yard. I¡¯m told you all made plans to meet Lady Crosbie there this morning.¡± That stirred a fragment of memory of the night before, and Liv sat up. The moment she had, the suddenness of the motion stirred her belly in an awful way. ¡°Chamber pot,¡± she gasped, grabbing for Thora¡¯s arm. Her maid only just managed to get the pot out from under the bed in time for Liv to throw up a truly foul mess into it. ¡°I¡¯m dying,¡± she whined, falling back onto the mattress. ¡°You¡¯re not dying,¡± Thora assured her. ¡°Now come on, m¡¯lady. Up you go.¡± Somehow, the maid managed to haul Liv out of bed and help her wash and dress. ¡°I don¡¯t even remember coming back last night,¡± Liv realized, casting about the room for her staff. ¡°Right over here against the wall, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said, leading her over to the corner. Once Liv had the staff in hand, she felt a little steadier. ¡°You came back quite late, singing rude songs and drunk out of your skull, so I got you stripped down and into bed to sleep it off. I take it you won the duel, then.¡± ¡°I did,¡± Liv said. ¡°And then we went out to celebrate. I think I only remember half of it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get you downstairs. A bit of food in your belly will help,¡± Thora assured her. As it turned out, she was right. Liv started with toasted bread slathered in fresh butter, and after a few slices of that felt well enough to devour a plate of bacon. Matthew was already downstairs when she arrived, dressed in his practice clothes and wearing his rapier on his hip. ¡°Where exactly are we going, then?¡± Liv asked, once they¡¯d finished eating. He helped her up into the carriage that was waiting for them in front of the house, then took the opposite seat, closed the door, and thumped the roof once to set them off. ¡°There¡¯s a fighting club down on Gull Street,¡± Matthew explained. ¡°It¡¯s where Triss goes to practice, and she invited us to meet her there this morning. Actually, we might see a few others there, as well; she didn¡¯t exactly make a secret of it, and I think Thurston said something about coming.¡± ¡°I hardly remember any of that,¡± Liv admitted, slouching back against the cushions and closing her eyes. Outside the carriage windows, the morning was far too bright. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Matthew said. ¡°You¡¯re rather small, Liv, and I didn¡¯t realize how much you¡¯d had to drink until you were well and truly blasted out of your mind. By that point, there was nothing to do but keep an eye on you and stop you from doing anything you¡¯d regret.¡± ¡°I must¡¯ve made a fool of myself,¡± Liv realized. ¡°Not too badly,¡± Matthew told her. ¡°Mostly, you just danced with the other girls a bit.¡± ¡°Nothing I¡¯m going to find out about this morning, and regret?¡± Liv asked him, but Matthew just laughed. The fight club was a dilapidated old warehouse just far enough from the docks to put it out of the way: Liv guessed that the fencing club must have bought it up on the cheap after the previous owners went out of business. It had a nice large yard, which had been surrounded by wooden stands, three levels high, to provide seating for those who were either taking a breather, or who had come to watch. As he wasn¡¯t a member yet, Matthew paid a small admittance fee, then sent the carriage on the way with instructions to come back and pick them up in plenty of time to return to the house for luncheon. ¡°There you two are!¡± Triss Crosbie shouted, bounding across the field to join them. She was wearing a padded fencing doublet, and carried a leather fencing mask in her left hand. ¡°I see my lady has risen from her grave,¡± she teased Liv. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can possibly be both awake so early, and so cheerful, after last night,¡± Liv grumped. ¡°Go take a seat by my father, over there,¡± Triss told her. ¡°I want to see if this brother of yours can actually fight or not.¡± ¡°Prepare to be impressed,¡± Matthew said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m prepared to be disappointed,¡± Triss shot back. ¡°But maybe you¡¯ll surprise me.¡± Liv left them to it, clambering up the stairs toward Baron Arnold Crosbie. ¡°May I sit with you, my lord?¡± she asked him. ¡°After last night, you¡¯re something of the toast of the town,¡± the older man told her. ¡°Of course. Make yourself comfortable. Henry told me you¡¯re all hosting the Eldish ambassadors today.¡± Liv arranged her skirts and settled her staff in the crook of her arm. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°Lady Julianne invited Lord Inkeris. I¡¯m not entirely certain that¡¯s the right form of address for him, however.¡± ¡°It does well enough,¡± Crosbie told her. Together, they watched Triss and Matthew don their leather fencing masks and square off. Liv had gone through enough lessons at Whitehill to recognize they were both beginning in the third guard, which was a fairly common choice. She¡¯d personally always found first and second too tiring to remain in for long. ¡°I feel a bit odd telling you what I know,¡± Baron Arnold continued, as Triss made the first lunge. Matthew met her with a parry and riposte. ¡°You¡¯re half Eldish, if I understand correctly, so I feel like you should be explaining things to me.¡± ¡°This is only the second time I¡¯ve ever met one of the Vakansa,¡± Liv admitted. She wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Triss and Matthew seemed evenly matched: as much as a bone-headed idiot as he was for not putting more effort into his magic, he truly was quite good with a blade. ¡°My understanding is that each family is led by a group of elders,¡± Arnold Crosbie explained. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee he would take his father¡¯s place, but young Inkeris is the eldest surviving son of his family¡¯s head elder. They had to send someone at least that important for the king to agree to this.¡± ¡°He¡¯s here because of what happened, then?¡± Liv asked. ¡°With the blood monsters. I heard they were here, and in Coral Bay, as well.¡± ¡°And at Valegard,¡± Baron Arnold added. ¡°Thomas Falkenrath told us last night they were in Courland, as well. At this point, I think it¡¯s safe to assume they caused trouble basically everywhere in the kingdom. And if the Eld have sent someone south to talk about it, that means they were in the north, as well. It¡¯s too soon for word to have come from Varuna, but House Sherard will be able to tell us what happened in Lendh ka Dakruim.¡± ¡°All over the world,¡± Liv murmured. Below, Triss scored a point on Matthew¡¯s shoulder, and they reset for another pass. ¡°So it seems,¡± Arnold said. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Triss to luncheon at Acton House, to see whether the Eld will tell us all anything in advance. Julianne has well and truly roped us in now, I suppose.¡± ¡°I hope I haven¡¯t caused you any trouble,¡± Liv said. ¡°If you have, you aren¡¯t the one to blame,¡± the baron said. ¡°You can do me a favor, though, if you feel guilty.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Tell me about that boy down there,¡± Arnold said, nodding to the yard below them. As they watched, Matthew got past Triss¡¯ guard, trapped her rapier with his hilt, and threw her to the ground. The swords went flying as they tumbled end over end, until he managed to pin Triss beneath him. Liv sighed. ¡°He¡¯s a good boy,¡± she said, finally. ¡°Magic isn¡¯t his talent, but he minds his parents, and he¡¯s the first one to throw himself in the way of danger. He takes it seriously, you know: that the barons exist to protect people. What happened to his father doesn¡¯t scare him off at all. In fact, I think it drives him to practice harder.¡± ¡°I could find worse, I suppose,¡± Arnold said. ¡°No alliance is truly sealed until it''s done with a marriage. But there¡¯s time yet; they both need to go learn what they can from the mage¡¯s guild.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit surprised Triss would be going to Coral Bay,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t know what her word is, but she keeps telling me it isn¡¯t good for duels, isn¡¯t good for the flower game...¡± ¡°Derk,¡± the baron told her. ¡°To see.¡± He stood up. ¡°Beatrice!¡± he shouted. ¡°Stop playing around. Go ahead and show the boy what you can really do.¡± Triss turned, offered her father a salute with her rapier, and then fell back into a guard opposite Matthew. This time, when they moved together, it was entirely different. Triss seemed to know what Matthew was going to do before he did it, and her blade casually met his time and again, always a step ahead, no matter what trick he attempted. Liv realized, after the third pass, that she was playing with him, and could have ended it whenever she wanted. Finally, she disarmed Matthew entirely and caught him with the tip of her rapier under his chin. ¡°That¡¯s your word, is it?¡± Liv asked. ¡°There it is,¡± Baron Arnold said. ¡°Not much good for shaping flowers, as you say. But we make do.¡± 50. The One Who鈥檚 There ¡°You need to take a bath,¡± Liv complained to Matthew as their carriage returned to Acton House. ¡°In fact, I think your mother should just sell the carriage and buy a new one.¡± Matthew sprawled across the opposite bench, his clothes covered in dirt. His leather fencing mask rattled about on the carriage floor whenever they took a turn, and his left wrist was tightly wrapped in linen bandages. ¡°Blood and Shadows that girl can fight,¡± he exclaimed. ¡°I think I¡¯m in love. Can you cool down these bandages again, Liv? This really hurts.¡± She rolled her eyes, leaned across the carriage, and touched the linens with two fingers. ¡°Celet Co,¡± Liv intoned, allowing only the tiniest sliver of mana to make its way out of her finger. She didn¡¯t know the word for bandages or linens, so she used the singular pronoun for this, and shaped her intent to affect only what she touched. Frost spiderwebbed its way across the surface of the linen wraps, and she immediately withdrew her hand and cut off the flow of mana. ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Matthew moaned, closing his eyes. When the carriage rolled to a stop in the drive, Liv didn¡¯t wait for him. Instead, she opened the door herself and jumped down. ¡°Remember,¡± she called back into the carriage. ¡°Clean yourself up and get changed.¡± Thora was waiting for Liv on her way in, but Liv didn¡¯t let her get a word out. ¡°Before we go upstairs, I need you to show me to the kitchen.¡± ¡°We need to do your hair, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora protested. ¡°After the kitchen. The Eld have very particular needs when it comes to food,¡± Liv explained. ¡°And there¡¯s no one in this house who understands that better than I do.¡± Thora sighed. ¡°This way.¡± A wall of smells hit her as soon as the maid opened the door, and for just a moment Liv could almost believe that she was back at Castle Whitehill, and that when she walked in she¡¯d be able to give her mother a hug, or sing a cooking song with Gretta. But she knew it wasn¡¯t true, so she walked on. ¡°Lady Liv!¡± one of the cooking maids exclaimed, and the cook himself spun around. He was a portly man with a neat mustache and close cropped black hair, wearing a linen apron. ¡°None of you have done anything wrong,¡± Liv said, walking over to the space between the massive hearth and the table. ¡°And I apologize for interrupting, I know you must be very busy preparing lunch. I wanted to say that you¡¯ve all done a wonderful job with my food over the past couple of days, and that I appreciate it, because I know it¡¯s been extra work.¡± ¡°Nonsense, it¡¯s been our privilege,¡± the cook said. ¡°We should apologize that the house wasn¡¯t properly stocked the moment you arrived.¡± ¡°Lady Julianne hadn¡¯t visited in years,¡± Liv said. ¡°There¡¯s no reason it should have been. May I see what you¡¯re preparing for our guests, Master...?¡± ¡°Calvert, m¡¯lady,¡± the cook said. ¡°Come over here, please.¡± Liv came over to the counter and stood by while he showed her dish after dish: some finished and cooling, others still in progress. ¡°To begin with, we have wild Courland hens wrapped in bacon, which is of course sourced from butchered wild boar, both animals hunted in the shoals of a rift. I couldn¡¯t tell you which one, m¡¯lady, my apologies. They aren¡¯t fresh, but preserved in the enchanted cold boxes the guilds use for shipping.¡± ¡°Those will be good,¡± Liv said, nodding. ¡°And these?¡± ¡°Roasted conies, also from shoals. Then we have a platter of nuts and cheese. The cheese is not enriched, sadly, but all the chestnuts, walnuts, and hazelnuts come from forest rifts. For dessert, a variety of berry tarts. The dough is just that, but all the berries are mana-rich.¡± ¡°Excellent. You¡¯ve done a wonderful job,¡± Liv said. ¡°Thank you so much, and I¡¯m sure everyone will be delighted. I¡¯m sorry to have interrupted you.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Calvert said. ¡°The rumor is you know your way around a kitchen, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°I started as a scullion maid,¡± Liv told him, with a grin. ¡°And my mother¡¯s the cook at Castle Whitehill. Maybe I¡¯ll come down and help you out sometime.¡± ¡°If Basil hears about that, he¡¯ll die of scandal,¡± Thora said. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve seen the menu. Come along upstairs now, m¡¯lady, and let me get you fixed up.¡± As Thora had been a good sport about taking her to the kitchen, Liv tried not to give her any more trouble, and even agreed to wear a set of combs in her hair that were set with pearls. Apparently, it had been decided that pearls were her jewel, and silver her metal, by some combination of Lady Julianne and the ladies¡¯ maids. Every time Liv saw her closets, chests, and drawers opened, there appeared more and more dresses, shoes, bracelets and necklaces. If she hadn¡¯t known better quite well, she might have believed her new wardrobe was magic. Finally, she made it downstairs and to the library, where the buzz of conversation greeted Liv out in the hall. ¡°Ah, excellent,¡± Lady Julianne said, coming over to meet her at the door. ¡°Ambassador, Lord Inkeris, please allow me to present Apprentice Liv Brodbeck of the mages¡¯ guild - or Livara, I suppose, now that it¡¯s out in public.¡± Liv recognized the younger of the two Elden men, though Inkeris was no longer wearing armor or carrying that great spear he¡¯d had down on the beach the night before. The older of the two she judged to be the ambassador, and both were wearing similar gray brocade robes. While Keri¡¯s long hair was blonde, the ambassador¡¯s was black, streaked with gray. Liv wondered how old he must be to show such visible signs of age. ¡°You are a welcome sight, again,¡± Keri said, clasping her hand in his own. ¡°I had thought that Ambassador Sakari and his guards would be the only Vakansa here in Freeport. I don¡¯t believe you had a chance to meet the Ambassador after the duel.¡± ¡°I did not,¡± Liv said, extending her hand to the older man. Unlike Keri, he greeted her in the human way, bowing over her hand. ¡°Livara T?r Valtteri Kaen Syv?,¡± Ambassador Sakari said, releasing her. ¡°Forgive me - you look so much like your namesake.¡± ¡°You knew my aunt?¡± Liv asked, suddenly finding herself breathless. ¡°And - my father?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Sakari said. ¡°Or I do, in your father¡¯s case. I can see him in you, also. If you looked differently, more human, there might be some doubt. But the blood of Celris is so clear in your eyes, your hair and face, that there can be no question of your ancestry.¡± ¡°Come, why don¡¯t we all have a seat by the fire,¡± Baron Henry suggested. Liv noticed that Matthew hadn¡¯t arrived yet, and she hoped that meant he¡¯d taken her advice about cleaning up seriously. She found herself seated on one of the benches next to Lady Julianne, facing the two Elden men. ¡°Can you tell me about him?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I only know what my mother has said.¡± ¡°I met him thirty-one years ago,¡± Sakari said, accepting a cup of wine from Archibald. ¡°When he led a delegation on behalf of your family here, to negotiate with the guilds. It wasn¡¯t long after his sister had died, and I could tell that her loss affected him greatly. He did his best to put on a show of good cheer, but when he thought no one was looking there was a great sadness that lingered about him. Loss will do that to a man. We knew that he¡¯d stopped first at Whitehill, and then in Courland, on his way here.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he use the waystones?¡± Keri asked. When Liv turned to look at him, he shrugged. ¡°Thirty years ago I wasn¡¯t an adult yet,¡± he admitted. ¡°I heard about the disaster at the Tomb of Celris, of course: everyone did. But trade negotiations were not the sort of thing I was paying much attention to at the time.¡± ¡°It was an opportunity to build relationships,¡± Sakari answered. ¡°Travelling by land. It meant that he was feasted at every court along the journey, in places where people could not remember the last time one of our people had visited. And I suspect his father also wanted to extend the journey, as a distraction.¡± ¡°He must have loved his sister a great deal,¡± Julianne remarked. ¡°That¡¯s how Mama knew to give me her name,¡± Liv said. ¡°He told her all about it. Well, some at least. She said he was very sad, and that she felt like he needed someone to talk to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t envy you the task of living up to that name,¡± the ambassador admitted. ¡°Inkeris here has built a reputation storming back and forth across the north over the past decade, but she was the kind of talent that comes only once a century, if that.¡± ¡°Has there been fighting in the north?¡± Baron Henry asked. Inkeris frowned. ¡°I will speak about it during the council,¡± he said. ¡°Is my father involved?¡± Liv asked, but before the young man could answer, Matthew burst through the doorway. ¡°My apologies,¡± he said. ¡°I had to get cleaned up after a morning of fencing.¡± ¡°Matthew,¡± Lady Julianne said, in a very even voice that told Liv she was an inch away from giving him a tongue-lashing, ¡°why do you have a black eye?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad,¡± Matthew said, throwing himself down into an empty chair. ¡°But it swelled up a lot since we got back. Triss got me good.¡± ¡°Luncheon is served,¡± Basil called from the doorway, and everyone rose. Julianne took the handles of her husband¡¯s chair, and led the way out of the library and over to the dining room. ¡°That was excellent timing,¡± Liv told the steward as she went by him. Basil¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°All part of my duty, my lady,¡± he said. ? Liv didn¡¯t find a chance to steer the conversation back to whatever Keri had been doing north of Al''Fenthia until dessert. ¡°When do you leave for Coral Bay, Matthew?¡± Ambassador Sakari asked. ¡°After the masque,¡± Lady Julianne answered. ¡°All of the students will go at the same time, using the waystone. But Matthew will be presented to my father first.¡± ¡°Coral Bay is the college of magic?¡± Keri asked, taking a sip of his wine. ¡°Yes. Liv will be going in six years,¡± Julianne said. ¡°So far as our chirurgeons could tell, we¡¯ll consider her an adult at thirty-six years.¡± ¡°That young?¡± Keri looked Liv over. ¡°How old are you right now, then? Thirty?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°How old is one considered an adult among the Vakansa, then?¡± ¡°Seventy-two is the usual number,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°And how old are you, Keri?¡± Liv asked. ¡°One hundred this winter,¡± he answered. ¡°But surely you¡¯ll come north, now?¡± The sound of Julianne¡¯s fork on her desert plate was suddenly quite loud. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°I have - a lot of choices to make, it sounds like. But I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to go north until I know what you¡¯ve been fighting up there.¡± She looked Keri in the eye firmly, determined to hold his gaze until he gave her a straight answer. ¡°I think that¡¯s only fair,¡± Matthew said. ¡°If there¡¯s some sort of war going on, she¡¯d be putting herself in danger.¡± ¡°Not a war,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°Merely a small bit of trouble.¡± ¡°If it isn¡¯t important, then it shouldn''t be a problem to tell me,¡± Liv insisted. Keri sighed and set his wine down on the table. ¡°I¡¯ve been hunting a cult dedicated to the worship of Ractia, V?dic Lady of Blood,¡± he said. ¡°Sometimes known as the Great Mother. At first we thought it was just a few worshippers, but now I¡¯ve smoked out cells all across the north.¡± Liv¡¯s throat was suddenly very dry, and she reached for her wine. She did her best not to think of a wild-haired woman at a window, holding a white statue in her hand. ¡°Does this have anything to do with these monsters cropping up everywhere?¡± Matthew asked. ¡°I believe that it does,¡± Keri said. ¡°On the day it happened, I was leading a raid. They must have been making sacrifices before the altar, because there was blood everywhere once we got inside. It all rose up, at once, and began lashing out at my men. I lost three good warriors that day.¡± ¡°It was like that in Whitehill, too,¡± Liv broke in. ¡°Not the sacrifices, or anything, but - we fought one at an inn, when the innkeeper cut himself. And then there was one out in the fields that I had to fight, as well.¡± ¡°Then you know how dangerous these things can be,¡± Keri said, leaning forward. ¡°I believe this is all connected. It can¡¯t be a coincidence, that this cult is active at the same time monstrosities of blood begin wreaking havoc all across the east. We don¡¯t have word from Varuna yet, but I expect the council will have news from Lendh ka Dakruim. We need to work together to find out what caused this, and whether it¡¯s actually over, or if it will get worse.¡± ¡°House Sherard controls the trade out of Lendh ka Dakruim,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Which means they control the information, as well.¡± ¡°The queen controls it,¡± Henry said. ¡°Might as well say it out loud.¡± ¡°Surely they¡¯ll agree this is important,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Won¡¯t they?¡± ¡°They care about the succession,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Which means they¡¯re more focused on the threat they believe me to be than anything else. It was my father who called the great council, not her.¡± ¡°Which brings us to another point,¡± Keri said, pointing at Liv. ¡°She is far too wrapped up in a human succession. It¡¯s already risked her life once.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sitting right here,¡± Liv snapped at him. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent word to your father, Livara,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°I expect him within a few days. He will use the waystones, and come as fast as he can.¡± ¡°My father¡¯s coming here?¡± Liv had a hard time breathing. She wasn¡¯t ready for this. Would he want her? Would he be angry that she¡¯d been kept a secret from him? Maybe she looked too much like his dead sister, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear being around her. ¡°Of course Liv should meet her father,¡± Julianne said. ¡°But she¡¯s grown up at Whitehill. Her mother is there. You can¡¯t expect her to instantly go running off north the moment he appears in her life.¡± ¡°You believe it would be more appropriate for you and your husband to adopt her?¡± Ambassador Sakari asked. ¡°And after she goes to Coral Bay, I suppose that she can marry the Talbot boy who¡¯s been sniffing around her? I have my sources of information, don¡¯t look so surprised, Lady Julianne.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not marrying anyone,¡± Liv said, but they all kept right on talking over her. ¡°Coral Bay is the best place for her to learn to use her magic,¡± Julianne argued. ¡°Archmagus Loredan is there.¡± ¡°Our people have forgotten more about magic than your mages¡¯ guild has ever known,¡± Keri shot back. ¡°It isn¡¯t safe for her to be here. Have you had mana-sickness yet, Livara?¡± Everyone turned toward her, and Liv froze. After a moment, she nodded. ¡°There it is,¡± Keri said. ¡°And the chirurgeons carved it out of your flesh, didn¡¯t they? You need to let us teach you starting immediately, before they hurt you any worse than they already have.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t your decision to make,¡± Julianne hissed. ¡°She¡¯s still a child.¡± ¡°Who makes her decisions then? You?¡± The ambassador snapped. ¡°I notice those adoption papers haven¡¯t been signed and returned yet.¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Liv shouted, shoving her chair back and standing up. ¡°Just stop, all of you. Do any of you even care to hear what I want?¡± She looked up and down the table, and felt tears welling in her eyes. This wasn¡¯t how anything was supposed to be. Her father was coming. This should have been happy, instead of - whatever was happening. ¡°You clearly don¡¯t need me here,¡± Liv said. ¡°So I¡¯ll leave you to it. I suppose you can tell me what you¡¯ve all decided when you¡¯re finished.¡± She walked over to the wall, snatched up her staff, and stormed out of the room. ¡°Liv!¡± Lady Julianne called after her. ¡°We just want what¡¯s best for you!¡± Without answering, Liv rushed out into the back garden, then down the stairs toward the sea. When she got down to the beach, she paced back and forth for a moment, feeling that she might explode - like lightning against ice. Finally, she just screamed, as loud and long as she could, and then sat down on the dunes. ¡°Liv?¡± She jumped when she heard the voice, and turned to see Cade Talbot hurrying up the shore. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She sat there on the sand, trembling, and didn¡¯t object when he put an arm around her. Mama wasn¡¯t there, and Gretta wasn¡¯t there. Not even Emma, or a castle mouser to scoop up and squeeze, and Liv needed someone. ¡°I just,¡± she gasped, wiping at her eyes with her hands. ¡°None of them will listen to me, not a single one. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t care what I want at all.¡± Finally, Liv gave up and let the tears come. She wrapped her arms around Cade, and cried into his shoulder. He may not have been her mother, but at least he was here when she needed him. 51. Decisions It ended up being Matthew who came down to find Liv, and by that point she¡¯d cried herself out. ¡°Thought you might be down here,¡± he said, clomping on down the last few stone steps. Liv scooted to one side, putting some distance and open sand between her and Cade. She glanced over and noticed that his shirt was obviously wet and wrinkled where she¡¯d been crying. Matthew didn¡¯t look happy, and Liv didn¡¯t know if that was because of the scene back up at Acton House, or because he¡¯d found her with Cade. ¡°Are they still arguing?¡± Liv asked. Matthew shook his head. ¡°They settled down after you told everyone off. I think you embarrassed them. I might have said a few words, too,¡± he admitted. ¡°Got to look after my sister, don¡¯t I?¡± He shot a glance at Cade when he said that. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m going to sign the paper,¡± Liv said. ¡°Rust the papers,¡± Matthew exclaimed. ¡°I don¡¯t care what they say. You¡¯ve been a big sister to me my entire life, and as far as I¡¯m concerned that isn¡¯t going to change. Even if you are smaller than me, now.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said, and couldn¡¯t help but sniffle a little bit. ¡°I should go back up.¡± ¡°Do you want me to come with you?¡± Cade offered. ¡°I suppose you just happened to be down here,¡± Matthew said. ¡°If you¡¯re asking whether I was hoping to catch Liv, yes I was,¡± Cade said. ¡°And then I heard her scream, so I came running. Is there something wrong with that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you two start fighting now,¡± Liv said. ¡°Give me a hand up, Matthew.¡± She reached out, and he yanked her to her feet. Liv cast about for her staff, and realized that she¡¯d left it next to the stone steps. That was stupid of her. She needed to be more careful. Cade turned to walk away, but she reached out and grabbed his hand to stop him. ¡°Wait,¡± Liv said. ¡°Come up with us. If I¡¯m going to sort through everything, that means making a decision about you, also.¡± They found Baron Henry, Lady Julianne, and the two Elden men in the library, talking quietly. Liv paused in the doorway, but having Matthew and Cade to either side of her at least made it feel like she wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Liv,¡± Julianne said, ¡°I apologize. We shouldn¡¯t have acted like that - at the very least we shouldn¡¯t have let you see us arguing.¡± The ambassador nudged Keri, the younger of the Eld, with his elbow. ¡°We also owe you an apology,¡± he said, as if at a signal. ¡°I am not a diplomat; I¡¯ve spent years fighting. That doesn¡¯t excuse how I¡¯ve behaved, but perhaps it explains why I don¡¯t back down easily.¡± Liv looked around. ¡°My staff?¡± she asked. ¡°Here.¡± Baron Henry motioned to the hearth, and she saw the length of ashwood leaning against the stone. Liv walked over, took it in her hand, and then chose a chair only large enough to seat a single person, rather than a bench. ¡°First of all, I am going to meet my father if he comes,¡± Liv said, gathering her thoughts. ¡°I won¡¯t make a decision about whether to go north or not until after that. Now, I¡¯ve always planned on going to college at Coral Bay.¡± She turned in her seat to address the Eld, ¡°You say there are things I can¡¯t learn there, that I can only be taught by our people. But are there things I can only learn from the mages¡¯ guild?¡± ¡°Aluth,¡± Julianne spoke up. ¡°If you choose to stay with the guild, as an adult, they will help you to imprint Aluth. And if you impress the professors - particularly Master Jurian - there¡¯s a second word of power, as well.¡± ¡°I remember he taught it to Master Grenfell,¡± Liv said. ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± ¡°Cei,¡± Lady Julianne answered. ¡°To Dream?¡± Keri said, leaning forward, with a frown. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware anyone knew how to use that.¡± ¡°It is a recent development,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°A team including Court Mage Arundell brought it back from Godsgrave twenty-five years ago. Aluth, we could find you a teacher for,¡± he decided, after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°But not Cei. That is something no one has shared with us.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Liv said, making up her mind. ¡°A few years at college isn¡¯t very long, especially for me. And I¡¯d been planning on going anyway. I¡¯d like to see Master Jurian again, and I can learn a word there I can¡¯t find anywhere else, apparently. I¡¯m going to be doing that. I¡¯ve also agreed to visit Al''Fenthia and spend a bit of time with Airis Ka Reimis Kaen Keria, once I¡¯m done with college. What happens before I leave, and after Al¡¯Fenthia, that I won¡¯t decide until I meet my father.¡± ¡°Airis knew about you, and didn¡¯t tell me?¡± Sakari frowned. ¡°I¡¯m going to have words with him. Very well, he can teach how not to kill yourself with mana-sickness, if your father doesn¡¯t do it first.¡± Liv nodded. ¡°I presume there¡¯s going to be a vote on what to do about the cults up north,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable guess to make,¡± Henry said. ¡°Unfortunately, after what happened at Godsgrave, there¡¯s a lot of families who think we shouldn¡¯t get involved in fights outside of the kingdom¡¯s borders. Too many promising young nobles and mages lost to rifts in Varuna.¡± ¡°Then,¡± Liv said, ¡°Here is my proposal. I won¡¯t make a decision on adoption until I¡¯ve spoken to both my mother and my father. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to them.¡± Baron Henry and Lady Julianne nodded, accepting her decision. She turned to Cade. ¡°Does that change your plans?¡± she asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to court me anymore, no one here would hold it against you.¡± A snort from Matthew put the lie to that, but Liv could deal with him later. Cade only thought about his answer for a moment. ¡°My father¡¯s already been sold on the idea once; if you¡¯re going to be recognized as the daughter of an Eldish house, that¡¯s as good as the adoption so far as he is concerned. I may have to argue with him for a bit, but I can handle that. As far as what I want?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t change anything. I¡¯ve told you already, it isn¡¯t merely political. I like spending time with you, Liv. I said I wanted to spend more time with you, and I do.¡± ¡°Three votes,¡± Liv said, before she could think better of it. ¡°Three votes from your father, if you want to court me. The two for Lady Julianne, and one for the Eld. And courting isn¡¯t a guarantee. If you still want to ask for my hand after we¡¯re both done at Coral Bay, you can ask, and I¡¯ll decide then.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Keri said. ¡°Agreed,¡± Cade broke in, shooting the Elden man a hard look. ¡°I agree to your conditions. Three votes. We can make it public by attending the masque together.¡± Ambassador Sakari sighed. ¡°Matches between human and Eld rarely end well,¡± he pointed out. ¡°You are going to live a great deal longer than Master Talbot will.¡± ¡°And if I married an Elden man, he¡¯d live longer than me, wouldn¡¯t he?¡± Liv asked. ¡°It¡¯s a bit more complicated than that,¡± Keri grumbled. ¡°For one thing, we don¡¯t promise to remain together for life. It¡¯s a ridiculous idea when ¡®for life¡¯ is measured in centuries. We also aren¡¯t necessarily exclusive in the way humans are. But you¡¯re actually likely to last even longer than the average Vakansa.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°That is a conversation that should be more private,¡± Sakari pointed out. ¡°Alright,¡± Liv said, rising and lifting her staff in her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk, then, just the three of us.¡± ¡°I need to go and speak to my father, anyway,¡± Cade said, rising. ¡°It may take a bit of shouting back and forth, but I¡¯ll bring him around. I¡¯ll bid you good afternoon, then, Liv.¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Lord Talbot,¡± Liv said, and extended her hand to him. His dark eyes lingered on hers when he bent and kissed her knuckles. She was fairly certain that the touch lasted longer than it ever had before, and she felt her cheeks and ears getting hot, but when it was over he turned and left. Liv curtsied to Baron Henry and Lady Julianne, then led the two Elden men out to the garden. There, she found a stone bench beneath a trellis of roses, though they were no longer in bloom with winter coming. ¡°We¡¯re alone now,¡± Liv said. ¡°Everything my chirurgeons have found seems to support the idea that I age at about half the speed of a human. If you know something different, let me have it, please.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t speak much about it to humans,¡± Ambassador Sakari began. ¡°But there are actually two distinct groups of Vakansa.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± Keri broke in. ¡°It is, but leave it be for now,¡± the ambassador said. ¡°Like humans, we were created - or at least changed to suit - our V?dic masters. They often designed us to suit their tastes - which is why your hair is white, Liv. Celris¡¯ sense of aesthetics leaned toward the snow-capped mountains and open blue sky, and he wanted his slaves to complement their environment. Most of our houses descend from a particular group of slaves, who were in service to a particular V?dic lord or lady. And for us, it hasn¡¯t been nearly so many generations as for the humans.¡± ¡°The issue is this,¡± Keri said. ¡°Some houses carry actual V?dic blood.¡± ¡°Like Miriam,¡± Liv broke in. ¡°Exactly,¡± Ambassador Sakari agreed. ¡°Except that there¡¯ve been so many generations, now, that even humans descended from her don¡¯t have enough V?dic heritage to matter. That isn¡¯t the case among the Vakansa. Your grandfather, Auris Ka Syv?, is the son of Celris.¡± ¡°Is?¡± Liv asked. ¡°But the old gods died a thousand years ago. I thought even the Eld weren¡¯t that old.¡± ¡°Those like me, with no V?dic heritage, no,¡± Sakari told her.¡±I¡¯m likely to reach my fourth century, but not much past that - though even that statement isn¡¯t entirely true. Think of it as a base, before we involve magic. Keri here, on the other hand, is partially descended from one of the V?dim.¡± ¡°B?lris, V?dic Lord of Light,¡± Keri told her. ¡°And my aging has already slowed, even relative to other Vakansa. Call it another thirty or forty years, perhaps. And you¡¯ll get something similar. By the time you¡¯re leaving Coral Bay, you might begin to notice it.¡± ¡°You said magic could change things?¡± Liv asked, numbers swirling in her head. ¡°Certainly.¡± Ambassador Sakari nodded. ¡°Look at Archmagus Loredan. He¡¯s not that much younger than his brother, but King Roland is practically on his deathbed while Caspian shows no signs of slowing down. Everyone expects him to run that college for decades yet. Most humans never learn enough to pull it off, but once you¡¯re able to properly channel mana through your body, Liv, that will slow your aging as well. And there¡¯s no reason you won¡¯t learn it: after all, you¡¯ll have plenty of time.¡± ¡°So what can I actually expect?¡± Liv asked. ¡°A hundred and fifty years? Two hundred?¡± ¡°Well over two hundred, I should think,¡± Sakari said. ¡°Though it''s hard to say.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say you do marry that boy in ten years,¡± Keri said. ¡°You have a few children, maybe you¡¯re even happy for a while. And then he starts to get old. It won¡¯t even take very long - by fifty or sixty, everyone who meets you will think you¡¯re his daughter, not his wife. And you¡¯ll look like his daughter when you¡¯re standing over his grave, listening to the priest. Perhaps you can even take burying him, but what about burying your children? Your grandchildren?¡± ¡°Airis told me some of this,¡± Liv said, after thinking for a moment. ¡°Why our people call humans fireflies. It didn¡¯t feel quite real to me at the time - though I think I¡¯m starting to understand. My friend, Emma? She was a little girl, younger than me. We used to play with dolls together. Now she¡¯s found a boy and they¡¯re getting married this flood season, while I¡¯m not allowed to leave for college yet. Cade looks like the same age as me, but he isn¡¯t. Everyone is either older or young in some strange way, and I don¡¯t fit anywhere.¡± She took a deep breath, and let it out. ¡°Courting isn¡¯t wed. I¡¯ve got you a vote, and I¡¯ll see about getting you the rest of Lady Julianne¡¯s block. I hope you¡¯ll remember that when you hear what I have to tell you.¡± The ambassador and Keri shared a glance, and Liv told them the story of the woman who¡¯d come to Castle Whitehill, eighteen years before, and stolen an idol. By the time she was finished, both men were leaning forward, listening intently. ¡°You¡¯re certain it was an idol of Ractia?¡± Sakari asked. ¡°Of course it was,¡± Keri said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough of them, and they match the description. And only fools believe in coincidence. And that woman, Wren - you said she turned into a bat?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Yes. But it wasn¡¯t instant - it was like there was something else, first. Like she collapsed into blood, and then that took a new shape.¡± ¡°The Great Bats,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°The children of Ractia. It has to be. But I thought they were all killed in the war.¡± ¡°A lot of things survived that we don¡¯t like to talk about,¡± Keri said. ¡°And we left Varuna to its own devices for a thousand years. I hear there¡¯s even a wyrm that¡¯s been sighted, and you know how much work was put into hunting those things down.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t evil, though,¡± Liv said. ¡°She was kind, and she saved my life.¡± ¡°Not even all the V?dim were what we might call evil,¡± the ambassador pointed out. ¡°The trinity sided with us, while B?lris simply left. But Ractia¡¯s children would have a hard time living beside any other people, due to the nature of their magic.¡± ¡°I assumed they had a word of power that manipulates blood,¡± Liv said. Keri shook his head. ¡°No. The Great Bats had a different kind of blood magic,¡± he explained. ¡°They were created during the war, to be soldiers, like Antris¡¯ machine soldiers and Iravata¡¯s wyrms. Instead of using mana, the Ractians fed on blood, and drew power from it.¡± ¡°Fed on?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Drank,¡± Sakari clarified. ¡°They needed it to change shapes. At first they were designed to be scouts and skirmishers. They could track their prey in the darkest night, and drop down in a great flock, taking their human forms before anyone knew what was happening. While Antris¡¯ mechanical horrors held the front lines, the Great Bats would raid supplies, assassinate commanders, harry retreating troops.¡± ¡°But as they started to lose,¡± Keri said, ¡°Ractia enhanced them. Made them more fearsome in battle. Her first experiment was Ghveris, the Beast of Iuronnath.¡± Liv shivered: Gretta had told her a few stories about the man-eating wolf monster. ¡°Thankfully, he died a long time ago,¡± she said. ¡°But the rest of them can do that, also?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really know,¡± the ambassador admitted. ¡°It was toward the end of the war, and both sides were getting desperate. If she¡¯d been able to snap her fingers and make a thousand of those, they might have won. But this is an important thing to know, Liv. Thank you for telling us.¡± ¡°Do you see why I think this boy is a bad idea, at least?¡± Keri asked her. ¡°I do,¡± Liv said. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure I understand why you care so much.¡± The younger Eld turned away, looking about the garden. ¡°You¡¯re important, Liv,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how yet. But I saw you, years ago, in a vision. Don¡¯t ask me about it,¡± he interrupted before she could open her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s a sacred thing. Your mother should be the one to explain it to you.¡± ¡°My mother is human,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°Yes, and your aunt is dead,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°Your father will decide what to do, but I suspect he will direct you to your grandmother.¡± ¡°Another thing to speak with him about when he arrives,¡± Liv said. She tried to keep her voice calm and not show how much her belly roiled at the thought of finally meeting him. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m a bit exhausted.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Keri turned back to her, reached into his robes, and extended his hand, with a necklace resting in his open palm. It was made of gold, set with a mana-stone, and on it were inscribed V?dic sigils. ¡°We would like you to wear this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Liv asked. ¡°A single use, triggered enchantment,¡± Sakari explained. ¡°Prepared by Inkeris. It will send up a signal if you are wounded, so that we can find you.¡± ¡°My maid is going to have a fit,¡± Liv said, before she accepted it. ¡°Gold hasn¡¯t really been my color.¡± It took a minute of fiddling to get the clasp open, but she needed Keri¡¯s help to close it again at the back of her neck. ¡°Good,¡± Sakari said. ¡°I¡¯d like to do more, but there¡¯s only so much we can protect you, unless you come and stay with us at the embassy - which I assume you do not wish to do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, no,¡± Liv confirmed. ¡°You¡¯ll send someone when my father arrives?¡± Keri laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know the man, but I have a feeling we won¡¯t be able to stop him from coming as soon as he arrives in the city. You¡¯re the daughter he never knew he had.¡± 52. Ice Sphere ¡°How long will it take?¡± Liv asked. ¡°For the message to reach him, I mean. And then to get here.¡± ¡°Kelthelis is not an easy place to travel to,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°It is the furthest north of all our holdings, past any place that trees grow, and the waystone that once served the Tomb of Celris lies deep within the shoals, almost at the depths of the rift. Your family sometimes uses it to travel out, but no one would risk arriving that way unless they came in force. We sent a message to Mountain Home, and they will need to travel on foot from there.¡± ¡°And the snows often come early that far north,¡± Keri said. ¡°Even at Mountain Home. Your family¡¯s lands are worse.¡± ¡°Not today, then,¡± Liv decided. ¡°And likely not even tomorrow.¡± ¡°That seems a reasonable guess to make,¡± Sakari agreed. ¡°And now, I suspect we have kept you here for long enough. Tomorrow will be a very busy day, Livara, so I recommend you take a bit of time now, while you can. The council will meet during the day, which Keri and I must prepare for. At the very least, we will see you at the masque that evening.¡± ¡°Thank you for answering my questions,¡± Liv said. ¡°And the necklace.¡± She reached up to touch a finger to the small mana-stone set in gold. ¡°Of course,¡± Keri said. ¡°My apologies, again, for before. I believe we can find our way back to the house, if you want a moment alone.¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± Liv said. Both men inclined their heads, then turned and made their way back through the garden. She ran her hand over the rough stone of the bench. Lady Julianne and Thora would see that she had something to wear to the masque at the palace; she probably didn¡¯t need to worry about that. Instead, Liv found that she had questions for Master Grenfell. Having come to a decision, she took up her staff, walked back to the house, and headed up to the second floor, where she knocked on the door to his chambers. If her teacher was surprised to see her there, he didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Oh, good,¡± Kazimir Grenfell said. ¡°I thought I would only get in the way at luncheon today, but there were a few things I wanted to speak to you about. Come in, Liv.¡± She saw that his rooms were somewhat smaller than hers, but still included a sitting room with a desk and a few chairs. ¡°I had something to ask you about, as well,¡± she said. She almost took a seat on a cushioned bench, then thought better of it: her skirts were shedding sand everywhere already. ¡°Something that will take a bit of talking?¡± Grenfell asked, and Liv nodded. ¡°Let me go first, then. While the great council meets tomorrow, the mages¡¯ guild will gather, as well. There¡¯s rarely so many of us in one place, so we¡¯re going to take advantage of it. I¡¯d like you to come with me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Good. Your turn, then,¡± the older man said. ¡°I liked having that spell prepared,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve been taken by surprise too many times. During the eruption, of course, and then when that first blood monster appeared. Even a few drunks at an inn could have really hurt me. I think I want to have something like that set all the time.¡± ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Grenfell agreed. ¡°Many members of the guild do something similar with Aluth - in fact, if I could teach you the word now, I¡¯d tell you to use that instead of Cel. It¡¯s better suited because a shield of mana doesn¡¯t take time to form.¡± ¡°Something for after Coral Bay, then,¡± Liv said. ¡°I want to change the shape, though. That intent, the rose, it worked well for a duel because it let me do several things at once. But without knowing where I¡¯d be when I needed a shield, or what I¡¯m going to need, it¡¯s too much. I want something simpler. And I need a trigger that I don¡¯t have to put so much work into avoiding. I can¡¯t be remembering to hold my staff up all the time.¡± Grenfell nodded, walked over to his desk, and opened his spellbook. ¡°I believe the most common spell structure will suit your needs here,¡± he explained. ¡°There¡¯s a reason so many of us use it. Take a look.¡± ¡°Aluth¨¥v¨­ ais¡¯veh Orvis ther? Mae,¡± Liv read aloud. ¡°Future tense, sped up with veh. Orvis is what, a sphere? I¡¯ve seen that before. To surround the caster.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°You¡¯re going to be so far ahead of anyone else at college,¡± he remarked. ¡°I hope Jurian has them ready for you. Usually, we anchor it to our rings. See the second part?¡± ¡°Cwo Treth¨­ ?''Hrin,¡± Liv read aloud. ¡°When I turn this ring. Why do we always use something like mana-stone, or a staff?¡± ¡°If you were in a shoal, you wouldn¡¯t need to,¡± Grenfell said. Here, copy that down while we¡¯re talking.¡± He handed her a piece of parchment and a quill, then uncorked a bottle of ink and got out of her way. ¡°The mana-structure fades too quickly, otherwise. Think about it like this: if you pour out a cup of water on a table, does the water keep its form very long?¡± Liv shook her head, writing out the incantation carefully. She substituted Cel¨¥v¨­ at the beginning of the spell, however. ¡°No, because there¡¯s nothing to keep it contained,¡± she said. ¡°So it is with mana,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Or close enough that it is a useful image to learn from. In a shoal, there is enough ambient mana in the world around us that it won¡¯t disperse quickly. But here, where there is so little, the mana wants to fill an absence. Without an anchor, you have to use it immediately when it leaves your body. But something designed to accept mana, like your staff, a guild ring, or even that necklace you¡¯re wearing, can hold it for longer. Without an actual sigil, however, you won¡¯t get more than a day or two out of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Liv said. ¡°I can renew the spell each morning when I wake.¡± She set aside the loaned quill, capped the ink bottle, and blew on the parchment gently to dry what she¡¯d written. ¡°I¡¯ll take this back to my room and get it copied over,¡± she said. ¡°But before I go. Lady Julianne mentioned a second word the guild could teach.¡± ¡°Cei,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Jurian taught me.¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± Liv asked, turning away from the desk. ¡°It allows the caster to control dreams,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Our own or, in theory, the dreams of others. I¡¯ve spent many nights experimenting with it. Unlike Aluth, we only have a few decades of research, which is why we don¡¯t yet share it with every apprentice who comes through Coral Bay. Finding the limits of a new word of power can be dangerous work.¡± Liv frowned. ¡°So what, you can decide what you dream about? It sounds nice,¡± she said, ¡°but not very powerful. I wouldn¡¯t mind dreaming of home tonight.¡± ¡°You are underestimating the word¡¯s power,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Consider this. You know more about how the princess¡¯ spells work, now that you¡¯ve fought her yourself, don¡¯t you?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°What if you could spend this evening replaying the duel over and over in your dreams?¡± her teacher asked. ¡°Changing something each time. Rather than theorizing over how you might face her, you could test a dozen tactics and find the flaws. It¡¯s limited by your own knowledge, of course. Until you know at least a bit about how a word works, that particular technique is not effective. Or, with matching enchantments, what if we could link dreams from across the kingdom? Two separated lovers could meet every evening in their dreams - or a spy and their master. Could we send nightmares, from a distance, to destroy the confidence of our enemies?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I guess I¡¯m used to thinking about physical things,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°All of that, though - you¡¯re right. It sounds worth learning. I¡¯m going to go get cleaned up,¡± she said, motioning to her sandy skirts, ¡°and try out this spell. Thank you.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Grenfell said, bidding her goodbye with a casual wave. ¡°Tomorrow, after breakfast. We¡¯ll take a carriage.¡± Liv nodded, and headed off to her own rooms. There, Thora helped her change. ¡°You¡¯ve got an invitation,¡± the maid told her. ¡°From Baron Kenric Talbot. Dinner before the masque, tomorrow.¡± ¡°That will be Cade¡¯s father,¡± Liv said. ¡°They want you to come over and then take a carriage with them to the palace,¡± Thora explained, gathering up the dirty clothing. ¡°I¡¯d go with you, to help you change.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like my father is likely to have arrived by then,¡± Liv said, considering. ¡°I¡¯ll write a response, and you can bring it down to be sent over. We¡¯ll go, but I¡¯ll tell them that if my father arrives between now and then, that will change.¡± Once she¡¯d sent Thora off with the message, Liv copied the modified incantation she¡¯d gotten from Master Grenfell into her spellbook, under the heading ¡®Ice Sphere,¡¯ and then made an experiment of it. ¡°Cel¨¥v¨­ ais¡¯veh Orvis ther? Mae Cwo Treth¨­ ?''Hrin,¡± she sang, letting the sounds vibrate up through her body, and her intent shape the mana, and taking the measure of how much the casting depleted her mana reserves. ¡°About four rings, using the staff,¡± Liv decided, and wrote that down, as well. She almost twisted the ring on her finger right then and there, but decided she wouldn¡¯t make poor Thora clean the floor of a mass of melting ice, and went down to the beach again instead. Standing on the last stone step above the dunes, so that she wouldn¡¯t need to change her skirts again, Liv made the experiment. When she turned the ring, the spell released, rapidly building a protective sphere of solid ice around her. Inside, Liv grinned. The ice was nearly white, so she couldn¡¯t see out of it, but it would protect her. The only drawback was that the temperature inside the globe rapidly cooled, and her breath was already frosting. After a moment of checking the structure over, Liv tapped it with her staff and realized the second problem. ¡°No petals to open, and I don¡¯t have a way to melt it,¡± she complained, with a sigh. Liv would need to do some thinking and check over a few words to create a way to open the sphere when she needed to. In the meanwhile, she could try hitting it with her staff, but she didn¡¯t want to risk breaking a bone. Instead, she wasted more mana by blasting a hole out through the ice with her Frozen Shards spell, and more mana again by recasting the defensive spell on her ring. By the time she headed back up the stairs to the house, she left behind a wreck of ice on the beach. ? Dinner that evening was quiet - at least compared to luncheon. Lady Julianne must have decided the Eld had been enough guests for one day, so it was just the family, Liv, Master Grenfell and Mistress Trafford. ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll be at the council from just after breakfast until dinner,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll get much done on the first day. That evening, we will all go to the masque at the palace. With practically the entire aristocracy in one place, everyone of courting age will be hunting for a husband or wife.¡± ¡°And Matthew, you¡¯ll be presented to my father,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I¡¯m not certain yet whether it will be public or private, and which way it ends up will tell us a good deal about how much he¡¯s willing or able to protect you. The morning after, the mages¡¯ guild will begin taking groups of new students to Coral Bay from the waystone, so you¡¯ll want to be up early and packed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told Liv already,¡± Grenfell broke in, ¡°But she and I will spend most of tomorrow with the guild.¡± ¡°I need to be back in time to go to dinner with the Talbots,¡± Liv warned him. ¡°We¡¯re going to take a carriage from there to the masque, and I¡¯ll need Thora to come with me.¡± ¡°Maybe I should go with you, as well,¡± Matthew offered. ¡°No, you¡¯re with me,¡± his father ordered. ¡°As my heir, you¡¯re permitted to sit in and listen. And we¡¯ve made the argument that I need your mother there to care for me, so it will be all three of us. The only time that being a cripple has actually come in useful.¡± ¡°It sounds like you all have a busy day ahead of you,¡± Mistress Trafford remarked. ¡°I¡¯m going to take advantage of the quiet and buy herbs in the market. There¡¯s things I can¡¯t get up in Whitehill, so I¡¯m going to stock up while we¡¯re here.¡± After dinner, Liv was sitting in her rooms, eyes closed while Thora brushed her hair out when a knock came at her door. ¡°Come in,¡± she called. It was relaxing, and made her drowsy, but she opened her eyes enough to watch Lady Julianne come in. ¡°May I speak to you for a moment?¡± the baron¡¯s wife asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Liv said. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll finish that.¡± Julianne took the hairbrush from Thora, who curtsied and left the room. ¡°I wanted to apologize,¡± the baron¡¯s wife said after a moment, and moved around to sit behind Liv in the chair Thora had vacated. Liv couldn¡¯t see her, so she let her eyes close again. ¡°And to explain a little, if I can.¡± ¡°I should apologize, too,¡± Liv murmured. ¡°I lost my temper over luncheon, and I shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really remember my mother,¡± Julianne said. ¡°And my step-mother was always horrid. I promised myself that I would never treat my children like she treated me. And whatever you decide, Liv, I do think of you as part of the family. I want you to know that. I suppose it''s just - you were a child for so long, I got to thinking like you always would be, in a way. But you are growing up now, and I guess I wasn¡¯t ready for it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always known you were trying to protect me,¡± Liv said. ¡°From when you spoke up against Alban Cooper. You remember? So I¡¯m not angry at that so much, but - I need to figure out what my life is going to be. What I want.¡± For a moment, there was no sound but the brush moving through her hair in slow, careful strokes. ¡°What do you want?¡± Julianne asked her. ¡°I want to meet my father,¡± Liv said, without hesitation. ¡°I want to learn more about where that side of me comes from. I want to see the north - not tomorrow, maybe, but eventually.¡± ¡°How about this boy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°In almost every way, he¡¯s been nothing but nice. But then there¡¯s this thing about his family, and wanting Elden blood for his children. It would be nice to just believe that he likes me. But if there was some other girl who could give him the children he wants, would he be just as happy with her? It¡¯s not as if he really knows me very well. He can¡¯t, in what, four or five days?¡± ¡°He¡¯s his father¡¯s only son,¡± Julianne said, after a moment. ¡°However much he might want to, he can¡¯t separate his personal feelings from what¡¯s best for his family. And honestly, Liv, you can¡¯t expect him to. It wouldn¡¯t be fair. I know the type - his father has put the weight of their entire legacy on his shoulders for as long as he can remember. And he¡¯s still so young.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that, too,¡± Liv said. ¡°Fourteen. He¡¯d be two years ahead of me at Coral Bay, but at least we¡¯d be there at the same time for a while. That¡¯s something. If I can¡¯t go with Matthew, I¡¯d like to have someone I know there.¡± ¡°Do you want my advice?¡± Lady Julianne asked. Liv was a bit surprised that she was asking, instead of just speaking her mind right off. ¡°Please. You grew up with all this; I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Politically, he¡¯s a good match if you want to settle in Lucania,¡± Julianne said. ¡°You¡¯d be in a different duchy, but you¡¯re not likely to do better than a baron. Bradon Bridge is a nice town, I¡¯ve been there once or twice. There¡¯s a pretty river through the hills, and farms much like you¡¯re familiar with. It¡¯s the lowlands, of course, not the mountains, but that means it will be warmer, if a bit damp.¡± ¡°But,¡± Liv urged her. ¡°But to some extent, our guests were right,¡± Julianne admitted. ¡°You¡¯ll survive him, and still be young. If you do want to go north, that may work out. Live a life in Lucania, and then one in the north. But the most important thing is this, Liv,¡± she said. ¡°You need to actually like him. It doesn¡¯t need to start like love from a song, but if you don¡¯t at least enjoy spending time with him, you¡¯re going to be miserable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the courting is for, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv said. ¡°To figure that out. And in the meanwhile, I¡¯ve got you another set of votes. If I have to pay for that by sitting down to dinner with a boy I don¡¯t end up liking, or dancing with him a few times, there are worse things in the world.¡± With a soft click of wood on wood, Julianne set the hairbrush down on Liv¡¯s desk, and came around to stand in front of her. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t let yourself get trapped,¡± she warned. ¡°You can visit each other¡¯s houses, and even appear in public together, alone. But do not let yourself be caught unchaperoned in private. That kind of scandal can force a marriage.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Liv said, standing up. ¡°Thank you.¡± On impulse, she wrapped her arms around the older woman. For a moment, Lady Julianne didn¡¯t seem to know what to do, and then she relaxed and held Liv close in return. 53. The Conclave On the morning of her fifth day in the capitol, Liv recast her new spell while Thora was laying out her dress. The feeling of her intent settling into the mana-stone brought a smile to her lips, though she still wanted to figure out a way to adjust the form of the spell so that she could open it easily. That, however, was a problem for another day. ¡°We¡¯re off the colors, then?¡± Liv asked Thora. One of the gray dresses that she¡¯d brought from Whitehill waited for her. ¡°Lady Julianne - through Sophie - let me know that it would go over better for your meeting with the mages¡¯ guild,¡± Thora explained. ¡°Something about apprentices fading into the background. Your dress for the masque will be delivered to Witley House, and your young man¡¯s servants will keep it for us there.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t my young man,¡± Liv protested. ¡°Not yet, anyway. I¡¯ve only bought a few votes with my time. Anything else is up to him to earn.¡± At breakfast, she sat next to Master Grenfell while Baron Henry, Lady Julianne and Matthew huddled around the other end of the table discussing the great council. A plate of mana-enriched crab, tossed with fried eggs and melted cheese, went a long way to helping Liv recover the four rings of mana she¡¯d used on her first casting of the day. ¡°What do I need to know?¡± she asked her teacher. ¡°For the most part? To be seen and not heard,¡± Master Grenfell answered. ¡°There are one hundred and forty-two barons in Lucania. About a third of them maintain court mages, as do the two dukes and King Roland himself. Add to that at least a portion of the Masters at Coral Bay, and then however many people bring personal apprentices, and this is going to be the largest gathering of the guild in memory. Stay with me, follow my lead, and speak only if spoken to. No doubt word of your duel will have gotten around, so you may be asked a few questions. But once we begin, apprentices are expected to be silent unless called upon. Which, for the most part, they won¡¯t be.¡± Liv nodded, slathering fresh butter on toasted bread. There was no mana in it, but it was tasty all the same. ¡°I can do that,¡± she said. ¡°I need to leave by the fourth bell of the afternoon.¡± ¡°And that will happen whether we are finished or not,¡± Grenfell promised her. ¡°Your carriage is already arranged. You¡¯ll simply slip out. I recommend bringing a book, quill and ink to take notes.¡± In the end, Liv brought a satchel filled with three quills, two bottles of ink, her spellbook, a few sheets of extra parchment folded up inside, and a bit of smoked jerky wrapped in cheesecloth. She assumed the guild would be serving food of some kind partway through the day, but she decided she would rather take along a snack she didn¡¯t end up needing than be starving and wishing she had. They saw the family off, Baron Henry, Lady Julianne and their son all dressed in their finest, and then clambered into their own carriage. The ride wasn¡¯t very long, and took them to a wide, squat hall in the same part of the city where the waystone rested atop a hill. In contrast to many of the other buildings around, it didn¡¯t look to be more than two stories. ¡°The Watchful Guild of Magim?¡± Liv read aloud from the sign out front, which displayed a black shield painted with blue sigils just beneath the name. ¡°It was part of getting the royal charter, I¡¯m told,¡± Grenfell grumbled. ¡°That we needed a formal name to match the other guilds. Come along, then.¡± The foyer of the guildhall wasn¡¯t nearly as large as the building suggested, taken up mostly by a tall desk at which three or four people at once could work. It faced the door, and there were a few wooden benches along the walls of the room, presumably for people to wait in. At another door, which obviously led into the building, a harried looking young man waited with an open book and ready quill. A woman with iron gray hair was just moving past him as they entered. ¡°Names?¡± he asked. ¡°Master Kazimir Grenfell, Court Mage to Baron Henry Summerset, with my apprentice, Liv Brodbeck,¡± her teacher responded. ¡°Apprentices stay with their master at all times,¡± the young man said, with the air of repeating a phrase he¡¯d used so many times already that it had nearly lost all meaning to him. ¡°On into the hall, Master.¡± Liv followed Master Grenfell through the inner door, up a staircase, and then into a very odd looking hall. The room where the mages'' guild met was rectangular, perhaps twice as wide as it was long, with tiered stands at each side that reminded her of those at the fencing club. At the head of the room, five chairs had been arranged on a raised dais, of which only three were occupied at the moment. The stands and the empty center of the hall were filled with a milling crowd of men and women, talking in small clusters. It was easy to pick apprentices out from their masters by sight: they were uniformly young, all looking to be close to Liv in age, if a touch on the older side, and hovering just a step behind an older master or mistress. Whether apprentice or master, every person in the room wore a ring like Liv¡¯s, so far as she could see from a glance. Most of them carried a wand or staff of some kind, but she was surprised how many rapiers there were. ¡°I hear you¡¯ve only been in the city five days and have already managed to get up to trouble,¡± a man¡¯s familiar voice broke in on Liv¡¯s thoughts, and she spun around with a smile. ¡°Master Jurian!¡± The man who had stalked into the great hall at Whitehill to save her nearly twenty years ago had aged a great deal. Liv knew that she shouldn¡¯t have been surprised by the white in his hair and beard, or the lines in his face, but it was still something of a shock. ¡°Liv Brodbeck,¡± Jurian said, shaking his head and looking her over. ¡°That Elden Blood is strong. I¡¯m glad to see we made a good estimate on your age. You¡¯ll be at college soon enough.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again,¡± Master Grenfell greeted the other mage, and the two clasped hands. ¡°She¡¯s been a good student. I hope you¡¯ll have the other professors ready for her.¡± ¡°Put together those six spells, yet?¡± Jurian asked her, with a twinkle in his eye. ¡°More than that,¡± Liv told him. She couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Frozen Shards, though I¡¯ve also done it with longer pieces, more like spears. Ice Sphere, Icewall, Ice Chute, I can make a sword of ice though I need gloves to hold it, I learned how to make a flower as the other girls do, and of course I had to figure out how to freeze blood.¡± She tried to think whether she was forgetting anything, and decided being able to carefully chill the temperature of something, like she¡¯d done with Matthew¡¯s bandages, probably didn¡¯t count. ¡°Oh, and I can lay down a circle that will freeze anything that passes.¡± Master Jurian¡¯s smile grew wider as she talked. ¡°And how many rings, now?¡± he asked Master Grenfell.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Sixteen rings,¡± her teacher said. ¡°When last we measured.¡± ¡°Liv,¡± Master Jurian said, leaning in and lowering his voice, ¡°I want you to hold all that close for now. Don¡¯t tell just anyone. There are court mages here you¡¯ve already surpassed, and many of them would be jealous and resent you. You understand?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Good. We¡¯ll catch up later, but I wanted to let you know that I¡¯m proud of you. I¡¯m going to work you so hard that you¡¯ll probably hate me, when you get to college, but I¡¯m proud.¡± Jurian glanced to the head of the room: a man in dark robes, embroidered with V?dic sigils in thread of gold, and a sharply pointed gray beard, had settled into the center chair on the dais. The voices in the hall began to settle in volume as more and more mages found seats. ¡°I need to sit up front,¡± Master Jurian told them. ¡°Later.¡± ¡°Come along, Liv,¡± Master Grenfell said, leading her up the stairs of the nearest set of benches. They found room to sit at the end of the third row, next to a tall and gaunt man who occasionally sipped from a wineskin he kept in his lap. At the front of the room, the man in the center seat leaned over to Master Jurian, who sat on his right, and said something that Liv couldn¡¯t hear. Jurian rose, and shouted in a voice that nearly filled the room: ¡°Silence!¡± When the last few mages had been quelled under his glare, he nodded to the bearded man and sat. ¡°Who is that?¡± Liv whispered to Master Grenfell. ¡°Archmagus Loredan,¡± her teacher replied. ¡°Now shush.¡± The archmagus rose, and while he did not yell like Jurian had, his voice easily carried to the stands. ¡°Thank you, Professor Jurian,¡± he said. ¡°Welcome, brothers and sisters. It is rare that we have occasion or opportunity to meet in conclave, but the current crisis necessitates these measures. Before anything else, I have asked Professor Blackwood to speak to us regarding the recent phenomena.¡± He took a seat, and the man on his left rose. Professor Blackwood was nothing like the man Liv had pictured when she read his bestiary. Rather than a scholar, he looked like a hunter, and reminded her of no one so much as Master Forester in his youth. Blackwood¡¯s arms were thick and muscular, and he wore a hunting knife at his hip. His steely-gray hair was tied back in a knot, and when he spoke it was with absolute confidence. ¡°The first thing to know,¡± Blackwood explained to the hall, ¡°is that the creatures so many of you have fought are, in fact, not creatures at all.¡± A murmur ran along the benches, but the professor continued. ¡°They have no internal organs to speak of, no means of breeding or reproduction. They neither excrete, nor breathe, nor sleep. They are not, in the strictest sense, alive at all.¡± ¡°Then what are they?¡± a woman called out from the other side of the room. Blackwood took his seat. ¡°So near as we can determine,¡± Archmagus Loredan responded, without rising, ¡°a spontaneous and widespread magical effect, similar to wild magic or a spell gone out of control. Sources of unbound blood were animated by a wave of mana that swept across the kingdom. The intent that accompanied that mana was infused with anger, and so the blood that was animated lashed out at any nearby target. We can confirm that, with the wave of mana having subsided, no further manifestations are occurring.¡± ¡°The kingdom is safe, then,¡± Genevieve Arundell said. The court mage had risen from her seat, and Liv was surprised to find her in the front row of the benches along the opposite wall. She would have guessed the court mage to the king would be on the dais. ¡°In the immediate moment? Yes,¡± Loredan said. ¡°What this means in the long term is another matter entirely. We believe the mana-wave to have originated in Varuna.¡± At that, the entire room erupted. Liv had the feeling that she¡¯d walked into a long-standing argument, where she hardly knew who was doing the talking, nevermind the sides. Master Jurian rose again, and this time he slammed the butt of his staff into the dais until the noise had subsided. ¡°We must send a team of journeymen to investigate,¡± he shouted. ¡°More than one, if we can.¡± ¡°No!¡± Mistress Arundell shot back, immediately on her feet again. ¡°What happens in Varuna is no concern to us. We lose too many young mages there already, chasing ghosts in the jungle. Lucania is our concern, and we should focus our efforts here.¡± Cheers from the mages around her rang out, while another faction shouted back. ¡°Do they know about the cult?¡± Liv asked, having to lean close to Master Grenfell¡¯s ear to be heard. ¡°The Archmage? Almost certainly,¡± Grenfell told her. ¡°But let¡¯s not get out in front of your Eldish friends. They¡¯ll be speaking at the great council, and we don¡¯t want to undermine their efforts. Settle in, my dear: we¡¯re going to be here for a long time.¡± ? In the end, despite the arguments of Mistress Arundell¡¯s faction, it was decided to send two teams of journeymen to Varuna, with orders to learn all they could about the source of the mana-wave and report back. It wasn¡¯t nearly so simple as that, of course. More mages than Liv could keep track of rose to speak on one side or the other, or merely to hear the sound of their own voice, in some cases. Luncheon settled things a bit, and by the time she left the haggling was over who, precisely, would make up the teams. By that point, Liv was thankful to escape, and even more thankful that the topic of discussion had apparently been so divisive that no one paid any attention to an apprentice like her. Thora was waiting in the carriage that picked Liv up from the guild hall, carrying a wooden jewelry box on her lap and with a travelling bag on the seat next to her. ¡°What¡¯s all that?¡± Liv asked, once she¡¯d settled in and the driver had gotten them moving. ¡°Makeup, hair brushes, perfume-¡± Liv groaned, slouching back and closing her eyes. The ride back was quick enough, and the street on which Acton House sat even becoming familiar. Witley House, as it turned out, was built of red brick, and set with modern windows and none of the castle-like pretensions or vestiges so many of the homes in the neighborhood displayed. When the carriage rolled to a halt, Liv could see Cade waiting alongside a tall man to which he bore a striking resemblance. The driver came around to open the door, and Cade was there to offer Liv an arm out of the carriage. ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± he said, with a grin, and led her over to his father. ¡°Liv, this is Gerold Talbot, my father. Father, this is Liv Brodbeck - or if you prefer, Livara.¡± ¡°Liv, most of the time,¡± she said, doing her best to smile. Cade¡¯s father took her hand and inclined his head, but his eyes never left her, and she had the feeling that she was being examined for flaws. ¡°A pleasure to welcome such a lovely young lady,¡± Baron Talbot said, releasing her. Liv wondered if he had left the great council early to be here, or whether it had already ended for the day. With the king¡¯s masque in the evening, perhaps they had given everyone time to get ready. She was ushered inside to a parlour, with Thora trailing behind her until she was collected by the Talbots¡¯ servants. Liv gratefully accepted a cup of tea: it gave her something to do with her hands. She found herself sitting on a cushioned bench with Cade at her side, and his father opposite them in an armchair. ¡°Now that I see you, your Eldish descent is clear,¡± Baron Talbot said, and Liv was suddenly very conscious of her ears. ¡°Cade tells me your father is of House Syv?.¡± ¡°That is correct, my lord,¡± Liv said. Lady Julianne would have been proud of her for avoiding the contraction. ¡°Mmm.¡± The baron took a sip from his own cup. ¡°You understand, young lady, that a striking appearance may have been enough to catch my son¡¯s interest, but I require substantially more than that in a match. I need you to bring something to the house. There is precedent for a common-born girl, so long as she has money, but you do not.¡± ¡°Liv is an exceptional magical talent,¡± Cade said, from her side. ¡°Which you would know, father, if you¡¯d have seen her duel the princess.¡± ¡°While I don¡¯t mind seeing a bit of humility knocked into that girl - it will do her some good - bringing enemies to our family is not exactly a selling point,¡± Gerold Talbot argued back, and Liv could feel Cade tense on the bench next to her. Without thinking about it, she reached out and put a hand on his. She immediately wished she hadn¡¯t, both because Baron Talbot¡¯s eyes locked on the place where their hands rested together, and because Liv hadn¡¯t wanted to give Cade the impression that she was falling for him. Still, there was nothing to do but press forward. ¡°With all respect, Baron,¡± Liv said. ¡°I believe that you¡¯re thinking about this all wrong.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Talbot raised his dark brows. ¡°Go on then, young lady. How should I be seeing this proposed arrangement?¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting as if I seduced your son, my lord,¡± Liv said. ¡°Or caught him in a snare, like a rabbit. But I didn¡¯t go looking for this. Your son asked to court me, and I set my conditions to allow it. The question isn¡¯t what I bring to your family, it¡¯s whether you will keep your son¡¯s word and fulfill your obligations. To put it plainly,¡± she finished, ¡°what do you offer me?¡± 54. The Great Council ¡°This is such a convoluted way of running a society,¡± Keri complained. He would have preferred to be wearing his armor and carrying his N?v¡¯bel, but Sakari had argued repeatedly that it would give the wrong impression. Keri thought that being armed for war would have conveyed exactly the right meaning, but then again he was not the ambassador to Lucania. Sakari Ka Edvis shrugged, looking quite relaxed on the opposite bench of the carriage. Keri supposed that living here for long enough, one could get used to anything. ¡°It is a concession to the reality of politics,¡± the ambassador explained. ¡°Yes, the king theoretically has absolute power, but in actuality, if he does not get the majority of his barons to buy in on matters that affect the entire kingdom, he¡¯s going to run into problems. Hence, levying new taxes, declaring war, these things require a vote of the great council.¡± ¡°It is a system that gives up the only advantage of a single point of leadership,¡± Keri pointed out. ¡°Decisive action during a crisis.¡± ¡°Not entirely,¡± Sakari argued. ¡°The king has the authority to take immediate command in the event of an assault on the kingdom; the consent of the great council is only needed when beginning an offensive war.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t rampaging monsters of blood qualify?¡± Keri asked. ¡°You know as well as I do the wave of mana has receded,¡± Sakari said. ¡°There is no longer any immediate threat, and what threat there was never rose to the level of something like an invasion. What you need to convince them of, my young friend, is that they cannot ignore what is coming. Here we are.¡± One of the guards Sakari had brought south with him, a woman named Eila, opened the carriage door for them. Keri waited for the ambassador to climb out first, and then followed him. The two men joined the crowd of barons and their attendants making their way into the building where the council would take place over the coming days. Like so many of the newer buildings in Freeport, Eastgate Court was built from red brick, laid in beautiful ornamental patterns, with great paned windows of glass to let in natural light. The largest of the courtrooms, in the center of the building, was where King Roland would call his great council to order. Keri caught a glimpse of Baron Henry, with his wife and son, being shepherded through the crowd by royal guards. He grinned, and had to give credit to the woman¡¯s cunning. She¡¯d probably requested the guards help clear the way for the strange chair in which the crippled baron was transported, but all anyone would see was the illegitimate daughter of the king with a royal escort, like the princess she might have been. He was surprised to see that the girl, Livara, wasn¡¯t with them, and asked Sakari about it as they made their way into the box that had been reserved for their use. ¡°I would have been surprised if they had found a way to bring her,¡± the ambassador admitted, once he¡¯d settled into his seat. ¡°Attendance is restricted to only the barons themselves, and their immediate heirs. Make yourself comfortable; this will not be quick.¡± The warning was prophetic, and Keri found himself irritable and uncomfortable as the hours dragged on. First, everyone had to rise for the arrival of King Roland, his son Prince Benedict, and their small council. Keri had met Benedict briefly before the duel on the beach two nights ago, but this was his first time seeing the human king. Roland the Third had ruled Lucania, Keri knew, for forty-six years now, since just after his wedding to the queen. Ambassador Sakari¡¯s briefings had informed Keri that the man was actually twenty-one years younger than he was, and the man¡¯s obvious aging only made it more clear to Keri what a mistake that poor girl would be making if she wed a human man. At seventy-nine years of age, Roland¡¯s hair was nearly gone. Only wisps of white hair lingered around his scalp, and they had apparently been impossible to tame. His crown, at least, held them back somewhat, and did something to conceal the spotting of age on his bald head. The man¡¯s nose might once have merely been considered strong, but with the sagging of the rest of his features, it now obtained a prominence like that of a lonely mountain in the midst of a vast plain. With his back hunched, and guards at each arm to help him walk, the only part of the man that remained impressive was his long, white beard. It seemed that baldness affected only the top of Roland¡¯s head, and not his chin or cheeks, for the beard was the healthiest thing about him. ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± Keri gasped. ¡°The man is at death¡¯s very door. In a year or two at most, we¡¯ll be dealing with Benedict, won¡¯t we?¡± ¡°And it wasn¡¯t so long ago that I took lunch with his father,¡± Sakari said. For obvious reasons, the king¡¯s part in the council was small. Everyone strained to hear while he weakly called the day¡¯s session to order, and then Prince Benedict took over, in his father¡¯s name, while the old man reclined in his chair. ¡°Friends,¡± Benedict began, ¡°countrymen. My father, in his wisdom, has called us here today in order to address the disturbing events that have taken place across our kingdom of Lucania, and to decide what, if any, response is warranted. We are honored to welcome guests from the north,¡± he said, raising a hand to indicate the box where Keri and Sakari sat. ¡°Who will be sharing with us a report from their own lands, presently. However, before we come to the issue of the day, I have been informed of certain procedural matters that must take precedence, regarding the composition of the great council. I recognize Baron Elias Howe and grant him the floor.¡± Amidst a great deal of murmuring, a man of middle age, dressed in a fine blue doublet worked with gold thread, stepped out into the center of the court room. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness,¡± he said, in a strong voice that cut through the chatter. ¡°There will no doubt be days of debate regarding our best course of action in response to the recent disturbances which have threatened the peace of this great land. And yet, I would argue that this council is not a complete representation of the voices needed in order for us to come to the decisions that lie ahead.¡± ¡°Our kingdom is not unchanging,¡± Howe continued. ¡°And that is a good thing. The only things that do not change are those with no life: a stone, perhaps, or the unending sea. It is only natural that a living kingdom should grow in the fullness of time and experience. In the day of my grandfather, perhaps a great council consisting only of the barons truly did represent us. But over our own lifetimes, we have seen what a vital force for growth our guilds have been. Who among us has not enjoyed hot water, provided by enchanted pipes? Food imported from distance lands, brought to us in cold storage for transport? Irrigation pipes, glass windows, bricks and mortar - the list is nearly endless. In recognition of this shift in our society,¡± he concluded, ¡°I propose that each guild recognized by royal charter be granted a single voting seat on this council, equivalent to that of a baron, and with the same rights to speak, and to propose and second matters brought before us.¡± ¡°Is there a second for this proposal?¡± Prince Benedict called out, as Baron Howe returned to his seat. ¡°I second Baron Howe¡¯s proposal,¡± a familiar voice called out, and Keri leaned forward to observe more closely. ¡°Baron Henry Summerset,¡± Benedict called. Was that a hint of surprise in the prince¡¯s face, which had not been present before? ¡°I recognize your right to speak.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Your Highness will forgive me, I hope, if I remain seated,¡± Henry said, bringing chuckles from around the room. ¡°I would second the matter, and amend it. If we are truly to reflect our kingdom, there is another voice that deserves to be heard here. I would ask that three seats be provided to the Temple of the Trinity, as well.¡± ¡°Baron Howe, are you agreeable to this amendment?¡± Benedict asked. ¡°I am,¡± Howe said, standing briefly to speak and then sitting again. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look surprised,¡± Keri observed. ¡°But the prince did.¡± ¡°Wheels within wheels,¡± Sakari said. ¡°The crown owes the banking guild a great deal of money; that is known publicly. Rumor has it the debt will be forgiven in return for this.¡± ¡°What has Howe got to gain, by putting this forward?¡± Keri asked. ¡°His wife has extensive ties to the guilds,¡± Sakari explained. ¡°She came from a merchant family with a great deal of money, and practically saved his house from ruin. Now that debt is due.¡± Keri watched the debate play out over the hours that followed. He noticed that every one of the Summersets¡¯ allies spoke out in favor of the proposal. The dark haired boy who wanted to court Livara sat next to his father, a baron who waxed for some time on the vital role of the temple in the kingdom. There was the girl who had served as a second at the duel, seated next to a man who had the look of a soldier, and he talked about the importance of supply lines. ¡°These are the votes she promised us, aren¡¯t they,¡± Keri observed sometime in the second hour. Sakari nodded. ¡°If this carries, it will mean a dozen new votes on the council. That is enough to give them an advantage on the votes that come after. Not to get everything they want, I imagine - but enough they at least can¡¯t be ignored. But everyone who votes for this measure can¡¯t be counted on for what comes next - the guilds have called in all their markers. This is an effort years in the making, and every family who¡¯s ever done business with the bankers¡¯ guild will be looking to have their debts forgiven.¡± By the end, Keri realized that the outcome had never really been in doubt. The guilds must have only been waiting for the opportunity to finish decades of work, and this council had provided them their moment. ¡°Baron Howe¡¯s proposal carries,¡± Prince Benedict announced, when the votes had been tallied. ¡°We will adjourn to the west court for a brief luncheon, while representatives from the guilds and the temple are gathered to join the council.¡± King Roland was helped to his feet, and the assembled body rose again to show respect for the old man as he departed the chamber. Then, the mass of people spilled out into the halls of Newgate Court, drawn by the aroma of hot food. ? ¡°None of this has any mana in it,¡± Keri complained. Great platters of seared fish, chopped potatoes tossed with herbs, fresh bread, and wheels of cheese were set at each round table in the west court, and the hungry nobles descended upon the feast like a pod of hungry morthwelim - the great hunters of the ocean, the whales with teeth. ¡°Look at the room,¡± Sakari said, from where the ambassador sat at his right hand. ¡°Two centers of power, and everyone is drawn to one or the other. This is not a state of affairs that can be sustained.¡± The ambassador was right at least about one thing: it was obvious even to Keri that most of the barons in the room either gravitated toward the table where Prince Benedict sat, at the south end of the room, or the place where Lady Julianne and her family had staked out a claim near the north wall. Prince Benedict had the great numbers, Keri judged, but not by nearly so much as he would have expected. ¡°Is she making a play for head of the council, after the old king dies?¡± Keri asked. ¡°That isn¡¯t how it works here,¡± Sakari said, shaking his head. ¡°She is illegitimate. Benedict will inherit.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± Keri asked. ¡°War? They can¡¯t possibly be mad enough to fight themselves while the cult is threatening us all, can they?¡± ¡°Do not ever expect humans to take the long view,¡± Sakari warned him. ¡°If you do, they will only disappoint you. Their lives are brief things, and so they think only of the moment. Come, let¡¯s get back to our box before the crowd gets too thick.¡± Leaving what passed for food was no great loss, Keri agreed, and so they rose together and made their way out into the hall. By the time the king called the council back to order, the two men had been settled for quite a while. ¡°Now that procedural matters have been settled,¡± Prince Benedict said, ¡°I would call for the representative from the north to speak. Ambassador Sakari?¡± Sakari stood in their box, looked around the room for a moment, and then began. ¡°Thank you, Prince Benedict,¡± he said. ¡°And I wish to thank also King Roland, for allowing us here to address the first day of the council¡¯s deliberations. We are grateful also, to the assembled council for taking the time to hear the voice of the Eld on matters which concern us all. I yield my time to Inkeris ka Ilmari k?n B?lris, who is more qualified to speak on these matters than I am.¡± He sat, and Keri rose to take his place. ¡°I am a man of plain words,¡± Keri said, ¡°and so I hope you will forgive me if I cut straight to the heart of the matter. For nearly twenty years, now, I have hunted out nests of a cult that has infiltrated the north - the Cult of Raktia, V?dic Lady of Blood. Her worshippers call her the Great Mother, and it is that form that her priests recruit. They lure those who are barren, who long for a child and have been disappointed, with the promise of a blessed womb. Who can blame them? I am a father myself, and I can sympathize with the heartbreak of those who want a child, but cannot have one.¡± ¡°But the price,¡± he continued, ¡°is most foul. The favor of the old goddess can only be bought with blood sacrifice. They begin with animals. It¡¯s little different from hunting, of course. Who would balk at the idea of giving the blood of a hare, or a stag? We all eat them anyway. But such sacrifices are never enough. Sooner or later, the worshippers are asked to show their faith with something more substantial.¡± ¡°I have seen the bleached bones of my own people,¡± Keri said, looking around the chamber, trying to catch the eyes of the assembled barons. ¡°The bones of legs, or arms, even skulls, all resting in the sacrificial pits, while the icon of the goddess looks on from above, painted in fresh blood. It is a cunning, loathsome, seductive cult, and it spreads its tendrils unseen beneath the surface of our people.¡± ¡°I do not think it is coincidence,¡± Keri continued, ¡°that we find ourselves assaulted by monstrous manifestations of blood magic. And I have learned just yesterday,¡± he said, extending his hand across the chamber, ¡°after lunching with Baron Henry and Lady Julianne, that an idol of Raktia was stolen from his lands eighteen years ago by one of the Great Bats. Again, I do not think this is a coincidence.¡± ¡°Can you confirm this, Baron Henry?¡± Prince Benedict asked, his voice cutting through the whispers of the assembled barons. ¡°I can,¡± Henry Summerset said. ¡°And at the time, we sent word to Freeport to ask that all ships departing for Varuna be searched, that the thief could be seized. She never was.¡± ¡°I recall that,¡± King Roland wheezed, to the surprise of the chamber. ¡°My daughter lost no time in calling to me by mirror. But the royal guards never found the thief. What are you asking of us, Lord Inkeris?¡± ¡°Simply this,¡± Keri said. ¡°To recognize that the Cult of Raktia is the most likely culprit behind what has happened, and that it is a threat to both of our peoples. Search it out in your own lands; I cannot imagine the mountains are much of a barrier to such wickedness. Guard your waystones and ports, for they are moving. When questioned, our most recent captives claim they have all been summoned west, to Varuna.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord Inkeris,¡± Prince Benedict said. ¡°As the Eld are not empowered to propose a matter for the consideration of this council, is there anyone willing to stand forward and do so in his place?¡± Keri took his seat. ¡°We have someone lined up, I assume.¡± Sakari nodded, but then frowned as a man Keri did not recognize stood. ¡°The crown recognizes Duke Thomas Falkenrath of Courland,¡± Benedict said. ¡°We do, but this isn¡¯t our man,¡± the ambassador murmured. ¡°This matter is surely a vital one,¡± Falkenrath said. ¡°And yet it is, fundamentally, one that is concerned with places outside of our kingdom. The Eld of the North, Varuna across the sea. I am concerned first and most importantly with Lucania, and everything my court mage has told me indicates this threat has passed. Let us focus on putting our own house in order.¡± ¡°My great-grandfather was the younger son of a king,¡± the duke continued. ¡°As was an ancestor of Duke Richard.¡± He exchanged nods with another man in the crowd. ¡°It has long been the custom to grant surviving members of the royal family such titles, if they did not enter the service of the temple or, more recently, the mages¡¯ guild. But one of my distant cousins has, for reasons I cannot fathom, not been treated with the same honors.¡± ¡°What is he doing?¡± Keri asked. ¡°I propose,¡± Thomas Falkenrath shouted above the rising volume of the crowd, ¡°that Lady Julianne Summerset, natural daughter of King Roland, be named Duchess of Whitehill, the title to be inherited in perpetuity by her heirs.¡± 55. Vela Gerold Talbot stared at Liv just long enough for her to feel the urge to look away, and then he barked out a sharp laugh. ¡°You really have been raised by Julianne, haven¡¯t you,¡± he said. ¡°After what she pulled today, I half expect you to leap for my throat.¡± ¡°Father,¡± Cade said, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring Liv here for you to insult her.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± The baron stood. ¡°I¡¯ll let the two of you have a bit of privacy before dinner, but no closed doors. What do you get, young lady? You get my only son, if you want him, and everything that goes with that. In spite of everything, he¡¯s a good boy, and I believe he¡¯ll be a good man. If you can¡¯t see the value in that, it¡¯s you who don¡¯t deserve him. I will be certain the servants fetch you both in time to eat, and we¡¯ll take my carriage to the palace for the masque after.¡± He turned, and departed the chamber. Liv was finally able to exhale, and when she realized her hand was still on Cade¡¯s, she snatched it away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± Cade said, after a moment. ¡°My father - well, my Uncle Robert says it changed him, when my mother died. It¡¯s not an excuse, but...¡± he trailed off lamely. ¡°We¡¯re a pair, aren¡¯t we?¡± Liv said, to fill the silence. ¡°Me growing up with no father, and you with no mother.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to do that to my own children,¡± the boy next to her said, and Liv was surprised by how fierce his tone was. ¡°No one should grow up feeling like they¡¯re living in a funeral. If there¡¯s any time in your life you should feel happy and loved, it¡¯s when you¡¯re too young to understand anything.¡± ¡°We never had much,¡± Liv said. ¡°But the kitchen was always warm and filled with good smells and things to eat, and people who would set me on their lap.¡± ¡°That sounds nice,¡± Cade said, and then stood abruptly. ¡°Shall I show you around?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Liv replied, and accepted his hand to help her up. She took Cade¡¯s arm while he showed her around the house, as was the custom, and it all felt very adult. She could picture Lady Julianne being given the tour by Cade¡¯s father, and having intelligent and cultured things to say about the tapestries or the paintings on the walls. Liv, on the other hand, knew very little about art. The Talbots did not have a library in their townhouse, but there was a small study with a desk and a tall bookcase along one wall, and she grinned when she recognized a few titles on the shelves. ¡°Blackwood¡¯s Bestiary. I have an old copy of that one,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°This must be one of the newer editions.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Cade nodded. ¡°We reserve several new copies of each edition as Professor Blackwood revises them, and then sell the old ones to a bookseller. It¡¯s probably the most important book we own.¡± ¡°He was at the conclave today,¡± Liv told him, sliding the volume out and leafing through it. She was astounded at how many hand-written notes filled the pages. ¡°He wasn¡¯t at all what I expected - he looked more like a hunter I know than a mage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to studying under him at Coral Bay,¡± Cade said. ¡°You go in four years?¡± Cade nodded. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Six,¡± Liv admitted, then carefully replaced the book on the shelf. ¡°We¡¯ll share two years, then,¡± Cade said, chewing it over. ¡°I¡¯ll get to show you around a bit, anyway. By the time you arrive, I¡¯ll know the place pretty well. And we can exchange letters, in the meanwhile. Perhaps visit.¡± ¡°You said the bestiary was the most important book you had?¡± Liv asked him, with a frown. ¡°I would have thought that would be a book of grammar. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever said - what does your family¡¯s word do?¡± ¡°Come out back and I¡¯ll show you,¡± Cade said, though Liv didn¡¯t think he seemed at all excited by the prospect. In fact, he had the tone and attitude of someone bracing themselves for unpleasantness. Rather than a garden behind the house, the Talbots had a training yard and, beyond that, what appeared to be a menagerie. There were cages full of rabbits and pigeons, a chicken coop, kennels of hunting dogs, and more. ¡°You like animals?¡± Liv asked, but Cade shook his head. His lips twisted as if he¡¯d bitten down on a hunk of spoiled meat. ¡°You know the V?dic word for rabbit?¡± he asked her, and Liv shook her head. ¡°Slethis,¡± Cade said. ¡°Or Slethia.¡± Liv¡¯s fingers itched to write the piece of vocabulary down in a notebook before she forgot it, but she didn¡¯t want to be rude. She comforted herself with the thought that if she and Cade Talbot were to be spending a lot of time together, she could always just ask him again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Cade apologized. ¡°It isn¡¯t a nice word. You won¡¯t - I guess I¡¯ll just do it.¡± He stretched a hand out to the cage of rabbits, and for all his ambivalence, when he spoke the invocation was clear and strong: ¡°Velat ?¡¯Slethis.¡± The rabbit screamed, and the sound was horrifying, a high pitched, inhuman wail of pain. Liv took a step back in shock: gaping cuts and wounds opened on the poor beast¡¯s flesh, weeping blood. The other rabbits fled from their stricken companion, leaving it a twitching mass of gore on the floor of the cage. Cade lowered his hand and turned away from her. ¡°Vela,¡± he said. ¡°To wound. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Cade apologized again. ¡°It¡¯s horrible, I know. Father keeps the animals so that I can practice without hurting anyone.¡± Liv swallowed, and thought back to what Triss had said when they were planning for the duel: ¡°The Talbots - that¡¯s not the worst word to practice against, but you¡¯re going to need a chirurgeon on hand.¡± She tried to imagine wounds like the ones on the rabbit opening on her own body, and shuddered. Cade himself had never offered to practice with her, and now she understood why. ¡°We¡¯re a miserable family, aren¡¯t we?¡± Cade asked, still facing away from her. ¡°I won¡¯t hold it against you if you want to walk away now, Liv.¡± She looked down at the cooling corpse of the rabbit, and recalled her own hesitation about the Summerset¡¯s word, Ters. Vela might be even worse, but that wasn¡¯t Cade¡¯s fault. He hadn¡¯t chosen his family¡¯s magic. Making a decision, Liv stepped over to his side and reached out for his hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show me the way down to the beach,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to see how you come down. Do you have stairs, like we do at Acton House?¡± Cade was still and silent for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°No, the bluff isn¡¯t as steep here,¡± he said. ¡°We just have a path that winds down. This way.¡± He led Liv through the menagerie, which ended at the top of the bluff, with a bank of sea-grass waving in the breeze. The sun was edging down toward the horizon as they walked back and forth, criss-crossing the descent on a sandy path that must have been kept bare of grass by constant foot traffic. After meeting his father and seeing a demonstration of his family¡¯s magic, Liv felt she had a pretty good idea why he spent so much time alone down on the beach.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. When they got down to the shore, Cade turned and pointed to the right. ¡°That¡¯s your family¡¯s house, up there.¡± Liv followed his hand, and recognized the white stone of Acton House. ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault,¡± she told him. It was one thing to have thought it to herself, up at the top of the bluff, but Liv felt that it needed to be said out loud so that Cade could hear it. That didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d believe it, but she couldn¡¯t help that one way or the other. ¡°You didn¡¯t choose your magic. If I¡¯d actually been Lady Julianne¡¯s daughter, my magic would be nearly as bad.¡± ¡°Ters?¡± Cade said, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯d take it over Vela in the blink of an eye. You can use it to preserve food, to dry clothing. The kind of practice that doesn¡¯t involve killing.¡± ¡°Why are you going to college, then?¡± Liv asked him. ¡°Control,¡± Cade answered. ¡°I need to be good enough to use it without killing people by accident. If I can sever the muscles in a man¡¯s sword arm, I could make him drop his weapon, but leave him alive. Or the way you used the future tense - what if I could embed a spell like that in my sword, so that instead of a scratch, a deep cut opens?¡± ¡°And you have the bestiary so that you can study every kind of beast that comes from the rifts, don¡¯t you,¡± Liv realized. What he wanted, above all else, was precision and control. Specificity. And that would require years of careful study. ¡°Exactly. I can¡¯t choose not to use it, that would be stupid and selfish of me,¡± Cade told her. Liv thought of Matthew and his resistance to using his own family¡¯s word, and it was difficult not to think badly of him in comparison. It was stupid and selfish. ¡°You have to be ready to defend your people when there¡¯s an eruption,¡± she agreed. ¡°If someone dies because you were too squeamish to use your magic, that death is on your hands.¡± Cade nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy using it. I hate it. But I also won¡¯t let anyone die because I hesitated.¡± Liv remembered what he¡¯d offered to her, before the duel, and laughed. ¡°When you said something about ripping the princess¡¯ neck open, I thought you meant with a sword! You really would have killed her for me?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to,¡± he said. ¡°But there¡¯s a reason no one wants to challenge my father to duel. And if it was a choice between her and you? I¡¯d do it in a heartbeat.¡± Before she could think better of it, Liv rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, very quickly. Then, turning so that he couldn¡¯t see her blush, she hurried back toward the path that led up the bluff. ¡°Come on,¡± she called back. ¡°We have a lot of getting ready to do before the masque.¡± ? Rather than a full dinner, the kitchen staff served trays of cold meats and cheeses, along with slices of bread and fresh butter, fruit preserves, and other finger foods. It was Liv who took the longest to get ready, of course. Thora worked on her hair while she ate, brushing it out and pinning it up in intricate braids. ¡°I don¡¯t envy you that,¡± Cade said, taking a sip of watered wine in between bites of his own food. His father had not re-appeared. ¡°When I was a scullery maid Mama and I just pinned it up in a bun and put a cap over it,¡± she recalled. ¡°The goal was to keep it from getting dirty, not show it off.¡± ¡°Well now it¡¯s going to be a work of art, if I have anything to say about it,¡± Thora scolded her. ¡°You just let me work, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a way you can leave a bit hanging down to hide my ears,¡± Liv asked. ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Cade said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to hide who you are.¡± Liv looked down at her lap. ¡°They also turn colors when I blush,¡± she admitted. ¡°Which I can¡¯t seem to stop from doing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡± Cade set his goblet down and stood. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off to dress. Your maid knows the room we¡¯ve set aside for you, I believe.¡± ¡°I do, m¡¯lord,¡± Thora assured him. ¡°We can head up now, then,¡± Liv decided. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be food at the palace, as well.¡± She cleaned her fingers with a cloth, and followed Thora out. Baron Talbot had set aside a guest room for them to use, and the lady¡¯s maid had already laid out everything they would need to prepare for the evening. The dress that Lady Julianne had sent with them was nearly pure white, with only pale-blue laces, lining, and embroidered flowers to break up the color. ¡°Blue columbines,¡± she murmured, looking the fabric over. The mask that went with it was white-painted leather, held in place by combs. ¡°It¡¯ll set off your hair and your eyes,¡± Thora said. ¡°Let¡¯s do your makeup, and then we can get you changed.¡± By the time they were done, the sun had set and the sky outside the windows was dark. Liv descended the stairs, with Thora trailing behind her, to find Cade and his father waiting at the bottom. Liv still hadn¡¯t decided exactly how she felt about the boy, but it was gratifying to see his expression when she came into view: if his eyes had gotten any wider, she thought, they might have fallen out of his head. ¡°How are you getting home?¡± Liv asked Thora. ¡°They¡¯re sending a carriage over to get me,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, m¡¯lady. You just go and make everyone jealous at the palace.¡± Cade, dressed in a severe black doublet trimmed in silver thread and buttons, with a matching leather mask, offered her his arm, and Liv accepted it. Before he could say anything, his father spoke. ¡°I¡¯d forgotten how long it takes a woman to get ready,¡± Gerold Talbot complained. ¡°Let¡¯s be off, then.¡± He turned and strode out of the house. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Cade said. ¡°You look beautiful, Liv.¡± He offered her his arm, and she shifted her staff to her right hand to accept it. The ride over to the palace was awkward and quiet, with Baron Talbot sitting on the bench across from them, but Liv felt more comfortable with the boy at her side than she would have a day before. She felt that she understood him a little better now. He¡¯d been afraid that she would run at the sight of his magic, and Liv supposed that some girls would have. But she¡¯d killed two stone bats when she was merely a child, and it hadn¡¯t happened without getting blood on her hands. ¡°I hope this goes better than the tea party,¡± Liv remarked, as the carriage rolled through the open gates and down the drive toward the palace. ¡°If there¡¯s to be any duels tonight, it¡¯s my turn,¡± Cade joked. ¡°Let¡¯s not,¡± his father barked. ¡°The only job the two of you have tonight is to show off that you¡¯re courting in public. We don¡¯t need either of you drenched in blood: we need a pretty picture, some polite conversation, and perhaps a dance or two. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on you, and if it looks like anything is getting ugly, I¡¯ll come over to interrupt. If we need to, we¡¯ll call for the carriage early.¡± ¡°I need to stay at least until Matthew¡¯s been presented to the king,¡± Liv said. Though Gerold Talbot didn¡¯t look happy about the idea, he nodded. Then, they were at the front of the line of carriages, rolling to a halt, and a palace footman opened the door. Baron Talbot climbed out first, without any aid, and then Liv accepted a hand down from the footman. ¡°I can take your staff if you like, my lady,¡± the liveried man offered. ¡°No, I¡¯ll keep it,¡± Liv said, accepting Cade¡¯s arm once he¡¯d climbed down. Though it was a bit awkward to carry around in formal dress, and she wondered whether Master Grenfell might help her make a more compact wand for such occasions. How much would that sacrifice in effectiveness? But it would be much more convenient to wear on a belt. They took their place in the line of nobles, in through the open doors of the palace and then through the foyer and down the hall to a great ballroom. There, each family was announced in turn as they entered. Liv tried to calculate how many people would be at the palace: if there were something like a hundred and fifty barons, and each was married with children... She suddenly felt like hiding. Before Liv was able to quiet the butterflies in her belly, it was their turn. Baron Talbot handed a card to the man at the door, and his eyes only flicked down to it for a moment before he called out in a ringing voice. ¡°Gerold Talbot, Baron of Bradon Bridge, with Lord Cade Talbot, accompanied by Lady Livara T?r Valtteri, of the Elden House of Syv?!¡± They stepped into the ballroom, and Liv felt all of the eyes upon them. Rather than look at the crowd, she let Cade lead her off to the side, and gazed instead at the five great chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, each blazing with small oil lamps. ¡°There must be scores of lamps up there,¡± Liv murmured. ¡°Hundreds,¡± Cade said. ¡°Look, there¡¯s your brother and Beatrice. Let¡¯s head over and say hello to them.¡± Liv nodded, clinging to his arm like she imagined a drowning man might grasp the wreck of his ship. All around them, clusters of people swirled, gathering in knots of conversation and then breaking apart again like some great, living creature. It was like the conclave, only three or four times more people, and the entire room was like an assault upon her senses. ¡°There you are,¡± a girl¡¯s voice broke across the crowd, and Liv stiffened. Princess Milisant appeared out of the crowd as if she was an evil spirit conjured by magic, and planted herself directly in Liv¡¯s path. 56. The Masque Liv¡¯s hands tightened out of reflex, one on her staff, and the other on Cade¡¯s arm. ¡°We were just on our way to greet some friends,¡± Cade told Princess Milisant, and Liv recognized the carefully controlled voice he used when addressing his father. What she¡¯d learned about his life over the course of a single afternoon made her feel as if she was part of a shared secret, separating the two of them from the crowd. ¡°My father wants to talk to you,¡± Milisant told Liv, without bothering to respond to Cade. She held a mask affixed to a wooden handle, and twirled it idly as she spoke. ¡°You can bring your boy along if you like.¡± She turned on her heel and strode through the crowd toward a doorway on the west wall, leaving guests scrambling to get out of her path. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t just ignore that, can I,¡± Liv complained. ¡°An invitation from the prince? No, unfortunately you can¡¯t,¡± Cade answered. Together, they followed the princess into a private sitting chamber just off the ballroom. Two palace guards protected the door, one to either side, but they allowed the pair to pass without comment. Within, Princess Milisant had placed herself just behind an ornately carved and finished wooden chair, cushioned in rich brocade. Her father, Prince Benedict, held a glass of liquor in one hand, seated with his legs crossed, as he watched them approach. ¡°Good evening, Miss Brodbeck,¡± he said. ¡°Or rather, Apprentice. Or perhaps Lady Livara of the Eld. The number of roles you have taken on is truly staggering.¡± Liv released Cade¡¯s arm so that she could curtsy, and was aware of him bowing at her side. There were no empty chairs provided for them, so they both had to remain standing. She had no idea what to say, and was happy to rely on her companion¡¯s practiced manners. ¡°We are both honored to speak with you, Your Highness,¡± Cade said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t keep you long,¡± Benedict said, taking a sip. ¡°In light of recent events, I thought that I would offer you a bit of advice, Livara. Consider it a gift, with no obligation whatsoever. When your father comes to Freeport, if he offers to take you north, go with him.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Was the prince threatening her? ¡°My half-sister is making political moves that are, frankly, both dangerous and deluded,¡± Benedict explained. ¡°And she is using you for her own political advantage. That¡¯s why she¡¯s asked my father¡¯s approval to adopt you - she sees a potentially valuable piece on the board, and she wants you to be her piece. She doesn¡¯t have much to work with, so she¡¯s scraping together everything she can get. And you are worth something, I¡¯ll admit. You have magical talent, that¡¯s clear from your duel with my daughter. It¡¯s unheard of for someone your age, before their formal training even begins at Coral Bay, to use a single intent in so many ways.¡± ¡°Lady Julianne has been very kind to me,¡± Liv said. ¡°In a lot of ways, she treats me like a daughter already.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she does; she¡¯s always known how to make alliances and recruit people to her cause,¡± Benedict admitted. ¡°If she¡¯d been legitimate, she might even have made a good queen. But the plain truth is that she never will. My father is not going to pass me over in favor of his favorite bastard, and the great council would never stand for it if he did. So you can either attach yourself to a losing proposition out of misplaced sentiment, or you can simply walk away. You lose nothing,¡± Benedict insisted, setting his glass down. ¡°Go spend some time with your father. You can even come back and attend Coral Bay; there¡¯s no reason why not. The succession will be settled by the time you do, and you aren¡¯t my enemy unless you choose to be. Wed this young man if you want,¡± the prince offered. ¡°When you¡¯re both a bit older, I can even find a place on the small council for you, Talbot. How would you like that?¡± Liv held her breath, waiting to see how Cade would respond. ¡°I think,¡± he said, after a long moment, ¡°that anyone who would sell themself so easily would not be someone you could either trust, or respect, anyway, Your Highness.¡± ¡°You sold a few votes for this girl on your arm,¡± Benedict pointed out. ¡°I got the better end of that bargain.¡± Benedict laughed, and turned back to Liv. ¡°You must be wanting to spend time with your father, anyway. Go and meet your family. See the wonders of the north, such as they are. Remove yourself from the situation. You¡¯ll be all the happier for it; you have nothing to gain by staying in Lucania.¡± ¡°Thank you for your advice, Your Highness,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it carefully.¡± ¡°Be certain you do.¡± Benedict lifted his glass again. ¡°Enjoy the masque, children.¡± It was a clear dismissal, and Liv practically fled the room. If Cade hadn¡¯t kept up with her, she thought she would have pulled him along, and once they were beyond the guard at the door, she did yank him off to the side, out of their earshot. ¡°Did the prince just threaten me?¡± she asked. Now that they were safely away, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from trembling. ¡°Some combination of bribe and threat, yes,¡± Cade said, and to her surprise he wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Lady Julianne¡¯s done something that frightens him. She made a play for duchess today at the great council, and now Benedict is scrambling to stop her.¡± Liv closed her eyes for just a moment. If she was home, she could have collapsed into her mother¡¯s arms and felt safe. Being held by Cade wasn¡¯t like being held by Mama, but it was something. ¡°There you two are,¡± Beatrice¡¯s jubilant voice broke in one Liv¡¯s moment of stillness. ¡°Enjoying yourselves in the corner! Liv, I didn¡¯t think you were so daring.¡± Liv opened her eyes to see Triss pull Matthew out of the crowd by his hand. Feeling as if she was doing something she shouldn¡¯t, she took a step away from Cade, putting a bit of space between them as his arms fell away. Matthew scowled at the sight. ¡°I thought I warned you to keep your hands off her,¡± he told Cade. ¡°I¡¯m only doing my best to protect her,¡± Cade said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need your protection,¡± Matthew shot back. ¡°She has us.¡± ¡°Matthew,¡± Liv said. ¡°You¡¯re being very rude.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we give them a moment,¡± Triss said, and grabbed Cade by the arm. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ll get a few drinks and be right back.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Liv asked, as soon as Beatrice had dragged Cade away. ¡°I don¡¯t trust him,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Why? Because he¡¯s been honest about what he wants?¡± Liv said. ¡°Or just because you don¡¯t like any boy who comes around me? I didn¡¯t realize adoption papers signed me up for an overprotective ass of a brother.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m an ass, when he has his arms around you in public,¡± Matthew shot back. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t done anything that would chain you to him already.¡± ¡°Or what?¡± Liv asked. ¡°What, you can run around giggling with Beatrice and, and rolling around on the ground at the fencing club, and probably kissing in the garden, but I can¡¯t have anyone? Do I have to be alone my entire life, then? I can¡¯t even try having just one person? Fuck off.¡± She¡¯d never used the words in her entire life, only heard them on the lips of castle guards at Whitehill, but in the moment they felt right. Liv stormed away from Matthew, found Triss and Cade gathering up cups of wine from a footman with a tray, and shoved her staff into Beatrice¡¯s hands. ¡°Hold this for me, will you?¡± Without even waiting for a response, Liv took Cade by the hand. ¡°Dance with me?¡± Cade grinned. ¡°I¡¯d love to.¡± There was only time to glimpse Matthew¡¯s sour face for a moment, and then Liv was spun off into the mass of dancing couples that occupied the center of the ballroom. She caught glimpses of Sidonie Corbett, in the crowd, and the Falkenraths, as well, but everything was chaos. She¡¯d learned to dance alongside Matthew, as part of Lady Julianne¡¯s lessons in etiquette. Though Liv had never imagined actually using the skill before, now she found that she thoroughly enjoyed it. They clapped their hands in lines, paraded down the aisle when it was their turn, spun about, kicked their heels, and one song bled into another until Liv was practically panting. ¡°I need a drink,¡± she gasped, and half-stumbled off the dance floor with Cade¡¯s hand in her own. ¡°Liv!¡± Beatrice called. She seemed to have claimed a small table for herself, complete with a pitcher of wine and several goblets, and had Liv¡¯s staff leaning against one of the chairs. They made their way over to her, and Liv drank an entire goblet of wine before she could catch her breath. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he left you all alone,¡± Liv asked, collapsing into a chair. Triss shook her head. ¡°We had a dance or two earlier, but Baron Henry and Lady Julianne came to collect him for his audience with the king. For what it¡¯s worth, Liv, I think he¡¯s been terrified of that, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯s sorry for how he acted. ¡°Well when he says it, perhaps I¡¯ll accept his apology,¡± Liv said, but she¡¯d mostly danced away her anger. ¡°Your father, is he here?¡± ¡°Off politicking,¡± Triss said. ¡°They¡¯ll be at it all night, I expect.¡± Liv reached over for her staff, laid her hand on it, and murmured, ¡°Cel¨­ ?n¡¯M?.¡± She allowed just a trickle of mana to shape her intent, and felt her body pleasantly cool. When she exhaled a breath, it frosted in the hot air of the ballroom. Triss shook her head. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe you,¡± she said. ¡°Did you come up with that just now, on the spot?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t very complicated,¡± Liv said. ¡°I just conjugated the word in the first person, and then put the pronoun in the Dative case to mark myself as the recipient of the magic.¡± ¡°Without making any notes, double checking your memory, or asking a tutor to look it over for errors before using potentially lethal magic on your own body,¡± Cade said, with a grin. ¡°No one does that, Liv. Maybe Master Mages. Most of us just memorize the spells that have been passed down to us by our parents. Here, do me.¡± Liv rested her hand on his arm. ¡°Celet ?n¡¯Is.¡± Cade shivered. ¡°That feels incredible,¡± he said, a breath frosting out of his mouth. ¡°But there¡¯s our point, again. You just changed the entire incantation around to use it on me. And your intent, your control over your own mana, those are the only things that stopped you from freezing me as solid as an icicle.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you trusted her enough to let her do that,¡± Triss said, shaking her head. ¡°I could cool you down too, if you like,¡± Liv offered, with a grin. ¡°There you all are,¡± Lady Julianne said, breaking into the conversation. Liv turned to see her wheeling Baron Henry over to the table, with Matthew at their side. ¡°We saw you dancing, or we would have told you we were stealing Matthew away.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Liv said. ¡°You should know that Prince Benedict called us in, when we first got here. He wants me to go north with my father, and spend a few years out of the kingdom.¡± ¡°He even offered me a seat on the small council out of the deal,¡± Cade remarked. Julianne scowled. ¡°We¡¯re going to be in back rooms for the rest of the evening,¡± she warned them. ¡°I may have dropped a bit of a surprise on everyone today. The only reason we have a moment now is that they haven¡¯t noticed we¡¯re back from the audience yet. If you want to avoid getting caught up in it, children, you may want to enjoy the rest of the night elsewhere. Our sailor friends are watching over the Black Horse, when you decide that you¡¯ve had enough. They¡¯ll take care of you.¡± Triss perked up at the mention of the rowdy inn. ¡°That place is a bit more to my tastes,¡± she admitted. ¡°It¡¯s smaller, at least,¡± Liv said. ¡°This whole thing is a bit overwhelming.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a carriage on over, then?¡± Matthew said. ¡°Liv, can I talk to you on the way out?¡± Liv nodded: she would give him the chance to apologize, and see if he took it. Julianne and Henry were already being surrounded by a knot of barons, so she took Matthew¡¯s arm and allowed him to lead her through the crowd. Cade and Beatrice walked ahead to give them a moment to speak. ¡°I was a bit of an ass,¡± Matthew said, once they were out into the hall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just don¡¯t want to see you get hurt.¡± ¡°Matthew,¡± Liv said. ¡°I don¡¯t need your protection. I would have thought the duel made that plain.¡± ¡°Maybe so,¡± he admitted. The palace guards opened the doors ahead of them, and the four young people scampered down the stairs. ¡°But I¡¯m always going to want to, anyway. Just let me know if I get too obnoxious.¡± ¡°You can be certain of that,¡± Liv said. Lady Julianne must have ordered her driver to wait for them, because it only took a moment for one of the carriages to come round. The girls climbed in first, and Cade sat beside Liv as Matthew told the driver where to go. ¡°How was your audience with the king?¡± Liv asked, once Matthew had closed the door and settled in next to Beatrice. ¡°Odd,¡± he admitted, his expression becoming pensive. ¡°He seemed very happy to see me, but Mother had to remind him who I was and why I was there. I don¡¯t think he always knows what¡¯s going on around him, anymore. And he was so frail, Liv. I know it''s not done to talk about it, but I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯ll survive much longer.¡± ¡°It was a private meeting, was it?¡± Cade asked, and Matthew nodded. ¡°That¡¯ll be taken as a signal. Public would have been a show of support for your mother.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the man is capable of supporting much of anything, the way he is,¡± Matthew said. ¡°People can think it was some sort of political maneuver, but mostly I think he just doesn¡¯t want to leave his rooms.¡± When the carriage reached the Black Horse, they all piled out. There was a girl begging outside the door, and Liv slipped a few coppers in her bowl before they all headed in. The common room was as raucous as the last time they¡¯d come, and Captain Athearn made his way over from the bar to greet them. ¡°Your mother said you might come by,¡± the mariner said, clapping Matthew on the shoulder. ¡°My boys will be here all evening. If anyone else gives you any trouble, we¡¯ll step in.¡± They thanked him, and found the table nearest the wooden stage emptied of sailors in a moment. The weather-beaten men called them over, and within moments there was a pitcher of fortified wine and four clean goblets. ¡°I like this sort of dancing better,¡± Triss shouted over the music, took Matthew by both hands, and dragged him out in front of the stage. ¡°They¡¯re both headed off to Coral Bay in the morning, aren''t they?¡± Cade asked, settling in next to Liv, close enough so that she could hear him. ¡°Five silver suns says they¡¯re either betrothed or hate each other by spring.¡± ¡°No wager,¡± Liv said, with a grin, and then her eyes caught on someone in the crowd. It puzzled her, for a moment: she was certain that she¡¯d never seen the woman before. Dark hair, with the kind of face that spoke of a hard life, the kind of person who¡¯d aged before her time. Her large, dark eyes were the prettiest thing about her, and it was odd because when the man next to her at the bar handed her a drink and made a joke, she smiled with her mouth closed. A memory stirred, of a skinny girl in a dress that didn¡¯t fit her, nearly twenty years before. ¡°Josephine?¡± Liv murmured. Matthew screamed. Liv knew it was him in a moment, and she jumped up from her seat to see him fallen to the floor, clutching his side, where a dark stain quickly spread. Beatrice was next to him in a moment, shouting for help, while a knot of sailors tackled a young man to the ground. A dagger clattered across the floor. Liv turned back to the bar, but Josephine was gone. She looked to the door, and saw the woman shoving her way through the crowd to make an escape. ¡°Get him to Mistress Trafford,¡± Liv shouted to Cade. Then, she snatched up her staff and ran for the door, ducking around the sailors on her way. She made it outside just in time to see a woman dashing down the street, and broke into a run to follow. It¡¯s her, Liv told herself, holding her skirts in one hand and her staff in the other as she ran. She tried to kill us during the eruption, and she¡¯s trying to do it again now. The thought drove her onward into the dark alleys of Freeport, following the echoes of a woman¡¯s shoes on cobblestones. 57. Pursuit Privately, Liv had always thought that much of the physical exercise she¡¯d been put through, by the castle guards at Whitehill, had been a waste of time. She was never going to be strong enough to wrestle a soldier to the ground, and she had no intention of wearing around jack of plate and carrying a polearm. But what they had taught her to do was run. All those afternoons of running around the walls with Piers at her heels, or of chasing down a wounded buck next to Emma and Master Forester came back to her now. The streets of Freeport were not the mountain slopes of the Aspen River Valley, and she¡¯d rather have been wearing just about anything other than a gown, but rust it if she was going to let Josephine get away. Ahead of Liv, the woman she¡¯d last seen during the eruption eighteen years ago careened around a corner, taking a left down a side street past a group of working men who must have been out drinking. They hooted and hollered at Josephine as she ran by them, and then swore as Liv came barreling through. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going!¡± a man with a great drooping mustache called. Liv¡¯s shoes clacked off the cobblestones, and she left them behind. They were headed downhill, and that gave her an idea. ¡°Celent Aiveh ?n''Staim!¡± Liv shouted, swiping her staff out ahead of her. She let her mana be pulled into the staff, then focused her intent on the cobblestones twenty feet in front of Josephine. A sheet of black ice spread over the surface of the street, and when the woman Liv was pursuing hit the frozen patch, her feet went out from under her. Josephine hit the stones hard, and Liv nearly caught up to her before she scrambled to her feet. Liv knew exactly where the ice was, and leapt over the patch. She swiped forward with her staff, and managed to trip Josephine before the older woman could get away. Perhaps Liv couldn¡¯t wrestle a soldier, but she didn¡¯t have to. She threw herself down on top of the fleeing woman, and they rolled across the cobblestones together. Overhead, thunder rumbled. ¡°What did you do?¡± Liv demanded. With a cry, Josephine drew a dagger from her belt and slashed. Liv had to throw herself back, and she felt a line of pain tear across her left arm. Before she could stop herself, she glanced down, and saw that the white sleeve of her dress was now red with blood. The necklace she¡¯d been given by Inkeris grew warm, then flared to life in a blaze of light. Liv had to close her eyes against the sudden brightness, and for a moment she felt as if she was standing directly in the hot summer sun, instead of on a city street at night. When the light finally died away, she had to rub spots out of her eyes with the heel of each hand. Josephine was already running, and nearly every bit of distance Liv had managed to close with her ice-slick had been lost. With a cry of frustration, Liv lurched into motion and sprinted after the other woman. She had used only the slightest bit of magic earlier, to cool herself and Cade off at the palace, and now she regretted even that. As her feet pounded down the cobblestones, past shuttered shops and their hanging signs, Liv quickly did the math. She¡¯d last been measured at sixteen rings. Two wasted at the dance, and four used to take Josephine down with the black ice, left her with only ten rings of mana to use. With her staff, perhaps three good spells. Liv¡¯s sleeve was soaked with blood, now, and she felt her head swimming every time she glanced at it. She couldn¡¯t keep chasing Josephine forever: she needed to get the wound treated. But she also wasn¡¯t willing to let the woman get away until she had some answers. Josephine skidded to a halt and threw herself into a narrow stone arch between two tenements. Liv got her foot up and managed to kick off the brick wall and dash after her, finding herself in a close, dark alley with stone walls to either side. There was refuse everywhere, and the place reeked of rotting food and fouler things. Liv wrinkled her nose and gagged as she ran: it reminded her of cleaning chamber pots when she was a young girl. The alley opened into a wider space between buildings, a rough rectangle of dark walls looming overhead, cutting off all but a glimpse of stars and the bright ring in the sky overhead. Dark clouds, lit by the ring, moved above, causing the light to dim and then brighten again as they passed. Liv saw no outlet or exit, only more piles of garbage, and Josephine, finally brought to heel and now facing her. Half a dozen gulls cried out and scattered, flying up from their cast of meals. Both women panted from the exertion of their sprint through the city streets. ¡°What did you do?¡± Liv gasped, again. The first fat drop of rain hit her face. ¡°Me? Nothin¡¯ at all,¡± Josephine said. Her words had all the markings of the lowest class accent, of growing up in the slums. ¡°Just went to watch a friend stick your boy there in ¡®is kidney. You expect e¡¯s done bleedin¡¯ out by now?¡± Liv raised her staff. ¡°Throw your knife down,¡± she demanded, through gritted teeth. ¡°And come back with me. The sheriff will want to talk to you.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, m¡¯lady,¡± Josephine said. ¡°Turns out I did have one more task. Wasn¡¯t sure it¡¯d work, but you ran right after me, all by yourself.¡± On top of the buildings surrounding the cramped courtyard, shadows moved. Liv reached over with her right hand and twisted the mages¡¯ guild ring on her left, not even waiting to see what was coming. Ice glittered in the light of the ring, rising up from her feet and arcing around her in tight curves until she was surrounded in a frozen globe. She distinctly heard the twang of half a dozen crossbows, and the chunking impact of the steel tips against ice. If Liv had hesitated even a breath, she realized, that volley would have killed her. As it was, her Ice Sphere blocked off not only her attackers, but also any view she might have had to tell her what was happening. Liv looked down at her arm. She had at least a moment to do something about the bleeding, finally. She muttered the Chirurgeon¡¯s Charm that old Master Cushing had taught her to clean a wound before going to work on it, and then she ripped strips off the bottom of her underskirt to bind the cut. As she pulled the linen tight, a great crash shook her sphere. Liv flinched from instinct, then tied off the linen as best she could. More impacts came, hitting the sphere from all sides. Had they brought hammers? That was what it sounded like. But the only reason to bring something like that was if Josephine and whoever she was working with knew what she¡¯d done the night of the duel. Liv gripped her staff in both hands as she tried to think what to do. She was safe for the moment, but sooner or later men with hammers would break through her defenses. When that happened, they¡¯d either pound her skull in with those same hammers, or duck back and let the crossbowmen on the roofs fill her full of bolts. Either way, she would be just as dead. She was an idiot for running off alone, without anyone to help her, but knowing that wasn¡¯t going to get her out of this alive. Liv reached up with her left hand to touch the necklace Inkeris had given her, and found it still warm. ¡°It will send up a signal if you are wounded, so that we can find you,¡± the ambassador had told her. If they were watching for a flare of sunlight stabbing up out of the city streets on a dark night, that meant that eventually they¡¯d find her. If she could survive until the two Elden men were close, and make enough noise, she would have help.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Wait until the men broke down her sphere? There were already cracks in the ice, and Liv doubted it would take much longer. She¡¯d have to leap out as soon as they did - but she¡¯d be surrounded either way. No, it was better to strike back while she had some protection. She could certainly thrust lances of ice out from the sphere, like she¡¯d done with her decoy in the Cotter¡¯s field. But without being able to see her enemies, she wasn¡¯t likely to hit them. Liv needed something that would hurt or stun those close by even if she missed. For a moment, she was jealous of the royal family and their word of power. Then, Liv remembered feeling ice in the clouds during the duel. There were clouds overhead right now; she¡¯d already heard the rumble of thunder and felt a drop of rain on her face. She closed her eyes, and tried to find that feeling again, that sense of what was happening so far above her. The pounding of hammers and the cracking of ice made it difficult to concentrate - but yes, there it was! Small pieces of ice, smaller than anything she¡¯d ever worked with before, moving in the clouds above. They were moving, being thrown about inside the clouds, and hitting each other. Every time the pieces of ice impacted, there was something - a power, a spark, that built up, like a flooding river. Could she make them move faster - hit each other more? Liv had no words to describe what she wanted, in that moment, but Cel stirred in the back of her mind all the same, and she reached a hand up to touch the curved roof of her shield. Mana roared through her body and into her staff, where the sigils shone so brightly that she could feel the glow burning away at her sight painfully. ¡°Cel,¡± she whispered, over and over, in a kind of chant that she hadn¡¯t even realized she¡¯d begun. High above, the ice responded. Infinitesimal specks of it careened back and forth, accelerating with every impact and bounce, and Liv felt a great swelling. More and more mana poured out of her, and through her, as wild and unrestrained as the day on the frozen river when she¡¯d saved Emma. With a great crack, a chunk of ice fell down onto Liv, scraping her face. She huddled away from the descending hammers, arm extended up. ¡°I can see ¡®er now,¡± a man¡¯s voice called. ¡°Get ¡®er out boys, get ¡®er out of there!¡± ¡°Cel,¡± Liv whispered one more time. A crash of thunder and an explosion of light became her entire world, and when the sound faded, she heard men screaming. Liv huddled in a ball among the broken remnants of her sphere of ice, and thunder rolled. Flash after flash, until she could do nothing but hold her good arm over her face, trying to get away from it. When the clouds overhead had exhausted themselves, Liv felt it. Too much of the ice was gone, now, or scattered, and she was losing the feel for it anyway. She pulled her arm away and looked down, and beneath the dim light of the ring in the sky she saw that the veins in her wrist were dark, as if they¡¯d been filled with ink. Mana sickness - Master Cushing had taught her the symptoms. But that could be dealt with later. Liv scrambled past the shards of ice, and saw the groaning and stunned bodies that filled the courtyard. She couldn¡¯t tell if she¡¯d been lucky enough to hit any of the men directly, but they certainly had been stunned by the lightning storm. The air smelled just like it had on the beach, both when she¡¯d practiced against Lady Julianne, and then after the duel with the princess. With sharp cries, gulls dove at her, and Liv scrambled back against one stone wall of the dim courtyard, trying to find shelter. ¡°Load!¡± someone screamed, and she knew the men with crossbows had survived. How much mana remained to her? Liv felt within herself, and found that she was entirely spent. The only bit of power she had left was stored within a small piece of mana-stone set into her ring. ¡°Celet¡¯he Sekis,¡± she said, and let the blade of ice form in her right hand. She had no glove to protect her skin from the cold, tonight, but Liv swung anyway when the gulls came down. She caught one of them, cutting it out of the air, but the others pecked at her arms and face. All they needed to do was hold her against the wall long enough for the crossbowmen to load and aim. The gulls flapped back up into the sky, and Liv felt blood running down her face. She hurt everywhere, from her bleeding arm to where a chunk of ice had fallen on the top of her head. At least some of the men with hammers were standing, now, and she saw Josephine among them. ¡°The birds,¡± Liv said. ¡°I know whose word controls them.¡± ¡°What you think you know don¡¯t matter,¡± Josephine said. ¡°Go ahead, kill ¡®er.¡± ¡°Savelet Aisarg ?''N?v¡¯bel!¡± A burning spear landed between Liv and the people assaulting her, sinking into the cobblestones as if they were nothing more than freshly turned loam. The spear flared bright as the sun, and Liv flinched away from it, using the distraction to throw herself to the ground and off to one side. The twang of crossbows releasing sounded, but the loosed bolts did nothing more than clatter off the wall behind her. There was the sound of stone rumbling and cracking, and then screams from the rooftops. The shining spear was already dimming in brilliance, and Liv snuck a look past it to see that the rooftops had all crumbled, dumping the crossbowman down into the courtyard. Three men stepped out from the alley. Liv recognised Inkeri and Ambassador Sakari immediately, but the last man was no one she¡¯d ever seen before. He wore travelling clothes, including a cloak and boots lined in white fur. His hair was white, as well, and long, though much of it was braided, and from the ends of the braids hung carved ornaments that looked like they were made from bone. He walked out in front of the other two, and for a moment his eyes met Liv¡¯s. They were shockingly blue, like the winter sky cracked with frost. They were the same eyes that she saw in the mirror every morning while Thora combed out her hair. ¡°Daddy?¡± Liv asked. The man clenched his fists, eyes sweeping over Josephine, the surviving men with hammers, and the fallen crossbowmen who were even now struggling to their feet. Then, light began to spill from the ornaments at the ends of his braids, and he stretched his hand out. Immediately, crystals of ice sprang forth from the ground, each as long as a grown man¡¯s leg and with edges straight as a blade. They grew in clusters, swelling in size, and spawning more and more rapidly so that they pressed back upon Liv¡¯s assailants, crowding them together in the center of the courtyard. The men began to cry out for mercy, throwing down their hammers and crossbows as a token of surrender. On the crumbled rooftops surrounding the courtyard, the gulls took wing, spiralling up until they were lost in the night sky. And yet, the crystals of ice did not cease to grow. More and more spawned, growing off like branches from the trunk of a tree, until the screams from within the knot of frozen crystals changed from calls for mercy to wails of agony. Blood sprayed up into the air, and the crystals ground together until the cries of dying men were replaced only by silence, and the innermost crystals seemed stained pink and red. Finally, the ice stopped swelling, and for a moment all was stillness. Suddenly exhausted, Liv put her back to the stone wall, and tried to loosen her fingers from the hilt of her frozen sword. They were stuck, would not come loose, and she could no longer even feel them. Keri stalked over to the ice crystals, shook his head, and then grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll have to wait until they melt to get my spear.¡± Liv, however, could only watch the man with the braided hair, who had just killed a dozen or more people as easily as she might chop onions. He turned back to her, crossed the intervening space in a few quick steps, and knelt down in front of her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know whether to believe it,¡± he admitted, and something about his voice was soothing, like being wrapped in warm blankets. The man reached down to touch Liv¡¯s sword, and it melted away like an icicle in spring. Then, hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her, folding Liv against his chest. ¡°I have a daughter,¡± Valtteri of House Syv? murmured, and Liv allowed her face to fall into the soft white fur that lined his cloak where it surrounded his neck. ¡°Daddy,¡± Liv said, unable to form any more coherent thought. She threw her arms around the father she had never met, and he was as solid as a rock, and as wonderful as a dream. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to cry. 58. Morning Liv was hardly aware of being carried away through the city. Her head hurt from the chunk of ice that had fallen on her, and she felt untethered, as if she might pass out at any moment. Her father held her cradled in his arms, and she thought of little more than how soft the white fur of his cloak was. Her right arm was held awkwardly to one side, and her hand burned painfully. The storm overhead broke, and rain came down in sheets, quickly soaking through her torn and bloody white dress. The shock of the water was enough to bring her back to awareness momentarily. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Liv mumbled. ¡°To the embassy,¡± Ambassador Sakari answered. ¡°No,¡± Liv protested. ¡°I need to know if Matthew is alive.¡± ¡°Who is she talking about?¡± her father asked. ¡°Baron Summerset¡¯s son,¡± Inkeris explained. ¡°Something like an adoptive brother to her.¡± ¡°She will need a clear mind to deal with the mana-sickness,¡± Liv¡¯s father said. ¡°Is it close?¡± ¡°This way,¡± Sakari said, and Liv closed her eyes. It was comforting to be carried: she couldn¡¯t remember the last time someone strong had simply scooped her up in their arms, so that she didn¡¯t have to worry about anything. Thunder rolled, but it didn¡¯t frighten her. The next thing Liv was aware of, they were being challenged at the gates of Acton House. She blinked, and raised her head, finding that her palm hurt less. She glanced down her arm, to where Inkeris was holding her right hand between both of his, shining with the light of a warm summer sun. Then she noticed how many guards, in how many different colors, manned the gates. There was the green and white of the Summersets, of course, but also the black and red of the Crosbies, and the black and gold of the Talbots, and even the red and gold of the Grenfells. The guards were all armored in jack of plate, with a mix of polearms and rapiers, and even a few warhammers thrown in. ¡°It¡¯s Liv,¡± a voice called, and she recognized it as Piers, the guard who¡¯d wed Sophie. ¡°Open the gates and let her in.¡± ¡°Is Matthew alive?¡± Liv shouted back to him. ¡°My daughter is hurt,¡± her father¡¯s voice rumbled. ¡°I need a quiet place to treat her.¡± The gates creaked open, and then she was being moved through the knot of armed men and into the house. ¡°It¡¯s Liv,¡± Arnold Crosbie called back into the house. ¡°Bring her this way,¡± he said. There were so many people - servants and soldiers everywhere, crowding the hallways. She got a glimpse of the library, before she was laid down upon the couch by the fire, and recognized Isaac Grenfell, Gerold Talbot, and Baron Henry in his chair by the fire. Cade Talbot rose from a chair, sleeves stained red to his elbows, but his father held him back. ¡°Is your chirurgeon here?¡± Sakari demanded. Henry shook his head. ¡°She went with my wife and Matthew.¡± ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡± Liv asked, trying to sit up and finding herself held down. The wheels of Baron Henry¡¯s chair creaked over the wood of the library floor as he maneuvered himself closer. ¡°They took him to Coral Bay,¡± he said. ¡°Through the waystone. Julianne, Master Grenfell, and Beatrice are with him.¡± ¡°You hear? The boy is safe, Livara,¡± her father said, taking her hands in his own. ¡°Clear your mind of him. Now you must heal yourself.¡± ¡°I used the charm,¡± Liv muttered. ¡°Her veins,¡± she heard Cade say. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone with veins that dark.¡± ¡°Valtteri will help her,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°She needs space and quiet. And afterward, food.¡± ¡°Come with me then, everyone,¡± Henry said. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the dining room and have food brought up. Mana-enriched?¡± he asked, but Liv didn¡¯t catch the answer. A shadow fell over her face, and she opened her eyes to see Cade leaning over her. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°For keeping him alive.¡± ¡°Come along, son,¡± Baron Talbot said, and soon the room was empty of everyone save Liv, her father, and Inkeris, who she saw take up position at the door as if to guard her from any further interruption. ¡°Livara,¡± her father said. ¡°I need you to listen to my voice, and try to do what I tell you. Can you do that for me?¡± ¡°Mmm-hmmm,¡± Liv murmured. She tried to nod her head, but it was pounding so badly that it hurt. ¡°Our Vaedic blood will help your body to recover,¡± Valtteri told her, ¡°but you are also suffering from mana-sickness. You used your magic without proper form and structure, and raw mana has spilled throughout your body. I need you to feel it, where it has collected in your arms and hands. Can you feel it?¡± Liv was used to sensing her mana deep within the core of her body, not in her extremities. Depending on how empty or full she felt, it might be confined to her chest, or extend down into her belly, as well. She searched in those places, and found only an absence. Her arms and hands, however, felt to her something like a finely marbled steak, with cords of mana running through her flesh and bone. ¡°That doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± she mumbled. ¡°No,¡± her father said. ¡°The mana has accumulated where it should not be, and it is changing your body. If you don¡¯t control it, it will twist and warp the flesh, skin and bone, causing them to spread tumors and poison throughout your body. What I need you to do is to take that mana in hand, and use it.¡± ¡°Cast a spell?¡± Liv asked. ¡°No,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Move it. Think of the mana in your body like wrinkles in fabric, and work to smooth it out. Feel the places that are wrong, and push the mana through them.¡± Liv had spent eighteen years practicing how to summon mana up from inside her, channel it down through her arms and hands into her staff, and there use it to fuel her magic. Sensing the mana was not the problem, but without a word of power to call on, there was no emptiness to fill, no suction from her staff, no draw upon her from without. She didn¡¯t know where to begin, or how to take hold. Like wrinkles in fabric, her father had said. Very well. Until coming to Acton House, Liv never had a maid. She knew how to get wrinkles out with a heated iron and steam. She shaped her intent, pressed it against her arm just below the elbow, and pushed. It was hard, like running the last lap around Castle Whitehill when she was already exhausted, and for a long moment, Liv didn¡¯t think it would work at all. She pushed so hard that she couldn¡¯t think of anything else, couldn¡¯t even make herself breathe, and then finally something moved.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Once she had made a beginning, it got easier - which was like saying that once you picked a heavy bucket of water up, walking with it was easy. Still, Liv pushed, smoothing the mana out of her muscles and veins, some inner eye watching it gather as she went. Down, down, down the forearm toward the palm in which she¡¯d grasped her sword of ice. ¡°My hand feels wrong,¡± she said. ¡°Yes. It is frost-bitten,¡± her father explained. ¡°Move the mana through it, and concentrate on making what is wrong right again.¡± Liv pushed the mana through her hand, like kneading dough for pie. There was so much wrong. Tiny crystals of ice, like the ones she¡¯d felt in the clouds, pierced all along the inside of her hand, the fingers, the thumb, where she¡¯d been frozen to the hilt of the sword. Where she directed her mana, the crystals melted, and the pierced and broken parts of her were slowly set right. It took all of her attention and awareness, and everything else faded away, leaving Liv¡¯s world entirely that of mana and the tremendous effort to move it. She couldn¡¯t have said how long she worked. First on her palm, and then, when that didn¡¯t feel wrong anymore, on the deep gash in her left arm. There was plenty of raw mana piercing her flesh in that arm, as well, though less by the time she¡¯d finished with the injury. Then, she gathered what was left of the mana in her body, and moved it up into her head, where the ice had fallen on the top of her skull. There was wrongness there, too, and only after it had gone did Liv finally stop and open her eyes. Morning light scattered through the library windows, revealing her father, sitting in a chair next to the hearth. His eyes were closed, but he opened them when Liv sat up. She looked down at her arms and hands, flexing her fingers, and felt no pain. ¡°How is this possible?¡± ¡°Our people learned how to control mana from the Vaedim themselves,¡± her father said, his voice quiet in the morning stillness. ¡°We used it for centuries, as their servants, before the war. Humans only learned how to wield magic when Tamiris gave them his gift, and they barely learned it then. Mostly, they tried to use it to win a war, and then immediately had to survive in a broken world. They¡¯re like half-trained children swinging swords about in play.¡± ¡°By the gods, I¡¯m filthy,¡± Liv realized. The fine white dress she¡¯d looked so perfect in at the masque was ripped at the skirt, bloodstained, torn, and soaked in mud. ¡°I have been informed that your servant girl will draw a bath as soon as she knows you are awake,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°There is food prepared, as well, and fresh clothing. But take a moment before you attempt to stand.¡± ¡°Are you angry with me?¡± Liv asked. ¡°What?¡± Her father frowned. ¡°Why would I be angry at you, Livara? Because you couldn¡¯t fight off two dozen armed men by yourself? You¡¯re clearly very talented, but also still a child. You should never have been put in that position in the first place.¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv said, shaking her head. ¡°Not that. Because I didn¡¯t come find you before now.¡± ¡°I am not angry with you.¡± Valtteri rose from the chair he¡¯d been sitting in, crossed the intervening space, and knelt next to the couch, where he took her hand in his. ¡°Please, believe that. I am angry with myself, for not knowing. For letting you grow up without me, when a simple message to Whitehill would have changed everything. For not ever thinking that something could come of my time with your mother. ¡°Are you angry with her?¡± ¡°I am trying not to be,¡± her father said. ¡°I want to hear what she has to say, first. It would not be fair of me to judge her actions before I understand her reasons.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know what you would be like,¡± Liv said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you would believe me, or if you would want me even if you did. And then, whether you would take me away from her.¡± For the second time, her father wrapped his arms around her, and Liv was frightened by how much she was growing to love it. ¡°I will not take you anywhere you do not wish to go,¡± he promised. ¡°But you are more than welcome at Kelthelis, if you want to come.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your home?¡± Liv asked. ¡°And yours, when you are ready,¡± her father said. ¡°It is nothing like here. Very cold, but also very beautiful. So far north there are no trees, only endless white plains of ice and snow. Your grandfather, Auris, raised a palace of ice to watch over the Tomb of Celris, and that is where we live.¡± ¡°All of ice?¡± Liv pulled back, and rubbed at her eyes. They were grainy with lack of sleep. ¡°How do you stay warm?¡± Valtteri grinned. ¡°I will show you. I will teach you everything.¡± Her belly rumbled, and he laughed, standing and offering a hand to her. ¡°Do you feel well enough to get changed and have some food? I think it will make you feel better.¡± ¡°I think I do,¡± Liv said, accepting his help to stand. ¡°And then I think that I have a lot of questions about what is happening.¡± ? Acton House remained packed full of people, many of them strangers to Liv. Thora was sent for, and Inkeris, who must have slept outside the library door all night, helped Liv¡¯s father walk her upstairs to her rooms. Both of them seemed concerned that she would tumble over at any moment, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to resent them for it after all that had happened. She drew the line at interrupting her time in the bath, however. ¡°I will meet you both downstairs,¡± Liv told them firmly. ¡°Over breakfast. When I am clean.¡± Then, she shut the door to her sitting room, and let Thora take her hair down, wipe the ruined makeup from her face, and remove her borrowed jewelry. The dress was utterly ruined, and they balled it up on the floor to be disposed of. By the time she was ready to slide into the tub, it was full of steaming hot water, and Liv couldn¡¯t help but let out a groan of relief once she¡¯d settled in. Whatever her father had taught her to do with mana, it hadn¡¯t soothed all the lesser aches and bruises accumulated during her chase through the streets of Freeport, her tussle with Josephine, and the fight that followed. It was only after her hair had been thoroughly brushed, her body scrubbed clean, and finally Liv had dressed in one of her plainer gray dresses, that she descended the stairs and made her way to the dining room. She¡¯d found her staff leaning in the corner of her sitting room, and took it down with her more convinced than ever that she needed a wand. At the table, she found an enormous breakfast laid out, and every chair occupied, with so many people crowding the room that some of them were standing, eating with their plates held in one hand. When Liv entered, everyone but Baron Henry stood to greet her. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re alright,¡± Cade told her, just before Lady Julianne swept Liv up in a hug. ¡°You brave, foolish girl,¡± she said. ¡°Running off like that. What if we¡¯d lost you?¡± ¡°Matthew?¡± Liv asked her, once she¡¯d been released. ¡°Safe at Coral Bay,¡± Julianne explained. ¡°I just got back from the waystone. He¡¯s in the infirmary with Professor Annora, and Beatrice is there to make certain he doesn¡¯t push himself.¡± Liv felt like she was finally able to release a breath she¡¯d been holding since the night before. ¡°Here,¡± Cade told her. ¡°Take my seat.¡± He pulled out a chair, and Liv sat. In moments, a plate full of hot sausages and eggs was placed before her. With her first bite, Liv realized the sausages must have been made from mana-rich venison. A rush of energy filled her body with every bite, and she expected she would be ready to cast a new Ice Sphere once she¡¯d finished with breakfast. ¡°Why are so many people here?¡± Liv asked in between bites. ¡°Easier for them to pick us off one by one than to strike when we¡¯re together,¡± Arnold Crosbie said. ¡°You speak as if we¡¯re already at war,¡± Baron Talbot shot back. ¡°It hasn¡¯t gone that far yet.¡± ¡°They tried to kill my daughter,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°So far as I am concerned, that is more than enough cause for war. Livara, you said something about the gulls, just as we reached you. What did you mean?¡± ¡°I meant it was the queen, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Liv asked, pausing with her fork raised. ¡°House Sherard¡¯s word lets them control birds, and the gulls were watching everything. And then they swooped down to attack me as a distraction. Who else could, or would, do that? Lady Julianne said the queen had tried to kill her before, and the girl I chased was the same one in Whitehill, when the castle shutters were opened during the eruption.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no proof, though,¡± Isaac Grenfell pointed out. ¡°Everyone who attacked her is dead, and the boy that knifed Matthew only knew he¡¯d been paid enough gold not to ask any questions. None of this would be enough for a majority of the great council to side with us.¡± ¡°Go to the king,¡± Cade suggested. ¡°Put it before him. He¡¯d have to listen to his own daughter, wouldn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°The king hardly knows what¡¯s happening around him on a good day,¡± Henry said. ¡°And if he did listen, that wouldn¡¯t be the end of it. If he sided with us against his own wife and heir, that would be war.¡± ¡°We go to the palace,¡± Julianne said. ¡°If you go alone they¡¯ll kill you,¡± Baron Henry protested. ¡°Not alone,¡± his wife replied. ¡°We have four barons, a Master Mage of the guild, and the Eldish Ambassador. That¡¯s too many to kill out of hand. They¡¯ll have to meet with us.¡± ¡°I cannot take sides in a succession crisis here,¡± Ambassador Sakari said. ¡°It is one thing to protect Liv when she¡¯s in danger, but if I went with you, I would drag my people into this mess.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go in your place, then,¡± Liv¡¯s father said. ¡°And they had better pray to the Trinity I don¡¯t simply pull their palace down on their heads and call it justice.¡± 59. Palaver ¡°May I make a suggestion?¡± Master Grenfell spoke up. ¡°I understand and sympathize with the urge to kick the doors of the palace down and drag someone into the streets for justice,¡± he said. ¡°But if we are truly seeking a resolution that does not pull the entire kingdom into civil war, it might benefit us to have someone there powerful and respected enough for both sides to listen to.¡± ¡°You have someone in mind,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°Archmagus Loredan.¡± There was a moment of quiet while everyone considered the master mage¡¯s suggestion. ¡°My uncle has long since removed himself from family politics,¡± Julianne said. ¡°But that could actually work to our advantage. If he is perceived as somewhat neutral, while also obviously having a vested interest in not only the good of the kingdom, but his family not killing each other¡­¡± ¡°Do it,¡± Henry said, and the other barons nodded in turn. ¡°Reach out to him, Kazimir. In the meanwhile, we continue to act defensively. No one leaves until a meeting is arranged; if they want to come after any of us, they will have to fight all of us.¡± Much of the day passed in restless waiting. The guards, at least, had been organized into shifts and patrols and watches, and Liv felt a little bit jealous of them for having something to do. Ambassador Sakari departed the house once breakfast was done, to return to the embassy and make a statement of his neutrality by doing so. He promised to have Inkeris¡¯ spear delivered to Acton house as soon as the gruesome ice crystals left by Liv¡¯s father had melted. Apparently, during the night, while Liv had been using mana to heal her body, they¡¯d set an Elden guard on the court where the fight had taken place just to retrieve it. With Matthew and Triss already at Coral Bay, Liv and Cade were left as the only two young people present, and it was an oddly empty feeling. In a very short time, Liv had gotten used to having a crowd of other people close to her own age around, whether as guests at the table, or laughing and dancing at the Black Horse. She knew that in the strictest of terms none of them actually were her age, but they felt more like it than grown humans. The absence was compensated by the presence of her father, and even thinking the phrase held a tinge of dreamlike unreality to it. For her entire life, Liv had wondered what it would be like to have a father, and now she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to do in his presence. So, she asked questions. ¡°You¡¯re certain they¡¯ll want me?¡± she repeated, for at least the third time. The sun had never come out, and the back garden had been judged too exposed to defend properly in any case, so they were in the library. Between the warmth of the fire in the hearth, a cup of tea cradled in her hands, and the sound of rain falling outside, Liv could almost have forgotten about all the danger. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up among humans,¡± her father began. ¡°And so, your perspective will naturally have been shaped by that. The V?dim bred two races of slaves, for two different purposes. Humans were for hard labor. They weren¡¯t designed to last long, because they would end up sick and injured anyway. Whether it was lost at sea while fishing, or killed in a collapsing mine, they were intended to die and be quickly replaced. As a result, humans are designed to reproduce quickly, to mature quickly, and to die quickly. The Vakansa were not. If you spend years training a singer to entertain your guests, you want her to last a while. We are not nearly so fertile as humans are, and we mature more slowly so that we could be trained in specialized duties over the course of many years. They didn¡¯t send us to the mines: they taught us to paint their portraits, or dance.¡± ¡°All of which is to say that our children are very rare. Keri, there,¡± Valtteri said, nodding to the younger Elden man, ¡°was incredibly blessed to have a child with his kwenim in only a few short years.¡± ¡°Kwenim?¡± Liv asked. ¡°The closest word humans have is ¡®wife,¡± Inkeris said, from the desk where he was leafing through a book. ¡°Though that isn¡¯t entirely accurate.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be Kwenia, then?¡± Liv asked. ¡°It¡¯s symbolic,¡± Liv¡¯s father explained. ¡°To make the word singular would be to imply there would be only one. We want to remind our people that taking a single partner does not close the heart to what else may come.¡± ¡°This goes back to what you and the Ambassador said before, about living so long,¡± Liv said, looking to Inkeris. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like how humans do things.¡± She turned back to her father. ¡°Are you going to tell me I shouldn¡¯t be courting a human, like they did?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known you less than a day,¡± Valterri told her, with a smile. ¡°I thought I might wait until at least a week had gone by before criticizing your choices. Perhaps a season before our first argument.¡± Liv laughed, but before she could ask another question, the door opened. Cade stepped into the room. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re getting the carriages ready now.¡± Inkeris and Valterri rose immediately, but Liv waited for Cade to walk over and give her a hand up. She didn¡¯t need his help to stand, of course, even after everything she¡¯d been through the night before, but she was finding that she enjoyed the gestures. Courting permitted a great deal of touching that would otherwise be inappropriate, often concealed in the forms of etiquette. It was like a game, played out in plain sight, but she still often felt as if she was getting away with something improper. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve neglected you,¡± she told him as they walked out into the hall. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize,¡± Cade said. ¡°If I had a chance to talk to my mother, I can only imagine how it would feel. I¡¯m happy for you.¡± Thora had brought Liv¡¯s winter cloak from her rooms, and she kept the hood up to ward off the rain when she stepped out of the house. ¡°Is this you?¡± she called to Lady Julianne, having to raise her voice to be heard over the driving rain. ¡°They¡¯ll have a hard time gathering troops in a downpour,¡± the baron¡¯s wife shouted back with a grin. ¡°No crossbows. And it will make calling lightning easier.¡± Liv noticed that Julianne had her bone wand again, and gripped her own staff tightly. She ended up in a carriage with her father, Cade, and Inkeris. With the thunder rumbling overhead, and the wind whipping about, Liv felt badly for the guards who rode alongside their procession. When they reached the palace, ranks upon ranks of armed palace guards awaited them, standing at attention in front of the steps. Water streamed down their helmets, their polearms, and their faces. Even with her cloak, Liv found herself shivering by the time they were escorted inside. With a muttered incantation from Baron Henry, all of the water fell out of their cloaks, leaving the party dry again. She¡¯d only ever been to the palace twice before, once in the gardens, and once the ballroom, so it was no surprise that they were led to rooms that Liv had never seen before. There was a long table with ornate chairs surrounding it, in a room hung with tapestries. Prince Benedict sat in a chair at the far end, flanked by Princess Milisant and an older blonde woman that Liv didn¡¯t recognize. The Royal Court Mage, Genevieve Arundell, was there, as well as Baron Howe and a few men dressed like merchants. The Archmagus, who Liv had seen at the conclave of the mages¡¯ guild, stood at the center of the table. Julianne immediately moved to the chair opposite where Benedict sat, claiming the foot of the table for herself, and the others grouped up around her. ¡°I must say, I was surprised to receive your message, Master Grenfell,¡± Caspian Loredan said. His voice easily filled the chamber. ¡°And disappointed. This is not how family should behave.¡± The archmage did not take a seat. ¡°I agree, Uncle,¡± Julianne said. ¡°My son was stabbed in the back, and nearly died. My ward was ambushed by crossbowmen and men armed with hammers. I¡¯ve survived enough attempts on my own life to be used to it by now, Benedict, but attacking the children crosses a line.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you will believe me if I tell you that I ordered neither of these things,¡± the prince said. ¡°If the queen is having people assassinated without your knowledge, I don¡¯t think much of your ability to hold the kingdom together after our father is gone,¡± Julianne shot back. ¡°Milisant,¡± Benedict said, turning to his daughter. ¡°It was my grandmother who told me to get into a duel with her,¡± the princess said, nodding her head in Liv¡¯s direction. ¡°She told me it would be an easy win, and stop you from coming after us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never tried to take your inheritance, Benedict,¡± Julianne said, raising her voice. ¡°I just want her to stop.¡± ¡°Let us say for a moment that I believe you,¡± Benedict said. ¡°I didn¡¯t, as a child, but I have come to think a large part of that was simply due to my mother constantly whispering in my ear. You don¡¯t want to be queen. Why the play for duchess, then? And how did you get the Falkenraths to go along with it?¡± ¡°That was simple enough,¡± Julianne said. ¡°It gave them a way not to get dragged into this fight right here. It separates us.¡± ¡°Niece,¡± Archmagus Loredan broke in, ¡°are you willing to accept your cousin¡¯s word that he was not behind the attempted assassination of your son?¡± ¡°Do you have House Sherard¡¯s word?¡± Liv asked, then immediately flinched as everyone looked at her. She felt as if she¡¯d dropped a very expensive plate in the middle of the kitchen. ¡°It would prove what he says, wouldn¡¯t it? Those birds attacked me. If none of you can control them, it must have been the queen, or someone else in her side of the family.¡± ¡°You would still only have my word,¡± Benedict countered. ¡°No,¡± his uncle said. ¡°It is possible to reveal which words of power a person has imprinted. And I suspect,¡± continued the Archmagus, turning to regard Liv¡¯s father, ¡°I am not even the only person in this room who could do so.¡± ¡°You are not,¡± Valterri said. ¡°If you and I both examine them, there will be no question of the truth. That will still not settle the matter of that girl trying to kill my daughter,¡± he told them, pointed at Princess Milisant. ¡°We can come back to that in a moment.¡± Archmagus Loredan raised a hand, inviting Liv¡¯s father to join him. Together, the two men rounded the table. ¡°Your hands,¡± the mage demanded. ¡°You first, nephew.¡± Benedict extended both his hands, allowing his uncle to take one and Liv¡¯s father to take the other. Liv felt something happen: she couldn¡¯t have explained what, exactly, but it was undeniable. Like the way air in a room stirred when you opened a window. Valterri shook his head. ¡°Luc, Ve and Ven. I don¡¯t sense any trace of Avi.¡± ¡°The original marriage contract specified only that father could learn the word,¡± Benedict said. ¡°Not her children.¡± ¡°Ven?¡± Julianne asked, raising her eyebrows, and the blonde woman at the prince¡¯s side stirred. ¡°That is from my family,¡± she said. ¡°Millie, dear, give Uncle Caspian your hand. Would you all like me to be examined, as well?¡± ¡°It would be best, Princess Artemesia,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°For surety.¡± The entire room waited while Benedict¡¯s wife and daughter were checked in turn, to the same results. ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± Archmagus Loredan asked Lady Julianne, once he had returned to his seat and Liv¡¯s father had walked back to take a place at her side. ¡°Satisfied? No,¡± Julianne said. ¡°These children were still attacked. If it was the queen who gave the order, then it is the queen who must pay for it.¡± ¡°No one is dead,¡± Benedict protested. ¡°A score of corpses would argue with that,¡± Valterri remarked. ¡°No one of consequence,¡± the prince continued. ¡°Attempted murder is still a crime,¡± Baron Talbot spoke up. ¡°Unless you are arguing that the queen is above that. I suspect the great council would not agree.¡± ¡°Would you have me execute my own mother?¡± Benedict shot back. ¡°Imprison her,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Put her on some island, with guards to keep her there. Let her gulls be her only company, while she withers away like the miserable old hag she is.¡± ¡°If I agree to this,¡± Benedict said, pronouncing the words very slowly, ¡°I want you to cede any future claim that you or your descendants might make, in perpetuity. I want you to go back north to your mountains, and never come to the capital again. If I find you in Freeport, I will consider it an act of rebellion. If I learn you¡¯ve raised a banner, I¡¯ll come for you with the kingdom at my back.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like nothing more than to leave this rotten city behind,¡± Julianne said. ¡°My son and Liv, and any of their descendants, must be permitted to attend college at Coral Bay. And I want your guarantee of their safety, Benedict.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t send anyone to kill them,¡± the prince began, but Lady Julianne broke in and stopped him. ¡°Not just you,¡± she said. ¡°Anyone. If Matthew dies in the Tidal Rift with a knife in his back, I will blame you. If a bolt of lightning falls on Liv in the middle of a storm, I will blame you. If either of those two children die, whatever accident or mischance it appears to be, you will answer for it.¡± She raised her hand, and thunder rumbled outside the palace. ¡°The fact that he taught you that word,¡± Benedict said, ¡°was part of what convinced my mother he favored you. You haven¡¯t taught your son, have you?¡± Julianne shook her head. ¡°Do we have an agreement?¡± Archmagus Loredan asked. ¡°Julianne will return north. She will be recognized as Duchess, and her descendants permitted to learn at Coral Bay. She will not return to Freeport in her lifetime, nor raise an army save in defense of the kingdom¡¯s northern border. She will pay the same taxes, and hold the same rights, as any duke. The Queen will be imprisoned and exiled; I have some thoughts as to which island, and a few steps that might be taken to ensure she will never leave. And there will be peace.¡± ¡°I want Valegard,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Baron Crosbie has already agreed. And the right to appoint barons of my own, to join him.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Benedict said, with a sigh. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet heard how that girl will pay for trying to kill my daughter,¡± Valterri said, placing a hand on Liv¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Dueling is not illegal,¡± Prince Benedict said. ¡°Your daughter could have refused.¡± ¡°And I can pull my house¡¯s agreements with your guilds,¡± Liv¡¯s father responded. ¡°No more cold storage for transporting food. How would your people respond to that, I wonder? Would there be riots? The guilds would lose a great deal of money, I imagine.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Benedict asked. ¡°That set of rings and the bracelet,¡± Liv said. ¡°Linked by chains, with the mana-stones in them.¡± ¡°If you need Aluthet''Staia, I can buy it for you,¡± her father said. Liv shook her head. ¡°It isn¡¯t that. Everyone who has ever seen the princess duel knows that it¡¯s hers. When they see me wear it, they¡¯ll all know who it came from. It makes a point.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Benedict said. ¡°It will be at Acton House this evening. And your family, sister, will depart tomorrow.¡± ¡°We depart after the council has recognized my title,¡± Julianne said. ¡°And the queen?¡± ¡°Have her brought in now,¡± Archmagus Loredan said, and Benedict nodded to one of the guards. ¡°I will explain it to my brother, but not this evening. It isn¡¯t one of his good days.¡± The room waited in awkward silence until the guards returned, with little more than the creak of a chair to break the stillness. Benedict and Julianne kept their eyes locked on each other, as if for either one to look away would be a sign of weakness, inviting attack. When the door of the chamber swung open again, it revealed an old woman with a guard at either arm. She wore a dress in black and purple cloth, with gold embroidery, and a matching veil. ¡°Benedict,¡± she began, ¡°what is it-¡± Liv could tell the moment the queen saw Julianne, because the old woman froze. ¡°What is that bastard girl doing here,¡± the old woman hissed. ¡°It¡¯s an insult. Your father should have never permitted her in the palace.¡± Lady Julianne¡¯s chair scraped against the floor as she pushed it aside and stood. ¡°Stepmother,¡± she said, turning to face the queen and approaching until she was within arm¡¯s length. ¡°You will address me properly,¡± the queen spat. ¡°I thought I¡¯d managed to teach you that, at least.¡± ¡°Tell her,¡± Julianne said, glancing back at Benedict. ¡°You are hereby under arrest, Mother,¡± the prince said. ¡°You are accused of conspiracy to commit murder twice over, first upon Matthew Summerset, and secondly upon Livara T?r Valtteri. You will be imprisoned for the remainder of your natural life.¡± ¡°It is a lie,¡± the queen said. ¡°If it is a lie,¡± Julianne said, ¡°then perhaps you would like to name someone else with the Sherard word of power who is guilty in your place?¡± The old woman set her mouth, and refused to speak. ¡°Take her away,¡± Benedict said. ¡°And let us be done with this mess.¡± 60. The House of Syv? Slight Trigger Warning (In Spoiler Tags for those who like to avoid them): Nothing graphic, but there is some reference to HOW the Eld got Vaedic blood, and it''s about what you''d expect from a relationship between slavers and the people they have enslaved. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem very upset to be imprisoning his mother,¡± Liv observed, following Lady Julianne into the first carriage, along with Baron Henry and her father. ¡°In fact, it didn¡¯t feel like he gave us much trouble at all.¡± ¡°Pull the door closed while they load the chair,¡± Henry said, and Liv followed his instructions. ¡°Benedict doesn¡¯t get upset,¡± Julianne said. ¡°If he does, you can be certain that its because appearing upset gets him something. Think about it, Liv. What did he get out of this?¡± ¡°Well, he gets peace,¡± Liv said. ¡°And not just with you, but with my father, as well. The guilds get to keep their contract.¡± ¡°That is only keeping what he already had,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°What has changed?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a third duchy. But how does that help him?¡± ¡°Two smaller duchies in the place of one larger means they each pose less of a threat to his power,¡± Julianne explained. ¡°It¡¯s to our benefit, or I wouldn¡¯t have pushed for it. I expect that as the years pass, we¡¯ll find anyone who disagrees with Benedict will gravitate to us. We can use that manpower, and the lure of new baronies, to develop the north. What else has changed, Liv?¡± ¡°Other than his mother being exiled to an island, I don¡¯t see anything,¡± she complained. ¡°There it is,¡± her father told her. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Liv was confused. ¡°He wanted his mother gone?¡± ¡°With her out of the way, and my father unwell, Benedict is effectively king. He no longer needs to worry about his mother splitting his power base or working for her own aims,¡± Lady Julianne explained. ¡°He won¡¯t be blamed for moving against her, because he has a crime to lay at her feet. And with a public declaration that I¡¯m relinquishing any rights of succession, he will now be utterly unopposed.¡± ¡°It sounds like we just lost,¡± Liv said. ¡°Only if you thought winning meant Julianne sitting on the throne,¡± Henry explained. ¡°Which was never what we wanted. We wanted assurances of safety for you and Matthew, and a greater degree of independence for Whitehill.¡± ¡°Benedict is smarter than his mother ever was,¡± Julianne said. ¡°He¡¯ll leave us be unless we give him a reason not to. In the meanwhile, we aren¡¯t forced into a war we can¡¯t win. Victory for us has always been about survival, Liv. As long as we¡¯re still here, we¡¯re winning.¡± ¡°Did he plan it, then?¡± Liv demanded. ¡°Did he set his own mother up?¡± ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll ever know that for certain,¡± Henry said. ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°If she didn¡¯t give the order, then it isn¡¯t really justice, is it?¡± Liv complained. ¡°No. It¡¯s politics.¡± Julianne slumped back against the cushioned bench, looking rather exhausted. ¡°I don¡¯t think I like it,¡± Liv decided. ? As promised, the princess¡¯ bracelet and ring set arrived that evening, in a fine box of polished cherry-wood. Thora brought it up to Liv¡¯s room, where they examined it together. ¡°The stones are all dull,¡± the lady¡¯s maid said. ¡°Not like the one you have.¡± ¡°She probably emptied it of mana before sending it over,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to experiment to see how much it can hold. When I¡¯ve filled the stones up, they¡¯ll look like you¡¯re used to.¡± Careful to avoid twisting it, Liv removed her guild ring from her left hand and put it on the ring finger of her right hand. It turned out that Princess Millie¡¯s fingers were just a little bit thicker than Liv¡¯s, but once she¡¯d gotten the bracelet and the last ring on, the entire set of jewelry shuddered for just a moment and then shrank until it fit her perfectly. ¡°This feels very odd,¡± Liv remarked, holding her hand up and turning it around to watch the silver chains sparkle in the light of the oil lamps. ¡°Let¡¯s see then¡­¡± Carefully, she pushed mana into the large stone set in the middle of the golden bracelet. The faintest spark of blue and gold lit inside the polished gray rock, flickered, and grew, like coals flaring when someone blew on them. By the time Liv had all six stones in the set lit, she¡¯d emptied half the mana she could hold. ¡°Call it eight rings,¡± she declared. ¡°That is a bit ridiculous, isn¡¯t it? Master Grenfell said there are people going to Coral Bay who only graduate being able to hold nine.¡± ¡°A normal person like me can¡¯t hold any, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora pointed out. Liv shook her head. ¡°Actually, you¡¯re probably holding one right now, but you¡¯ve never been trained to use it. With something like this, Thora, you¡¯d have as much power as a journeyman mage. It just feels so unfair, when you think about it. The princess didn¡¯t work for this magic: she bought it. And she killed girls in duels not because she was better than them, but because she had more money, and she could get away with it.¡± ¡°And now it¡¯s yours, so I hope you¡¯ll put it to better use,¡± Thora said. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on wearing it to bed though, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Liv grinned, and began to work the rings off. ¡°A single ring is one thing, but this is too much. I¡¯d catch it on my pillow or pinch myself or something.¡± ? While Baron Henry and Lady Julianne attended the third day of the great council - they¡¯d missed the second, while everyone was holed up in Acton House - Liv tried to stay out of the way. Thora and the rest of the servants, under First Footman Archibald¡¯s direction, were busily engaged in packing up everything that would be taken back to Whitehill. Liv¡¯s clothing, save the dress she was wearing and one for the next day, along with a spare shift to sleep in, had already been carefully folded and stowed in her trunk. Thora, she had learned, would be coming back to Whitehill with them, to continue her duties as a lady¡¯s maid. Liv wasn¡¯t certain how she felt about that: only a month before, she would have said she didn¡¯t need anyone to help her dress, but now she¡¯d gotten used to it. And she liked Thora: she was certain that she¡¯d miss the girl if they left her behind. She spent most of her day down on the beach, with Master Grenfell and her father, huddled inside her winter cloak against the cold wind off the ocean. There was a hint of winter in the air, and back home, the harvest must have already been brought in. ¡°My goal was to teach her flexibility,¡± Grenfell explained. They¡¯d each found a piece of driftwood to sit on. ¡°Most students, even noble-born children with tutors, only get perhaps a decade of tutoring before going to Coral Bay. V?dic is a challenging language by itself, but they also need to learn principles of grammar, usually from the ground up. Knowing that Liv had decades to work with, I thought it would be a better foundation for her to master grammar than to try learning a second or third word of power.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been told,¡± Liv¡¯s father said, ¡°it paid off. You won your duel because your depth of knowledge and practice with Cel allowed you to both attack and defend, surprising your opponent with things she never expected you to be able to do.¡± ¡°Princess Milisant, on the other hand,¡± Grenfell said, ¡°essentially only used a single spell, repeatedly. Supplemented by enchanted devices that gave her access to more mana, and the ability to speed up and enhance that specific spell. She had one trick, and when it didn¡¯t work, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t feel like a foregone conclusion at the time,¡± Liv said, kicking at the sand with her shoes. ¡°If you¡¯re determined to go to college at Coral Bay in a few years,¡± Valtteri said, ¡°you¡¯ll learn a second word there. Aluth is a solid choice; I have no objections. And the opportunity of learning this other word-¡± ¡°Cei,¡± Liv supplied. ¡°It¡¯s too good of a chance to pass up.¡± Her father considered, and the wind caught up his braids, making a clacking sound as the bone charms woven into them hit each other. ¡°Those words will be more difficult, Liv. Cel is something you inherited, and it seems to come to you instinctually. You should never have been able to use it to call lightning, at your level of skill. And learning two words in quick succession will take even more work. If you are willing, what I would like to teach you are the things about the word you already know that could take you decades to fumble through on your own. A thousand years of trial and error, passed down from generation to generation.¡± Liv nodded. ¡°There¡¯s so much I don¡¯t understand,¡± she admitted. ¡°What you did was mind-boggling, but I can see how it¡¯s possible with the right intent and enough mana. But then the stories I¡¯ve heard about my aunt don¡¯t even make sense. She used a sword of ice, right? But when I do that, I nearly freeze my hands off if I¡¯m not wearing padded gloves. And then how did she control five?¡± ¡°I can teach you,¡± her father promised. ¡°The chief question is where. You¡¯ve already said that you don¡¯t want to leave your mother behind. Would it be alright with you if I lived at Whitehill for a few years, Livara?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d like that.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but smile at the thought. ¡°In the castle, or in town? Will - will it be alright, between you and my mother?¡± ¡°Those are things that you don¡¯t need to worry about,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°I will speak with Lady Julianne and Baron Henry, first, and then I will speak with Margaret. If they would be more comfortable with a bit of distance, I will buy or rent a home in town. Our family has an account with the bankers guild. In fact,¡± he decided, looking over to Master Grenfell, ¡°I¡¯d like to take her over to their guild hall and have Livara given access to family funds.¡± Grenfell considered. ¡°We seem to have averted open conflict,¡± he said. ¡°But I think it would be prudent to travel with an escort. I¡¯d hate to have some sort of trouble just before we¡¯re all set to leave. Let me go up and get a carriage ready.¡± The older mage winced as he stood up, and then set off up the stone steps toward Acton House. ¡°Will you travel with us, then?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Through the waystone?¡± ¡°I will,¡± her father said. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been to Whitehill, but my memories from there are good ones. Your mother was kind to me at a time when I very much needed that.¡± ¡°Your sister,¡± Liv said. ¡°My aunt. When we have time, can you tell me about her? And about your parents - I don¡¯t even know who all is in our family.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Her father stood. ¡°Perhaps not as many as you might expect,¡± he began, waiting for her to get up and walk at his side. "Our beginning was not a happy one. Some of the V?dim took lovers among their slaves, and supposedly a few of those relationships were even warm ones. B?lris and his lover were like that, if you take young Inkeris and his family at their word. But not Celris.¡± ¡°I noticed that his house is named after B?lris,¡± Liv commented, taking her time up the bluff. ¡°But our family isn¡¯t - it isn¡¯t the House of Celris, I mean.¡± ¡°No.¡± Valtteri shook his head. ¡°By all accounts, Celris was a cruel master. He did not take lovers, he merely sated himself on whatever slaves caught his eye. The last of those was a young woman named Syv?, and by the time the war began she was pregnant with Celris¡¯ child.¡± ¡°He raped her,¡± Liv realized. ¡°Which is why we honor her, and not him,¡± Valtteri confirmed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t deserve to have his memory honored. Syv? was my grandmother, but unlike her children, she had no V?dic blood herself. She passed about four centuries after the war, leaving my father, Auris, to take her place on the council of elders.¡± ¡°How old is your father?¡± Liv asked. They¡¯d reached the top of the bluff, and the guards opened the gate to let them into the back garden. ¡°Over twelve hundred years old,¡± Valtteri told her. ¡°He is half V?dim, and on top of that sustains himself on the dense mana from the rift at the Tomb of Celris. But even he will not last forever, Livara, and he has been growing frail for many years. I think he would like to meet you, before he passes from the world. My older sister was meant to be his heir, and he loved her very much. You look so much like her - I think it would be a comfort to him.¡± ¡°Maybe we could visit?¡± Liv suggested. ¡°It is very far north,¡± her father said. ¡°But we have time before you go to Coral Bay. I believe we could make that happen, yes.¡± By the time they reached the front of the house, Master Grenfell was waiting with a carriage and two guards on horseback. In Whitehill, they¡¯d never needed guards just to move about in town, but now Liv found that she didn¡¯t think only two men would be enough. She kept her staff close to hand for the entire ride, but with everything that had happened, she still couldn¡¯t feel safe. However, the carriage made its way across the city of Freeport without incident, to the same neighborhood where the mages¡¯ guild hall was located. ¡°Are all the guildhalls together?¡± Liv asked. ¡°They are, and it took some doing to find a lot for sale when we were granted our royal charter,¡± Grenfell explained. ¡°The difficulties of coming along late, I suppose. Here we are.¡± The guildhall of the Most Noble Bankers Guild was fronted by columns of white marble, and Liv saw a steady stream of people both coming and going through the massive double doors. There were guards there, though they seemed to do little but watch those who passed. Liv¡¯s father led the way inside, and before long they¡¯d been ushered into a quiet office where they were served tea, as well as slices of a very moist cake made with cinnamon from Lendh ka Dakruim. ¡°It is always a pleasure to welcome a member of the House of Syv?,¡± a woman in the plain gray dress of a merchant said, after Liv¡¯s father had put his hand to a plate of enchanted metal and given his name. Liv was amazed at how painted the banker¡¯s face was: she didn¡¯t think she could see a single sliver of natural skin beneath the powder, rouge, and kohl. ¡°I wish to grant my daughter access to the house account,¡± Valtteri declared, while Liv spread fresh butter on her piece of cinnamon cake. She could tell there was no mana in it, but the treat smelled wonderfully all the same. ¡°Of course,¡± the banker said. How did she manage to keep that broad smile, even while she was talking? ¡°Your name, dear?¡± The woman pushed the enchanted metal plate across the table to Liv. ¡°Mmm.¡± Liv swallowed her bite of cake, then set her palm down on the metal. ¡°Livara T?r Valtteri Kaen Syv?,¡± she said. ¡°What would happen if I was lying?¡± ¡°The sigils would light red,¡± the banker told her. ¡°Would you like to set a limit on your daughter¡¯s ability to withdraw funds, Lord Valtteri?¡± ¡°Call it five crowns in a month,¡± Liv''s father decided, after a moment. ¡°That should be enough to get you out of trouble, if you ever need it. This is for emergencies, mind you.¡± Liv coughed, spraying crumbs everywhere. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how I would spend that much money,¡± she admitted. ¡°You haven¡¯t asked Lady Julianne how much she¡¯s paid for all those new dresses, have you?¡± Master Grenfell asked, with a smile. ¡°Make certain that your people in Whitehill and Coral Bay have her added as quickly as possible,¡± Valtteri instructed. ¡°Oh, and Al''Fenthia. Everywhere else is less urgent.¡± ¡°Of course, my lord,¡± the banker said. ¡°Is there anything else we can help you with, today?¡± Liv¡¯s father thought for a moment. ¡°When you contact the Whitehill hall, inform them that I may be purchasing property there in the near future, and I would appreciate it if they were prepared.¡± When they left the bankers¡¯ guild, Liv¡¯s pocket was five gold crowns heavier, at her father¡¯s insistence. ¡°Better to have it, in case you need it,¡± he told her, and then they piled back into the carriage. By the time they¡¯d arrived back at Acton House, Lady Julianne and Baron Henry had returned, and the entire building was a mad-house with all the packing. Liv gathered that there¡¯d been no further surprises at the council, and the plan to leave in the morning was unchanged. That left her with only one thing to do. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the morning,¡± she told her father, giving him a quick hug. Valtteri would be staying the night at the embassy. In the morning, he would collect the few things he¡¯d brought to Freeport, and meet them for the trip across Freeport to the waystone. Liv slipped through the house and out to the garden, avoiding all the commotion, and from there down the stairs to the beach, with one of the guards posted at the garden gate trailing behind her. She turned left and walked along the strand, keeping high enough up the beach so that her shoes didn¡¯t get wet in the surf. She walked until she recognized the lower bluffs, and turned up the trail that led to the Talbots¡¯ menagerie and practice yard. Liv walked between the cages, then straight up to the back door, where she raised her hand and knocked. 61. Steria When the Talbots¡¯ back door swung open, it did not reveal either Cade or his father, but instead a woman dressed in the plain skirt, apron, and cap of a maid. ¡°Please tell Cade that I¡¯m in back,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady,¡± the maid said, made a curtsy, and disappeared back into the house. Liv wandered about the practice yard for a moment, and wondered if there might not have still been a small piece of garden, with a bench to sit on, if his mother had survived. It was growing quite chilly as the sun descended, but she preferred the cold to Baron Talbot. ¡°Liv!¡± Cade called, rushing out the back door. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you. Is everything well?¡± She nodded. ¡°Yes, I think so. Only, we¡¯re leaving to go back to Whitehill in the morning, and I wanted to say goodbye to you before we did.¡± ¡°We¡¯re staying for however long the council lasts,¡± Cade complained. ¡°Though I expect all the most exciting parts have already happened. Duchess Julianne was confirmed in her new station today, and renewed her pledge of fealty to her father. There will be a good bit more discussion about the Eldish blood cult, but the Archmagus announced the mages¡¯ guild is sending two expeditions to Varuna.¡± ¡°Yes, we talked about that a bit at the conclave,¡± Liv recalled. ¡°If we were older, we could go.¡± ¡°Would you want to?¡± Cade asked. ¡°A lot of people never come back from those jungles.¡± ¡°I think I would,¡± Liv said. ¡°Someday. I feel involved, already. And there¡¯s someone that I want to track down, and ask a few questions. But none of that is why I came by. I wanted to ask if you would write to me?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Cade said. ¡°And perhaps we can even arrange a visit.¡± ¡°That would be nice. Only I think you would need to come to me,¡± she decided. ¡°It¡¯s going to be so odd to go back to Whitehill without all of you. I feel like, in just a short while here, I got a taste of what it is like to have a few friends - you, and Beatrice, and if we¡¯d had more time maybe even Sidonie. And now it¡¯s back to none of that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any friends in Whitehill?¡± Cade asked her. ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡± ¡°One,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Emma. But she¡¯s getting married soon, and I already don¡¯t see as much of her as I did a few years ago. There were plenty of girls interested in following Matthew around, but I¡¯m - well, it¡¯s different than here. Anyone who looks the same age as me, I remember them as a small child. And anyone actually my age is grown with a family. I suppose I¡¯m just too strange. Here I could pretend I wasn¡¯t different, because I was meeting you all for the first time.¡± ¡°You said you¡¯re going to Coral Bay in what, five years?¡± ¡°Six,¡± Liv said. ¡°And I¡¯ll be there in four,¡± Cade told her. ¡°Which means we¡¯ll have half our time there together. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have met a few people by the time you arrive, and I¡¯ll introduce you around. And I¡¯ll keep writing you, of course, when I get there. You¡¯ll know all about the place in no time.¡± ¡°That would be nice,¡± Liv said, but privately she wondered. It was one thing to court someone who was right there in front of you, with exciting masques at the palace and duels on the shore and all of the intrigue of her short time at Freeport, but six years was a long time. And there would be plenty of other girls at college for Cade to pursue, while she was stuck in Whitehill. Liv was surprised to discover the idea of him forgetting about her was upsetting. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Cade asked, and she realized that she¡¯d spent too long drifting in her thoughts. ¡°No,¡± Liv said. ¡°Only I shouldn¡¯t stay long, I suppose. Don¡¯t forget to write to me.¡± On a sudden impulse, she decided to give him a reason to remember her, bounced up on her tip toes, and pressed a very quick kiss to his lips. Before she could do anything else to embarrass herself, she spun around and fled through the menagerie and down to the beach, cheeks and the tips of her ears burning. ? Early the next morning, dressed in winter skirts and cloak for the journey, Liv found herself introduced to the oddest horse that she¡¯d ever met. The mare was somewhat squat, with unusually short legs and a very round body covered in a thick, shaggy coat, all of light grey that reminded her of the stones washed smooth by waves down on the beach. ¡°Her name is Steria,¡± Liv¡¯s father explained. ¡°She is four years old, and well trained. I brought her for you, when I came.¡± He motioned to his own horse, clearly of the same breed, though colored bay. ¡°We¡¯ve bred them for over a thousand years to live in the north, and to survive conditions that would kill any other horse. They can find grass to eat even under snow, and hibernate on their feet like a bear does in its cave.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t stop grinning at the feel of the mare¡¯s nose snuffling against her palm after a bit of carrot. ¡°Star. I love her,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°My motivations are selfish,¡± Valtteri admitted. ¡°You¡¯ll need her to visit Kelthelis, and riding will also give us an opportunity to speak privately while the others are riding in carriages.¡± ¡°I forgive you,¡± Liv said, and handed her staff off to Thora. ¡°Give me a hand up?¡± Her father bent over and cupped his hands together for Liv¡¯s boot, then lifted. Only after she¡¯d gotten herself situated sidesaddle, and arranged her skirts, did she reach down to accept the staff back from Thora. ¡°I notice you¡¯re wearing the princess¡¯ jewelry,¡± Julianne said, pausing on her way to the lead carriage. ¡°Showing it off a bit?¡± ¡°Mostly because I¡¯ve learned that I need to be ready for the unexpected,¡± Liv explained. ¡°And the Bald Peak waystone is just at the edge of the shoal. But maybe a little bit of showing off, too,¡± she admitted. Julianne laughed, and continued on her way. Liv¡¯s father swung himself up into his own saddle without any difficulty, and his gelding pranced as if eager to be off. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the servants¡¯ carriage if you need me, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to showing you the mountains,¡± Liv told her. ¡°The air is nothing like here - it¡¯s clean, less heavy. And the sky goes on forever. I think you¡¯re going to love Whitehill.¡± When all the trunks were strapped to the carriages, all the guards mounted up, and all the passengers settled on their benches, the drivers led the way across the city. Unlike their entrance into Freeport less than a tenday before, this time, the procession did not pass unnoticed. ¡°Rumors must have gotten around,¡± her father observed, riding next to her. ¡°Of the new duchess.¡± ¡°Or perhaps they¡¯re just taking the opportunity to gawk at two Eld riding on our strange northern horses,¡± Liv guessed. Though she hated being the center of attention, she couldn¡¯t keep a smile off her face. She was going home, and that felt good. More than that, she was going home with her father. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Valtteri agreed. ¡°Now, a few things while we ride. First, do not use your mana to heal without my supervision until I¡¯ve given you permission to do so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to having patience,¡± Liv said. ¡°It¡¯s like the future tense all over again.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°There is a reason,¡± her father explained. ¡°You aren¡¯t done growing yet, Liv. Using mana in that way slows down the aging process. It is part of how our people survive for so long. But at the moment, we don¡¯t want to slow down your aging any further. You should only use the technique in an emergency, at least until you¡¯ve finished at college. We¡¯ll balance that with the need for you to practice until I¡¯m confident you won¡¯t hurt yourself unsupervised, of course.¡± Liv nodded. ¡°I assume that means it isn¡¯t taught at Coral Bay.¡± ¡°No,¡± her father said. ¡°In fact, you¡¯d do best not to speak of it among humans at all. Archmagus Loredan learned it during his travels among our people, and I would be a fool not to expect that he¡¯s quietly taught a few of his closest students. But he made an agreement not to speak of it, nor to teach it, to any of the noble houses. We don¡¯t want to upset the balance of power by introducing something like that to the kingdom of Lucania at large.¡± ¡°I imagine everyone would want to do it,¡± Liv said. ¡°They would. But look at how humans have used their words of power - hoarded among noble families for political advantage, rather than shared and used for the good of everyone,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°We fear this technique would only be abused in the same way. Someone like Benedict would extend his reign for as long as he could, while watching his political opponents die.¡± ¡°But the archmagus is different?¡± ¡°Since Blackstone founded that guild, it has been the only thing in Lucania that gives us any hope that humans might one day be trusted with more knowledge,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°And Caspian Loredan has been a worthy successor thus far. We judged it worth the risk to keep him at the helm a bit longer. I suppose we¡¯ll find out whether the decision blows up in our faces in another few decades.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Liv said. They followed the carriages around a street corner and began making their way up the hill into the neighborhood where Freeport¡¯s waystone was located. ¡°I can put that aside; I have plenty of other things to work on. I want a wand, first of all. I love this staff, but it¡¯s just too clumsy to carry around everywhere. Something smaller, I could wear on a belt, and not have to be holding all the time.¡± ¡°Master Grenfell made the one you have now?¡± her father asked, and Liv nodded her head. ¡°Then the three of us can make that our first project, I imagine. And then you and I will go out to the shoals of the rift, so that I can teach you how to safely handle that kind of dense mana. We will have plenty to keep us busy.¡± The gate that led to the waystone was protected by half a dozen royal guards, who spoke to Julianne and Henry in the first carriage for several minutes while the procession waited. Liv had to mentally remind herself that it was Duchess Julianne, now, rather than ¡®lady.¡¯ It was going to take a bit of getting used to. Finally, they were waved through, and Liv and her father dismounted while Julianne and Master Grenfell got out of their carriage. ¡°Go ahead and find the sigil,¡± Grenfell called over to Liv. ¡°Consider it an exercise.¡± While the adults waited for her, Liv paced around the perimeter of the great stone circle, looking from one to the next. She¡¯d never seen the sigil for Bald Peak before, because it wasn¡¯t on the waystone they¡¯d departed from - just like the sigil for Freeport wouldn¡¯t be on this one. Liv found the inscriptions for Coral Bay and Al''Fenthia easily enough, and even the space where the sigil for Freeport would have been, if they¡¯d been standing on the Bald Peak waystone. ¡°Is it this one?¡± she asked. ¡°Everything else is in the same order, I think. Are they all like that?¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°You have indeed found the missing sigil correctly, but remember that every other stone connects to this one. There¡¯s no reason to expect that Bald Peak, in particular, would be the substitution. The V?dim simply had a single order of inscriptions, and deleted one when crafting each stone.¡± ¡°That is not entirely accurate,¡± Liv¡¯s father broke in. ¡°From everything I¡¯ve been taught, these were not carved by hand. One of the enchantments layered inside maintains the connections to the rest of the waystone network. When a new stone was added, all of the others would simply adjust to fit the new sigil in. Go back to the sigils for Al''Fenthia.¡± Liv circled left, and pointed her staff down. ¡°This one.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°One right.¡± Together, the four of them gathered around the correct symbols, crouching down on the waystone and pressing their hands together. ¡°Just like the last time,¡± her teacher said. ¡°Only this stone is larger, so the drain will be more. Liv, why don¡¯t you begin, this time.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She swallowed, then closed her eyes. It helped to have felt Master Grenfell do it once before, and Liv also thought that having spent an entire night moving her mana throughout her body gave her a better idea of what to do now. It was still a bit slow and sluggish to get started, but once the first hint of her mana touched the waystone, everything changed, just as she remembered. Again, she had the mental image of thin ice breaking, and wondered whether that was only because of the particular word of power she used. Mana poured out of all four of them in a flood, and she counted eight rings, at least, before blue light began to rise from the waystone. Finally, the pull on her reserves cut off, and Liv pulled her hand off the stone. ¡°Good,¡± Duchess Julianne said. ¡°Excellent job, Liv.¡± She patted Liv on the arm, then turned and followed Master Grenfell back into their carriage. ¡°I would recommend remaining seated here,¡± Liv¡¯s father said, so she shifted to cross her legs and sit back on the stone. The two of them waited, to either side of the sigil, until the count of two hundred had passed. Then, for the second time, a brilliant white light burned through everyone and everything, obliterating the world around her. This time, the dark place was not so unexpected, and Liv had an infinite moment to cast whatever she was about. There was nothing to see, to feel, to hear or taste or touch, but she did not feel alone. In fact, she was quite convinced that though the world was very far away - or perhaps it was Liv who was very far away - there were other presences close by. Before she could try to reach out to them, the world returned. Liv drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes. The bluff over the Aspen River was cold with morning frost, and there was the bite of coming snow in the air. The horses whinnied and pranced, and overhead white clouds were lit by mountain sunlight. ¡°How does it work?¡± she asked her father, who had already scrambled to his feet. He reached down a hand, and Liv accepted it. Valtteri easily pulled her upright, and seemed to consider his response while he helped her mount Steria once again. It was only once the entire procession had moved off of the waystone and over the wooden bridge toward the south road that he made an attempt at an explanation. ¡°The V?dim could do things with magic that they never explained, even to their most favoured servants,¡± her father began. ¡°The waystones fall into that category. I can tell you why sections of the network are failing,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Or at least our best guesses. But even the Vakansa who survive with memories of life before the war have never been able to build a new waystone. I think the answer to your question begins with another question: what are you?¡± ¡°Me? Half Eld, half human,¡± Liv answered easily. Many of the trees along the side of the road had lost their leaves, in the short time they¡¯d been gone, and the difference was jarring. ¡°What separates you from some other girl with a human mother and an Elden father, then?¡± ¡°Are there any?¡± Liv shot back. ¡°A few, mostly in Al''Fenthia,¡± her father confirmed. ¡°But why are they distinct from you? From Livara?¡± ¡°Well, they don¡¯t have my exact parents, in any case,¡± she said. ¡°And they didn¡¯t grow up in Whitehill, or know the people I¡¯ve known. They might not have a talent for magic, and they won¡¯t have done the same things as me.¡± ¡°Are we only the sum total of our experiences, then?¡± Valtteri asked her. ¡°We are exposed to different pieces of the world, at different times, and it acts upon us, shapes us into something distinctive? That would be a very passive view of the world.¡± ¡°No, I think we¡¯re unique,¡± Liv said. ¡°And then the things we experience make us more so.¡± ¡°What is it, precisely, that is unique?¡± her father asked. ¡°We both have arms and legs, eyes and ears. You look a great deal like my sister did. If we dressed you in her clothing, and had your hair done the way she wore it, you might even pass for her well enough to fool someone.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t something physical,¡± Liv said, and tapped a finger against her forehead. ¡°It¡¯s in here, and here.¡± She dropped her hand to rest it over her heart. ¡°I¡¯m me. I don¡¯t know a better way to put it, but I¡¯m no one else.¡± ¡°There it is,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Not something physical. Would you continue to be you without your body, then? If an avalanche of stones and snow came down from that summit right now,¡± he asked, pointing an arm up at Bald Peak, ¡°and ripped an arm from your body, would the loss of it mean you were no longer Liv?¡± ¡°No, of course not,¡± she said. ¡°My arm isn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°Time comes for all of us, sooner or later,¡± her father said. ¡°Whether it takes fifty years or five hundred. Your skin will wrinkle, your vision dull. Your back will bend. When my precious daughter is an ancient crone, will you still be Liv?¡± ¡°Yes, though I¡¯m not certain I want to think about that,¡± Liv told him, with a grin. ¡°There is your answer, then. There is some part of us that is untouchable,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°That persists, even after death. Whether the mana changes your physical form into raw energy and sends it coursing through the earth in an instant, or whether it breaks your body down into nothing and rebuilds you at your destination, I cannot say. But that essence of you is moved - taken out of this world, perhaps, and then returned in a different place.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Liv said. ¡°Is that actually how it works? Which one? Is this even my body?¡± ¡°You just said your body wasn¡¯t you,¡± her father said, with a laugh. ¡°Of all things in the vast world, don¡¯t think about this one too hard. Come on!¡± He squeezed his heels into the flanks of his bay gelding, and the northern horse bolted forward, running off the side of the road to pass the slower carriages. Unwilling to be left behind, Liv flicked her reins and followed, letting Steria stretch her legs under the endless mountain sky. 62. Return It was just about time for luncheon when the carriages made their way up the cobblestone streets of The Hill to the gate of Castle Whitehill. The procession¡¯s passage brought a crowd of children running along beside them, and Liv found that she and her father were particular favorites. After an exhilarating ride through the wooded hills, they¡¯d dropped back to rejoin the carriages and guards before entering the town. Two pheasants hung from Liv¡¯s saddle, taken from the very edge of the shoal using sliver-thin shards of ice to their heads. Liv¡¯s father, with his long white braids and fur-lined cloak, was so clearly a foreigner that the children in the streets shouted questions. ¡°I suppose hardly anyone will remember me,¡± Valtteri called to Liv over the racket. She leaned down out of her saddle to wave at the children, returning their grins. ¡°A few will,¡± she told him. ¡°Mama and Gretta.¡± The ride through town had given the staff at the castle enough time to turn out to greet them, though so many had gone to Freeport that the line in the courtyard looked rather small, and was mostly made up of the guards who¡¯d been left behind. Liv waited for Henry and Duchess Julianne to emerge from their carriage first; the footmen quickly had one of the wheeled chairs which had been bought in the capital set up. Only after Julianne had wheeled Henry into the house did Liv dismount. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again soon, Steria,¡± she told the mare, pressing her face into the horse¡¯s warm neck before handing her reins off to one of the stableboys. ¡°Can you see these get down to the kitchen?¡± she asked, handing off the pheasants. Then, she turned and made her way over to where her mother and Gretta were waiting. ¡°We¡¯re back, Mama,¡± Liv said. It was very nice to be squeezed in the arms of someone familiar. Even though she knew that she really hadn¡¯t been gone for very long, so much had happened that it felt an eternity. ¡°We all thought you¡¯d be gone the entire winter,¡± Gretta remarked, taking her turn for a hug as soon as Liv¡¯s mother had released her. Mama¡¯s eyes slid from Liv to her father, as he turned his gelding over. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that,¡± she murmured. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mama,¡± Liv said. ¡°He kept me safe.¡± She reached out for her mother¡¯s hand, and took it in hers. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him, dear - at least not in that way.¡± Mama took a deep breath, clearly bracing herself. ¡°Hello, Margaret,¡± Liv¡¯s father greeted her, approaching them. ¡°It is good to see you again.¡± Liv had never seen her mother so nervous. ¡°You look as if you¡¯ve hardly aged at all,¡± Mama said, making an attempt at a smile. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to know it, and another to see it. And here I am, all wrinkled and worn out.¡± ¡°I would know your eyes anywhere,¡± Valtteri told her. ¡°And your voice. Do you still sing?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Margaret Brodbeck looked over to Gretta. ¡°Can you finish getting lunch out in the great hall?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just cold cuts and last night¡¯s stew,¡± Gretta said. ¡°I was doing this before you were born, you silly girl. Take as long as you need.¡± The old woman turned and made her way toward the kitchens. ¡°Livara, I think that your mother and I need to speak alone for a bit,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have settling in to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come and find you after the meal,¡± Liv told her mother. She wrapped the older woman up in her arms one more time, then walked across the courtyard to where the servants were unloading. ¡°Thora!¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady?¡± The maid curtsied. ¡°Let me show you the castle,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn where everything is quick enough. Thank you again for coming north with us.¡± She took Thora in through the kitchen entrance, showed her the servants¡¯ hall, and then brought her upstairs. By the time they¡¯d reached Liv¡¯s rooms, her trunks had already been brought up. ¡°It¡¯s much more a castle than a house, isn¡¯t it?¡± Thora asked. Liv threw herself down on her own, familiar bed with a great feeling of relief. ¡°I mean, I knew that already, but seeing it is something else entirely. There¡¯s hardly anything like this left in Freeport, except at the city gates, or the sea forts overlooking the harbor.¡± ¡°We have to fight off eruptions with what we have, here,¡± Liv mumbled, hugging her pillow. ¡°When it happens, everyone crowds into the castle or the temple to take shelter.¡± ¡°How often does the rift erupt, m¡¯lady?¡± Thora asked, and Liv realized from the tremble in her voice the idea scared the girl a bit. She sat up. ¡°Only once that I can remember,¡± she said. ¡°A bit different here from what you¡¯re used to?¡± Thora nodded. ¡°At Freeport, there¡¯s scores and scores of royal guards, mages from the guild, and whatever young nobles in the city want to make a name for themselves. It¡¯s more like a sport than anything. I can¡¯t remember the last time any kind of monster actually made it to the city.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit more exciting here,¡± Liv said. ¡°But there¡¯s been no signs of one coming before we left, so I don¡¯t think you need to worry about it for a bit, Thora.¡± The maid took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. If you¡¯d like to have a bite to eat, m¡¯lady, I¡¯ll get everything unpacked here.¡± ¡°Thank you, Thora.¡± Liv said, and rolled off the bed to head downstairs to the great hall. ? Liv found herself a seat next to Master Grenfell, and filled her plate with cold slices of roast beef and cheese. There were slices of bread baked that morning, butter to spread on them and a bean stew for dipping. ¡°I want to make a wand,¡± she told her teacher in between bites. ¡°Now that we¡¯re home. Can we do it tomorrow?¡± The master mage nodded. ¡°We can take a ride out into the woods and find you a good length of aspen, if you¡¯d like to use the same material again.¡± ¡°Or,¡± her father said, coming up to the table and taking a seat on Liv¡¯s other side, ¡°we can go find a buck that¡¯s been living in the shoals, and make you a wand of bone.¡± He began to pile food onto his own plate. Liv chewed, swallowed, and took a drink of fresh cider from the apple harvest while she thought. ¡°I like the feel of the aspen wood,¡± she admitted. ¡°But I don¡¯t rightly know the difference. I saw both the princess and Lady - Duchess,¡± she corrected herself, ¡°Julianne have bone.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Mana often accumulates in the bones,¡± Master Grenfell explained. ¡°You¡¯ll recall this from our study of the stone bats. When a bone becomes adapted to mana storage, we call it a casque. The enchantment to focus your mana-flow through a bone wand would be essentially the same, if a touch less powerful. The reason I gave you a staff first is that you needed as much help with control as you could get. But there¡¯s no reason you couldn¡¯t adapt to using a wand now - you¡¯ve plenty of experience.¡± ¡°What it would do is make you a more effective anchor for contingent spells,¡± her father explained. ¡°Much like a piece of mana-stone. And like mana-stone, you could store power within the wand. In fact, if you have an idea of what sort of spells you¡¯d like to keep ready to use, we can build triggers into the construction of the wand.¡± Liv considered. ¡°I want something that will last me through Coral Bay, and hopefully after that,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s make it of bone, then.¡± Master Grenfell raised his hand and called over Edward, the third footman. ¡°Run up to my room and fetch paper, quills and ink, lad,¡± he instructed. ¡°Could we actually set a mana-stone in the handle?¡± Liv asked, thinking things over. ¡°Like the pommel of a sword?¡± ¡°It¡¯s expensive,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Ten crowns for the smallest stones, like the ones in our rings. For something the size of a pommel? Forty, at least. Probably more.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s so much more expensive, why doesn¡¯t everyone just use bone?¡± Liv asked. ¡°A casque is far less efficient,¡± her father said. ¡°That little chip of stone in your ring holds as much mana as a wand the size of your arm. If you have the coins, stones set in jewelry are the best choice for pure storage. Casques are easier to come by, especially after an eruption, and make a good base for enchantments or to hold contingent magic.¡± Liv looked over the bone charms hanging from the end of his braids. ¡°Is every one of those a spell?¡± she asked. ¡°Not all of them,¡± Valtteri told her, grinning. ¡°About half hold the same sigils we¡¯ll be putting on your wand - they help me to focus my mana. If there¡¯s one thing we have plenty of, it¡¯s mana-beasts to harvest for casques.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have forty crowns,¡± Liv said. ¡°But that¡¯s only eight months of saving, if I take what I¡¯m allowed from the banker¡¯s guild each month. Let¡¯s make the wand with a setting at the bottom of the handle to hold a stone, and leave it empty for the moment. You said we could build triggers in?¡± ¡°The wand doesn¡¯t need to be a single piece,¡± her father explained. ¡°What if you could twist the handle to trigger a spell? Or press a button?¡± Edward delivered quills, ink, and paper to the table a few moments later, and the three of them got to work sketching out plans. ? After a few hours of scrapping designs, they finally had something that Liv was satisfied with. She was going to have to speak to Julianne about getting access to her own account with the bankers¡¯ guild; that forty crowns pension, annually, which she¡¯d hardly touched in eighteen years, was going to be what funded this. She needed to commission the stone for her future wand¡¯s pommel to be cut and polished, and there were other things to buy, as well. A leather holster for her belt, for instance, and springs from the blacksmith to make the buttons work. And of course, there was no one in Whitehill who specialized in carving bone, which meant the work would need to be done somewhere else. They might have been able to finish a wand from aspen themselves over the course of a few days, but this project was going to be much more involved than that. Still, Liv was excited to have a rolled up sheet of paper tucked under her arm when she went down to the kitchens to find her mother. She¡¯d told Master Grenfell and her father that she wanted a wand that would last her for years to come, and Liv was satisfied with the plans they¡¯d settled on. Liv found her mother and Gretta plucking the pheasants she¡¯d brought down on the ride south from the waystone. ¡°Going to use them tonight?¡± she called, as she bounced into the room. ¡°Aye, while they¡¯re fresh,¡± Mama said, turning around to greet her with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll be going out for a big buck tomorrow,¡± Liv told her. ¡°For the bones. But we¡¯ll bring the meat back, as well.¡± ¡°We can make venison steaks, then,¡± Gretta said. ¡°That will be nice. I can finish this up, Maggie.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv¡¯s mother said, and wiped her hands on her apron. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk, dove.¡± They stepped out into the garden. The herbs, fruits and root vegetables had been gathered for the season, leaving bare branches and frosted soil that had not yet been covered by snow. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Liv asked her mother, once they were away by themselves. ¡°I would have written to warn you, but it all happened so fast there was no way a letter would have gotten here before we did.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Livy,¡± Mama told her. ¡°What¡¯s between your father and I is our business, and not your problem, you understand?¡± Liv nodded her head, but couldn¡¯t keep from worrying. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving, you know,¡± she promised. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about it. He¡¯s going to stay in Whitehill for a bit, to teach me, but he said he¡¯d find a place in town if it made you more comfortable.¡± ¡°I daresay Valtteri has more reason to be angry with me, than I do with him,¡± Mama said. ¡°After all, I could have found a way to tell him about you long since, if I¡¯d really tried. But I wanted to keep you safe here. We can see how well that worked out,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Dueling princesses and fighting in alleys? You seem to have gotten up to a good deal of trouble in Freeport. And what¡¯s this about some boy courting you?¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but squirm. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nothing¡¯s settled, I¡¯ve been clear about that. He lost his mother when he was young, and I think it means we understand each other, a bit. It was nice to dress up and dance at the palace, and have someone who paid attention to me. I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯ll be out of sight, out of mind, though, and that he¡¯ll move on to some other girl now I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°If he does, he didn¡¯t deserve you to begin with,¡± her mother assured her. ¡°Now. Your father did mention his idea of staying in town to me. I told him I agreed with him, that it would probably be more comfortable for both of us.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think, now that you¡¯ve seen each other again-¡± Liv began, and her mother laughed. ¡°It¡¯s been a very long time, my dear,¡± she said. ¡°More than half my life ago. It was wonderful and romantic when it happened, and I¡¯m grateful to have you. But I¡¯d never ask the man to take me on in my old age.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not old,¡± Liv protested. ¡°I¡¯m fifty-four, dear,¡± Mama told her. ¡°I¡¯m long past the fantasy he¡¯d come back and sweep me away to his winter palace. Seeing your father again in the courtyard settled that once and for all. He¡¯ll still be a young man when I¡¯m dead and in the grave. Let¡¯s be grateful for what we have, and leave it at that." ? ¡°Make that six pieces of paper,¡± Liv said, getting herself set up at her desk that evening. She laid out two quills, in case one broke, and uncorked a bottle of ink. ¡°I want to write to Emma, as well, and ask if she¡¯d like to come hunting with us tomorrow. I¡¯ll do that one first.¡± ¡°Emma, m¡¯lady?¡± Thora asked, counting out the number carefully. Liv knew paper was expensive, but Master Grenfell had always kept her supplied with enough of it, and never mentioned the price. ¡°A friend,¡± Liv explained, while she wrote. ¡°Probably my oldest friend, actually. She¡¯s a hunter, like her father.¡± The note was short, and set aside quickly to dry. ¡°Give that to someone who can run it down to the lower banks,¡± she instructed. ¡°Tell them it goes to Master Forester¡¯s house, please.¡± The next letter she tackled was to Airis Ka Reimis, in Al''Fenthia, telling him that he was no longer obligated to keep her existence a secret, and that she considered that part of their bargain fulfilled. She made sure to tell him that she would visit in a decade, once she¡¯d finished at Coral Bay, and that she looked forward to meeting his son. After that, she wrote to Matthew and Triss at Coral Bay, asking after his recovery. In Triss¡¯ letter, Liv made sure to point out that he¡¯d need someone to knock him on the head when he was being an idiot. Since Liv wouldn¡¯t be there to do it herself, that meant Triss would have to get the job done. The letter to Sidonie Corbett was short. Liv made certain to thank her for her help before the duel, and say that she hoped to see the girl again. Of course, with Duchess Julianne and her husband essentially exiled from the capital, Liv had no idea when such a meeting could possibly happen. She made a mental note to ask someone just what the former baron¡¯s title was, now. Surely not just Lord Henry? The last letter was to Cade, and Liv agonized over it. She¡¯d been stupid to kiss him, but it was done and it couldn¡¯t be taken back. In the end, she simply wrote that she was happy to have met him, had enjoyed their time together, and would understand if he wanted to break off the arrangement they had. It would be a long time until she went to Coral Bay, after all, and there was every chance he¡¯d meet someone else he liked in that time. She finished by telling him that she¡¯d be happy to receive a letter if he wrote one, but that he shouldn¡¯t feel obligated. As Liv finished each letter, she set it aside for the ink to dry, and then gave the entire lot of them to Thora to have sent out. She knew that Henry kept a stock of pigeons, but also understood that none of her messages were urgent. More likely they¡¯d go out with the drovers¡¯ guild, or merchants moving south through the pass before the winter snows closed the valley off. The next morning, Liv rose as soon as she felt sunlight in her eyes. She put on her hunting clothes, along with her winter cloak and the set of bracelet and rings she¡¯d demanded from the princess. Thora put her hair in a quick braid to keep it out of the way, and then Liv grabbed her staff and set off down the stairs for the courtyard. It was time to begin work on her wand. 63. Shoals Lonely flakes of snow drifted down from the morning sky as Liv stepped out into the courtyard of Castle Whitehill. Emma was already there waiting for her, the young hunter clad in her doeskin breeches and hunting boots, along with a fur-lined winter cloak of thick wool. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you back so soon,¡± she said, and stepped forward to grab Liv in a quick hug. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be lucky if you were back in time for the wedding.¡± ¡°How is Dustin, anyway?¡± Liv asked, returning Emma¡¯s squeeze with one of her own. ¡°Long hours with Master Gregory,¡± the brunette told her, with a shrug. ¡°The old man¡¯s nearly done, so the forge will be Dustin¡¯s soon. I wish he had more time for me, but I can¡¯t complain about the muscles it gives him.¡± Emma gave an exaggerated shiver, and laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to see him today or tomorrow,¡± Liv said. ¡°To order a few springs. Oh, here, meet Steria.¡± Roger, one of the stable boys, led the mare over to them. She was already saddled, and utterly unbothered by the first snow of the year. ¡°You brought a horse back from the capital? What else happened there?¡± Emma asked, reaching out to pet Steria¡¯s nose. The shaggy northern horse snuffled at her hair as if she was trying to eat it. ¡°A few things,¡± Liv said. ¡°Too much to tell before we leave, honestly. She¡¯s a gift from my father. He¡¯ll be coming with us.¡± ¡°Your father?¡± Emma exclaimed, turning back to Liv. ¡°You¡¯ve finally met him? What¡¯s he like? Everyone¡¯s saying the Baron rode in with two Eld, and I knew one must be you - he¡¯s the other?¡± ¡°Yes. Here, you can meet him yourself,¡± Liv said, nodding her head toward the castle gate, where the guards were admitting a single rider. Her father¡¯s hood was down, and the wind caught his white braids, tossing them back. He walked the gelding over to them, and swung down out of the saddle. ¡°Good morning, Father,¡± she said. It was the first time she¡¯d used such a formal word, but it didn¡¯t quite feel right to be more casual around Emma, and all the other people moving about the courtyard. ¡°This is my friend Emma Forester; she and her father are the best hunters around. Emma, this is my father, Valtteri Ka Auris k?n Syv?.¡± ¡°I am pleased to meet one of my daughter¡¯s friends,¡± Valtteri said, extending his hand. Emma seemed a bit off balance to find herself caught and clasped by the arm, but recovered quickly enough. ¡°Some of us have been waiting to meet you a long time,¡± Emma said, looking him up and down. ¡°I hope you¡¯re treating her right. She¡¯s taken enough shit from people who think they¡¯re better than they are.¡± ¡°I suppose Livara will have to be the judge of that,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°We have a lot of time to make up for. You don¡¯t have a horse, Emma?¡± The huntress shook her head. ¡°I usually hunt on foot.¡± ¡°You can ride behind me,¡± Liv offered. ¡°Look, they¡¯re bringing Master Grenfell¡¯s horse out. Now all we need is him.¡± In the end, Ember preceded his master by nearly half a bell, and the girls spent the time feeding all three horses treats from the kitchen - mostly chunks of carrot, but Liv got an apple from the cellars and sliced it up into wedges, as well. ¡°I¡¯m getting too old for this,¡± Grenfell complained, settling into his saddle with a groan. ¡°The reason I chose to be a Court Mage was so that I could spend my days in front of a warm fire, inside the walls of a stout castle, not riding around in the snow.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll send you back with Emma as soon as we¡¯ve made our kill,¡± Liv¡¯s father said, attempting to comfort her teacher. He helped Liv and Emma up onto Steria, then swung up onto his own northern horse with practiced ease. ¡°We won¡¯t be heading right back?¡± Liv asked. She turned her mare toward the castle gate, and led the way out of the courtyard and into the cobbled streets of The Hill. Once again, they drew eyes: while the people of Whitehill had gotten used to Liv, she suspected that her father would be a novelty for some time yet. ¡°No,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°As we¡¯ll be out by the rift anyway, I have things to teach you.¡± ¡°I hope I won¡¯t be having to draw wild mana out of her when you get back,¡± Grenfell cautioned them. ¡°Shall I have Mistress Trafford sharpen her knives?¡± ¡°None of that will be necessary, unless Liv is a slow learner,¡± her father replied. Once they¡¯d left the streets of Whitehill behind, the ride north along the river road to the mines was beautiful. The sky couldn¡¯t seem to quite work its way up to a storm: instead, the morning alternated between bright sunshine and gentle squalls of snow that blew away as soon as they came. The scattered clouds moved along on their way quick enough, leaving a vast span of deep, clear blue in their wake. When the party reached the lower slopes of Bald Peak, they tied the horses up at a convenient grove of aspen trees and proceeded on foot. Emma moved out ahead of them, silent as a ghost in the forest, to pick up a trail. ¡°She¡¯s good,¡± Valtteri admitted, with an approving nod. ¡°They hunt mana-beasts, she and her father?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Yes. Her father¡¯s the reason I was finally able to start eating right.¡± ¡°It takes not only skill, but bravery, to hunt the edges of a shoal without having any magic yourself,¡± her father said. It took several hours, but eventually Emma led them up a rocky slope, which Liv and her father crawled up on their hands and knees. Master Grenfell chose to remain at the bottom and wait for them there. ¡°There,¡± Emma whispered, pointing. Liv couldn¡¯t help but gasp. The buck had a beautiful rack of antlers - ten points, by her count, with a thick winter coat of tawny fur. It must have spent a good deal of time inside the shoal, because it was simply enormous: taller at the shoulder than the largest man she¡¯d ever seen, with stony gray growths along its spine and shoulders that pulsed with a faint blue light. As she watched, the animal suddenly stiffened, as if it sensed danger. ¡°Quickly,¡± her father murmured. ¡°Take it now, girls, before it runs.¡± Emma fitted an arrow to her bowstring, then popped to her feet and loosed. Liv surged upright and stabbed her staff toward the buck, shouting, ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Trei Aim¨¡k Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae!¡± The arrow hit first, moving far more quickly than Liv could incant her spell. It took the buck through the throat in a spray of arterial blood, but rather than fall, the monstrous buck turned toward them and charged. Mana poured out of Liv, surging through her outstretched staff, as the V?dic words left her lips. Three needle-thin shards of ice formed in front of her, then shot forward into the buck. One rebounded off the stony growths of its shoulder, but the second took it in the eye, causing the beast to stumble in its tracks, shaking its head. The third sliver of ice took it in the heart, and even then Liv wasn¡¯t certain it would be enough to drop the buck. The words to summon a wall of ice between the mana-beast and where they stood were at the tip of her tongue, but then the buck lurched to one side and fell over onto the cold forest floor. Liv shared a look with Emma, and exhaled. ¡°Good work,¡± her father praised them both. He watched as they gutted the buck, and Liv had the distinct feeling that he was carefully evaluating their level of skill. It made her glad that she¡¯d spent so many days out hunting with Master Forester, because all the practice gave her confidence in what she was doing even while being watched. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Between Liv and Emma, they had the guts out quickly, working their hunting knives with quick, sure cuts. The metal-smell of raw meat filled Liv¡¯s nose and the back of her throat. By the time they were done, their hands were filthy and their fingers cold, but Liv¡¯s father gave an approving nod. ¡°Help me drag it down the slope, and we can hitch it to the horses after we drain it. There¡¯s no way you and Master Grenfell could carry that thing all the way back, Emma.¡± It took all four of them hauling on the rope to get the thing hanging from a stout tree branch so that they could let the blood drip out, as it was. ¡°How much do you think it weighs?¡± Liv asked, gasping, when they were done. ¡°A hundred stone or more,¡± Master Grenfell huffed, sinking back down to sit on the ground. ¡°Next time, perhaps a doe would do just as well?¡± ¡°Mama will be cooking venison for days,¡± Liv said. ¡°There¡¯s too much for only a few of us to eat.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Emma asked Liv¡¯s father, as he rested a hand on the buck¡¯s carcass. ¡°Cooling it down,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°The day would do it soon enough anyway, but with this much meat I prefer to take no chances of spoilage.¡± ¡°Do you do a lot of hunting at home?¡± Liv asked, suddenly very curious. ¡°Not quite this sort,¡± her father explained. ¡°We don¡¯t have trees, remember. But there¡¯s an animal that¡¯s very similar, save that it eats lichen and moss. You can train them to pull a sleigh, and butcher them for meat. We keep them in herds, for the most part, rather than hunt them. But the process of dressing the kill is the same. And of course, I¡¯ve hunted further south.¡± Once Valtteri and Emma agreed the carcass was ready, they tied it up by its rack to both Ember and Steria; neither horse would have been strong enough to drag all the way back to Whitehill on their own, nevermind carry it. ¡°Don¡¯t stay too long,¡± Master Grenfell warned them, once he¡¯d gotten himself back up in the saddle. Emma looked far less comfortable on Steria¡¯s back without Liv there, but the mare seemed content, and Liv wasn¡¯t worried. ¡°We¡¯ll come back as soon as we can,¡± Liv¡¯s father said. ¡°But perhaps you could ask Margaret to keep a pot of stew over the fire. I¡¯m not certain we¡¯ll make it in time for supper in the great hall.¡± Grenfell nodded, and then he and Emma carefully turned the two horses and maneuvered the buck onto the road. Liv watched them for a moment, to make certain there wouldn¡¯t be any problems, then turned to her father. ¡°What are we doing, exactly?¡± she asked. ¡°Teaching you how to exist within the shoals,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Chiefly, how to safely manage the amount of mana that comes with it.¡± He turned toward the peak, and began walking, leading his gelding by the reins. Liv followed. ¡°First, tell me what a shoal is.¡± Liv thought back to what Master Grenfell had taught her. ¡°Rifts leak mana out into the world,¡± she explained. ¡°We call the area right at the center, the rift itself and just around it, the depths, and that¡¯s where the concentration of mana is strongest. Most dangerous, as well. As the mana spills out, the concentration lessens, and we call that area the shoals.¡± ¡°Good,¡± her father said. ¡°Humans try to limit their exposure to shoals, going in only when they have to. Why?¡± ¡°Because all that magic causes mana-sickness,¡± Liv said. ¡°No. Uncontrolled mana deforms the body, it is true,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°But the mana itself is not the cause. It is simply a tool. If you cut yourself with that skinning knife, is the knife the cause, or are you?¡± ¡°Probably my own idiot self,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Mana is the same way. Wait a moment, we¡¯re close,¡± her father said. He walked his gelding over to a tree and looped the reins around a low-hanging branch. ¡°It should be your mother teaching you this,¡± he admitted. ¡°So I am afraid I am not going to do things quite right. If my sister was alive, she could have been the one to take your mother¡¯s place and teach you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one back at - Kelthelis?¡± Liv was proud of herself for remembering the name. ¡°A few cousins,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Your grandmother. And yes, we could bring you up there. But I¡¯d rather you learn here, for a few reasons. First, this rift is far less dangerous than the Tomb of Celris. This is what we would call a lesser rift, and the tomb a greater.¡± ¡°More mana, and more monsters?¡± Liv guessed. ¡°And the shoals extend further out,¡± her father confirmed. ¡°Your Master Grenfell has given you a good foundation, but I wouldn¡¯t throw you into a place like that without enough training. The lower mana-density here will make it easier for you to learn, as well. My final reason is somewhat selfish,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°We have missed so many things, that I simply can¡¯t bear to give one more up.¡± Liv looked down at her boots, and smiled. ¡°Alright. What do we do?¡± ¡°When we cross into the shoal, you should be able to feel it,¡± her father explained. ¡°I¡¯ve been inside once before,¡± Liv told him. ¡°Not for long, but yes. It¡¯s like the air is heavier.¡± Valtteri nodded. ¡°You should sit down once we¡¯ve entered. That way you can focus on just the mana. It wants to spread out, until there is an equal amount of mana in the environment, in the air, in the soil and the creatures. A place with more mana will flow into something with less. When you enter, you are less dense. Like a bowl waiting to be filled. If you don¡¯t control the mana as it comes in, it will rip through your body, damaging you in the process. You need to guide it.¡± ¡°How?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Is it like using it to heal?¡± ¡°Similar,¡± her father said. ¡°Master Grenfell has taught you breathing exercises?¡± She nodded. ¡°Good. Breathe in until you can¡¯t anymore - and I mean it. The deepest breath you can manage, and then hold it for a ten count. You are giving the mana an easier way into your body, so that it won¡¯t have to force its way through your skin. So you want to suck in as much mana-rich air as you can. Your body will move that air through you on its own, so you only have to guide that process. Don¡¯t let too much pool in one place, keep it even.¡± ¡°What happens if I can¡¯t?¡± Liv asked him. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching you,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°If it looks like you¡¯re losing control, I will drag you out of the rift. You¡¯ll likely end up with mana-sickness.¡± Liv shuddered at the thought of Mistress Trafford carving more skin away from her arms. ¡°Wait,¡± she said, a sudden thought occurring to her. ¡°Is that why the sickness affects skin so often? The mana¡¯s trying to get in?¡± ¡°Or out,¡± her father said. ¡°And it has to pass through the skin to do either. Are you ready?¡± Liv nodded, and followed her father uphill toward the mountain. Like she had with Master Grenfell, she could tell the moment she crossed into the shoal: it was like stepping into the steam from the hot springs beneath the castle. She immediately dropped to the ground and crossed her legs, setting her staff down next to her. The magic pressed in at her from every side, and it was only when Liv sucked in a deep breath that she felt the pressure begin to ease, ever so slightly. It was torture to hold for a count of ten, but when she finally exhaled, she could feel the mana spilling out through her body from her chest. This part, at least, was familiar - though if the mana within Liv¡¯s own body had been a trickle, the mana from the rift was the Aspen River surging in flood. Liv didn¡¯t even know when she closed her eyes, because all she could do was focus on spreading the magic out to every corner of her body, from the soles of her feet to her fingertips. ¡°Our people come to the rifts to prove themselves adults,¡± her father said, and Liv had just enough awareness of the world around her to listen. ¡°When you leave this shoal, it will be as a free woman of House Syv?. It is time to set aside the ways of a child. A child can be reckless; a woman cannot.¡± The words, Liv realized, carried the cadence and weight of ritual, like the way the priests talked at the temple of the trinity. ¡°A woman must consider always not only the good of herself, but the good of her family. She must heed the words of the elders, and learn from their wisdom. She must protect her daiverim and kwenim, for however long they walk by her side. She must teach and protect the children the gods see fit to grant her. She must use the words of the dead gods for the good of all, and not the good of one. Will you do these things, my daughter?" Liv turned the words over in her mind. The good of her family: she could do that. It was a small family, now, just she and her mother and father, but the thought of anyone hurting them was like a dagger in her heart. But there were others who might not be blood, but she counted as family: Julianne, and Matthew. One day, there would be more. The idea of children seemed very distant and far off, but of course she wanted hers to have everything she¡¯d never known. If I have children one day, Liv told herself, they will know both their mother and father, from the time they are born. No one will call them bastards. They¡¯ll never wonder if their mother or father tossed them aside like kitchen scraps. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, mana misting forth from her mouth with the words. Liv pulled in another breath. ¡°In the first age of the world,¡± her father intoned, ¡°the V?dic Lords cast their eyes and their ears anywhere they wished. Across mountains and oceans, nothing was concealed from their sight and their notice, save by their own carelessness or complacence. The winds of mana whispered in their ears of things yet to come, things that might be. We are but children in their shadows, but some small measure of their power remains. You will remain here until the trinity sees fit to grant you a glimpse of what is to come.¡± Liv breathed out, and then in again, over and over. Was something supposed to happen? The mana of the shoal was no longer violently forcing its way into her; the pressure was gone. Her body was now as rich in mana as the world around her. She was just about to open her eyes and ask her father what to do next when the wind traced cold fingers across her face, teasing her hair. The magic was on the wind, and in Liv, and then she was the wind. Leaving her body behind, she soared above the slopes of Bald Peak, and saw Whitehill far to the south. The wind bore her up into the endless blue mountain sky, and then far to the west. 64. Visions Liv tumbled, bodiless, west into the mountains that enclosed the Aspen Valley on all sides. Flecks of snow escorted her for a moment, then were left behind to whirl in the wake of her passage, and the wind that carried her gusted north into the lands of the Eld. When she swept down out of the high passes in the mountains, she glimpsed a manor that sprawled across mountain slopes, beneath the dark boughs of northern pines. There was a watchtower, and stone walls, and steaming pools that made her want nothing more than to dive down into the hot water. A boy with sun-kissed hair and pointed ears ran down the stone paths, laughing, to be scooped up and swung in his father¡¯s arms. Inkeris, Liv recognized, and then the wind blew her north again, past where the trees gave way to endless fields of ice, to a great chasm that led down into the ground. On the iced over rock slopes above the fissure, a great white bear, armored in frozen crystals that poked out from its back like thorns, reared back on its hind legs and roared. Then she tumbled down, down into the fissure and the darkness at its depths, where ancient metal rusted away into the bones of broken machinery. Behind a pane of frosted glass, surrounded by sigils that pulsed with an icy blue light, rested a hulking suit of metal armor. The plates of the shoulders were wide as a grown man was tall, and beneath the helm Liv saw only darkness. Then, the wind blew her up and out of the icy canyon, across the vast plains where herds of horned, strange deer ran, at last to frozen cliffs and then over a dark ocean. Great chunks of ice the size of hills floated in the water, with waves crashing against them. Black fins cut through the rolling ocean, and Liv could glimpse only shadows of the creatures skimming just below the surface. She had the sense that she¡¯d turned back south, then, and at last the dark waters grew brighter. Suddenly, Liv blew across a land of thick green forests, hot and damp. A great flock of brightly colored birds erupted from the trees beneath her, and she reached a smoking mountain. There, a ring of people kneeled and sung songs of praise, but Liv¡¯s attention was drawn to only one of them. A woman stood off to one side, dark hair tussled by the wind, appearing no older now than when she had last seen her sitting in the window of the Room of Curiosities, years before. Wren had a streak of purple in her hair, now, and dark circles under her eyes, as if her sleep had been troubled, or she had been sick. ¡°Who is this?¡± a woman¡¯s voice asked, and Liv found herself wrenched about, gazing into the face of a figure seated on a roughly carved throne. The enthroned woman had dark hair that hung loose past her shoulders, to her delicate collar bone. There was something strange about the shape of her eyes, and the features of her face. She wore a dress of simple red cloth that did nothing to hide the voluptuous curves of her hips and her chest. A great weight bore the wind down to the ground, and Liv with it. ¡°Who taught you this?¡± the woman asked, leaning forward. ¡°Tell me, girl.¡± Liv realized that the woman was speaking flawless V?dic. Then, the wind gusted again, scattering Liv back across the distant jungles of the west, and to the shores of the sea, and then up, up into the endless sky. Above, she saw the ring shining in the light of the sun, and wondered whether she could reach it. With a gasp, Liv opened her eyes, to find her father seated before her, their knees nearly touching. ¡°What-¡± she started, stopped, and then began again. ¡°Was that real?¡± ¡°The gods show things that will be important in your life,¡± Valtteri told her. ¡°Glimpses, only. If you wish to speak of it, I will tell you what I can, though the visions are often brief, and confusing.¡± ¡°I saw Keri,¡± Liv said. ¡°Inkeris. I think it was at his home, and he was just picking up his son. Could he be back already?¡± ¡°You are,¡± her father said, with a shrug. ¡°And the waystone at Mountain Home is closer than the distance between Bald Peak and here. Did you see the hot springs?¡± ¡°With stone paths between them, and evergreen trees overhead,¡± Liv confirmed. ¡°And then north, past where all the trees ended, to a canyon in the ice. There was a white bear, with crystals of ice growing out of its back.¡± ¡°The Tomb of Celris,¡± Valtteri said, frowning. ¡°And then I went down, down to where there were hulks of rusting metal, and a suit of armor behind glass,¡± Liv remembered. ¡°The depths of the rift.¡± Her father leaned forward. ¡°Livara, you understand you are not ready to go there yet, don¡¯t you? That is where your aunt died.¡± Liv nodded, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to keep ahold of what she¡¯d seen before the details slipped away, like a dream. ¡°There was more. I went west, to another land, covered in green. It must have been Varuna - there¡¯s nothing else over the ocean, is there? A great smoking mountain, and I knew the woman on it. Wren. The one who pulled me out of the ice, and then stole the icon. And there was another woman, on a throne, and she saw me.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± her father said. ¡°It is our spirit that goes out on the winds, not our body. There is nothing to see.¡± ¡°She spoke to me,¡± Liv said, shaking her head. ¡°Called me ¡®girl,¡¯ and asked me who¡¯d taught me how to do that. She spoke V?dic, and there was something odd about her face, as if she didn¡¯t look quite human, or quite Elden either. And when she spoke, it pushed me down, as if a great stone had been placed over my body, and I couldn¡¯t move.¡± Valtteri was silent for a long moment. ¡°I must speak of this to my father,¡± he finally decided. ¡°What does it mean?¡± Liv asked him, opening her eyes again. ¡°The people and places you saw will be important to you,¡± her father said. ¡°And that frightens me. Your aunt saw the depths of the Tomb, as well, and it killed her. I could not bear it if you went down the same path.¡± He stood, and offered her his hand. Liv accepted it, and Valtteri easily pulled her up to his feet. ¡°You¡¯re not going to leave, are you?¡± Liv asked him. He turned and headed back out of the shoals, and she followed after picking up her staff. ¡°Only for a short while,¡± her father said. ¡°A few days, a ten-day at most, just to speak with your grandfather. Then I will be back. There is so much to teach you, and only a few short years to do it in.¡± ¡°I could go with you,¡± Liv offered. ¡°No,¡± her father said firmly. ¡°I will be using the waystone in the shoals of the Tomb, and until we understand more I dare not take you anywhere near that place.¡± He stopped, turned, and caught her by her shoulders. ¡°Promise me, Livara,¡± Valtteri demanded. ¡°Promise me you will not seek the things you saw out. Not yet. You are not ready.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she said, frightened by the urgency in his eyes, the strength of his hands on her. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything until after I¡¯ve finished at Coral Bay, at the very least.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Her father took a deep breath, then released her and did his best to smile. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s get you back to Whitehill.¡± They found his northern gelding just where they¡¯d left him, cropping wild grass in contentment. Her father lifted her up into the saddle, then swung up in front of her, and they were off, taking the road south back to Whitehill. ? Liv¡¯s father didn¡¯t leave immediately: by the time they¡¯d returned, it was dark, and they were both hungry. ¡°How are you not cold?¡± Liv demanded, shedding her winter cloak and slumping into the chair closest to the hearth in the great hall. There was not only hot stew, but venison steaks fried up in butter and garlic, as well as the last of the day¡¯s bread. Liv was surprised that the first bite of steak didn¡¯t send a noticeable jolt of mana into her belly, and realized that she was positively brimming with magic from the rift. ¡°A trick I will teach you,¡± her father explained, in between bites. ¡°Think of it this way. When you use Cel, what are you actually doing?¡± ¡°Freezing things,¡± Liv said, with a shrug. ¡°But you don¡¯t actually understand what that means,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°The process of freezing is one of removing. Removing heat and motion. Where does that heat go?¡± ¡°I- I¡¯ve never thought about it,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°By default, that heat and motion is absorbed by the ambient mana in the world around you,¡± her father explained. ¡°In a sort of compensation. Our family¡¯s word, unlike most, actually strengthens the mana around us, to a very small extent. Nearly unnoticeable, because the effect diffuses so quickly. Like pouring a pot of boiling water into the ocean. But with sufficient control, you can funnel some of that heat into yourself.¡± ¡°Is that how my aunt was able to hold a sword without destroying her hand?¡± Liv asked, setting her fork down in excitement. ¡°She was using more than one trick to do that,¡± her father said, with a smile. ¡°For one thing, your entire conception of ice is too basic. Any sword you make right now will shatter in a single blow. I will teach you to make ice that is as strong as steel. But, that will need to wait until I return,¡± he said. ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Valtteri continued, ¡°I will ride to the waystone beneath Bald Peak and use it to get back north. I¡¯ll fight my way out of the rift and meet with your grandparents at Kelthelis. I won¡¯t stay more than a day or two, but when I come back I will tell you anything they are able to share with me about what you¡¯ve seen. If you want to write a letter to them, I suspect they would be very pleased to receive it. While I¡¯m gone, have Master Grenfell test the number of rings you can hold again.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Properly cycling the mana from a rift tends to expand one¡¯s capacity,¡± her father explained. ¡°If you were able to handle the density of the depths, that would push you even further, but we¡¯re not going to attempt that yet. Get an accurate measurement, and put in all the orders for your wand. I won¡¯t be gone long, and then we will continue your training.¡± ? It was difficult not to be nervous at the idea of her father using the Tomb of Celris as a means of transport: from the way he¡¯d spoken about the rift, Liv got the feeling it was far more dangerous than Bald Peak. Even if it was only a minor rift, during the last eruption Baron Henry had been crippled, Master Grenfell scarred, and several men had lost their lives. Liv¡¯s father was going alone, but he also spoke as if he¡¯d made the journey before, so she tried her best not to worry. Having a few distractions helped. ¡°Seventeen rings,¡± Master Grenfell declared, after passing the last wisp of blue-gold mana into the rough stone he kept for such purposes. ¡°That is about in line with what I would expect to see from someone exposed to a shoal for the first time - only it isn¡¯t your first time. We¡¯ve already visited once, when we got the wood for your staff. You didn¡¯t go past the shoals, did you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Liv shook her head, then placed her hands on the massive mana-stone. ¡°My father taught me something. A sort of coming of age ritual. I think I¡¯m considered an adult by the Eld, now,¡± she said, with a smile. The stone warmed and pulsed beneath her palms as she drew the mana back into her body. Then, curious to see whether it would work, she inhaled deeply, finding the feeling of what she¡¯d done in the shoals. A hint of mana rose from the stone and streamed through the air into her open mouth. ¡°I see,¡± Master Grenfell said, watching her. ¡°The Eld have many techniques they have hesitated to share even with the mages¡¯ guild. Please be cautious about practicing them without your father present to guide you,¡± he cautioned Liv. ¡°If you do something incorrectly, I may not know how to help you.¡± ¡°I will be,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m going down to see the blacksmith today, after I look over the bones of the stag. And maybe a leatherworker, as well.¡± ¡°You have the plans we drew up?¡± Liv nodded, and pulled her hands away from the stone. ¡°I do. Thank you, Master Grenfell!¡± In the cold cellar, she found that Gretta and her mother - likely with Emma¡¯s help - had been quite busy butchering the carcass of the enormous buck. All the meat had been carved, either to be smoked or cooked or discarded, and the bones aside for Liv to pick through. She suspected that only the chill of the cellar was keeping them from stinking too badly. ¡°Do you know which ones you want?¡± Gretta asked her, from where she hovered at the foot of the stairs. ¡°Whatever you don¡¯t use, I want to get out of here as soon as we can.¡± ¡°Some of these leg bones, I think,¡± Liv said, picking out the long, relatively straight pieces of the skeleton. ¡°Why don¡¯t we clean up all these, and get rid of the rest. That way, if something goes wrong, I have extras.¡± Gretta helped her load them into a large covered pot - the sort usually reserved for a roast - which they filled with a layer of water. Between the two of them, they got it set up next to a bed of low coals off to one side of the cooking heart, to simmer slowly all through the day. ¡°Can¡¯t let it boil,¡± Gretta said. ¡°That¡¯ll just ruin them. We want all the bits to come off nice and easy, and then it¡¯ll be time to dry them out for a few days. I¡¯ll keep an eye on it, don¡¯t worry.¡± Once Liv had picked out her bones, she spent most of the afternoon shopping. At Master Gregory¡¯s smithy, she ordered half a dozen of the smallest springs that Dustin could wind, and promised that she¡¯d be at the wedding. Hardwin, who made beautiful stamped belts from his shop on The Hill, assured Liv that he could make her a sheath for a wand, and a double wrapped belt to hold it. Mistress Joan, who bought rough stones from the mines to polish and set in jewelry made by her husband, promised to get to work on a pommel-sized hunk of mana-stone. Liv made a trip to the bankers¡¯ guild with Duchess Julianne, to withdraw enough funds to pay for all of her orders. ¡°I understand that things have changed quite a bit for you in a very short period of time,¡± Julianne remarked, on the carriage ride back to the castle. ¡°Even since I gave you the option of those adoption papers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a bit overwhelming,¡± Liv agreed, looking out the window. She still found the idea awkward. ¡°I think that I wouldn¡¯t feel right about it,¡± she said, finally. ¡°I¡¯m only just getting to know my father, and I gave him a letter for my grandparents. I want to meet them, too.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I set them aside and keep them for you,¡± Julianne said, after a moment. ¡°In the event they¡¯re ever needed, or you ever change your mind. And if that day never comes, they won¡¯t do anyone any harm gathering dust in my husband¡¯s study.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said. ¡°I meant to ask - is it still Baron Henry, or just Lord Henry, now?¡± ¡°No one¡¯s taken the title away from him,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Though my own does supersede it, now, and Matthew will inherit a duchy rather than a barony. What we¡¯re thinking of doing is to rename Henry Baron of the Aspen Valley, and that can be a title for Matthew¡¯s second child, someday.¡± ¡°I can create other baronies, as well,¡± Julianne observed. ¡°For instance, if you decide not to marry the Talbot boy. In fact, come the spring, we intend to send teams out to survey the mountains. If we can find a few veins of something useful that would support a mining town, it may happen sooner than my brother might have expected.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that my life is going to keep me in Lucania forever,¡± Liv said, finally putting into words what she¡¯d learned from her vision. "I''m not certain it would be fair to anyone to talk about staying, when I don¡¯t really believe that will happen anymore. But,¡± she said, turning away from the window and making an effort to smile, ¡°all that won¡¯t be for a bit yet. In the meantime, this is home.¡± 65. The Cottage Beneath the Willow For all that Liv¡¯s father had promised not to be gone long, and to hurry back to Whitehill, the first truly heavy snow of winter arrived before Valtteri Ka Auris did. Three days after she and Duchess Julianne had made their trip to the bank, the morning sun found the slopes of the mountains painted white. Bald Peak was nearly blinding, above the treeline. Deer Peak, where she¡¯d practiced making chutes of ice years before, and ridden shields down the mountain with Emma laughing the whole way, was closer still. Looking out her window, as Thora brushed out her hair, Liv had the sudden urge to run down to the armory, find a shield, and ride Steria up the mountain. Instead, she went down to the kitchen to retrieve her bones. ¡°Good morning,¡± Liv greeted her mother, Gretta, Archibald and the rest. Bacon and potatoes were frying up for breakfast in the great hall, and a line of apple tarts was cooling on the table. The newer servants ducked out of her way, but she managed to get a hug from her mother. ¡°Come for your bones, have you?¡± Gretta asked her with a grin. ¡°They¡¯re nice and dry now, and lightened up nicely. I¡¯ve got them wrapped in a cloth, here.¡± Together, they unrolled the old rag across the dining table, and Liv was pleased to see that the buck¡¯s leg bones didn¡¯t stink at all. She¡¯d worried that small bits of flesh or gristle might prove difficult to remove, and the idea of a rotting stench hanging about her new wand had been her greatest hesitation in not using wood. ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said, reaching out hesitantly to run a finger over one of the long bones. It didn¡¯t feel any worse than the bone of a chicken or a pig, and she¡¯d long since gotten over any squeamishness dressing a carcass. Still, she¡¯d never carried a bone around as a tool before. Carefully, she rolled the old rag back up, bundling the bones together lengthwise. Her next stop was to speak with Master Grenfell, which she managed at the table. ¡°The bones are ready,¡± she said in between bites of apple tart. At Thora¡¯s scandalized urging, she had allowed the maid to take the bundle up to her rooms, rather than bring them in to breakfast to show her teacher. ¡°But I don¡¯t know anyone in town who can do the job. Are we going to have to send them out somewhere? Do you know someone who can do the carving at Coral Bay?¡± ¡°Oh, more than a few,¡± the older mage said. ¡°I expect there would be half a dozen journeymen practicing enchantment that could do the job. Of course, that means riding up to Bald Peak and using the waystone. And they¡¯re going to charge you in gold for the work.¡± ¡°No,¡± Duchess Julianne broke in. ¡°You want Auntie Rhea.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Liv asked. She hadn¡¯t seen the old midwife in years, though steady shipments of mana-rich nuts, dried herbs, and berries had never ceased to be delivered to the castle. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ever have expected that.¡± ¡°She spent a year at Coral Bay, remember,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Which means she took a course in enchanting. She¡¯s likely to understand what you need, and she knows her way around carving knives. Rhea sells bits of bone jewelry, here and there. Ride on down to Fairford and talk to her. But make certain you don¡¯t go alone - get one of the guards to ride with you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re safe here, aren¡¯t we?¡± Liv asked, frowning. ¡°From the queen? We should be, if Benedict keeps to his agreement,¡± Julianne said. ¡°But there are also wolves, bears¡­¡± ¡°To say nothing of the fact you¡¯re now of an age you shouldn¡¯t be riding off alone,¡± Henry explained. ¡°You may chafe at it, but being chaperoned is for your own good.¡± In the end, she went with an old guard named Tobias, who seemed glad enough of an excuse to do a bit of riding in the snow. Liv had offered to take Thora along, but her maid had turned the idea down with a shiver. ¡°No thank you, m¡¯lady,¡± the girl had told her. ¡°I¡¯ll stay by the hearth in the kitchens, where it''s warm and I can have a cup of tea. Mind you don¡¯t freeze off anything important.¡± Despite wearing thick wool stockings, layered winter skirts, her fur-lined heavy cloak, and the gloves she¡¯d used when dueling the princess, Liv was still thoroughly miserable by the time she¡¯d reached Fairford and found her way to Auntie Rhea¡¯s cottage, set back from the river under an old peach-leaf willow. The tree¡¯s four trunks were half buried in snow, but they made a convenient place to tie up Steria. It took knocking twice, with a pause between, before the old midwife answered the door. If she hadn¡¯t been able to see and smell the woodsmoke from the chimney, Liv might have wondered whether anyone was at home. ¡°Who¡¯s there, then?¡± Liv blinked: in the years since riding out to face the eruption at Bald Peak, Rhea had aged considerably. When she¡¯d come to the castle eighteen years ago, she¡¯d still been a handsome woman in middle age, but now she seemed shrunken and bent, her hair gone entirely to gray. Even six years before, at Master Cushing¡¯s funeral, the change hadn¡¯t been so stark: but old age seemed to have caught up to the woman all at once. ¡°I¡¯m not certain if you remember me, Mistress Rhea,¡± Liv began. ¡°Liv Brodbeck, from up the castle? Duchess Julianne said you were the best one to speak to about doing a bit of bone carving.¡± She held up her package of bones bundled in cloth. ¡°Oh, I remember,¡± the old woman said. ¡°Come on in, girl. And bring your guard, as well, so he doesn¡¯t lose any of his toes.¡± The inside of the cottage was warm enough, and redolent with the scents of garlic, sage and thyme, all hanging from the beams of the ceiling to dry. Liv pushed back her hood, tucked the package of bones under one arm, and peeled off her gloves. ¡°Tell me what you want, and let me see what you have,¡± Rhea said, so Liv followed her over to a low wooden table. There, she opened the bundle so that the bones were revealed. ¡°I¡¯ve decided I need a wand instead of a staff,¡± Liv explained. ¡°I want something I can wear on my belt, so that it¡¯s always near to hand when I need it. We thought about using aspenwood again, but after a bit of planning with Master Grenfell and my father, we hunted down a buck in the shoals of the rift, instead. Duchess Julianne recommended I speak to you about the carving.¡± Rhea¡¯s hands traced over the bones, pushing a few aside. ¡°It¡¯s the shanks you want,¡± she said. ¡°Nevermind the rest. Duchess Julianne, is it now? And your father? A lot must have changed up at the castle. You have the plans drawn out?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Liv hastily unfolded the paper she¡¯d brought, to show the final drawing in pen and ink. In the meanwhile, Tobias found himself a seat on one of Auntie Rhea¡¯s wooden stools. ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I pack a pipe while you talk, mistress, do you?¡± the old soldier asked. ¡°A bit of pipe smoke smells sweet enough,¡± Rhea said. ¡°Go right ahead while you warm up. Keeps the lungs dry. Let¡¯s see here. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen anything this complicated since I was at college. Three buttons, is it? How big of a stone are you planning to put in this handle, anyway? Can you actually afford this?¡± ¡°I have a pension from the king,¡± Liv explained, ¡°that I haven¡¯t done much with beside buy a dress here or there. And my father¡¯s given me access to his accounts with the banking guild. The stone¡¯s already commissioned and being polished by Mistress Joan.¡± ¡°Focusing sigils,¡± Rhea muttered, tracing her finger over the designs. ¡°Those are easy enough, though you¡¯ll need to get someone else to inlay them with silver or gold. I can do this.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Thank you!¡± Liv exclaimed. ¡°Hold up a moment, girl,¡± Rhea chided her, raising a hand. ¡°I said I could do it, not that I would. It¡¯s a lot of work, and my fingers ache, especially in the winter.¡± ¡°I can pay you,¡± Liv offered. ¡°Don¡¯t have much use left for coin,¡± the old woman said. ¡°Nor much time left to spend it in, I would guess. But it is nice to have someone else to talk to. I¡¯ll tell you what, girl. I¡¯ll carve your wand for you, if you¡¯ll come along and help. You might learn a thing or two that will do you some good when you go off to college. And bring your father down, at least once. I want to hear what it¡¯s like over the mountains.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Liv promised. ¡°And next time I come, I can bring a few tarts or a pie from the kitchen, as well.¡± ¡°You have yourself a bargain, then,¡± Rhea said. ¡°Now, clear the table of everything but those shanks I pulled out for you, and those plans. Drag over a chair while I dig up my knives and chisels.¡± ? Liv stayed the entire afternoon, and Rhea insisted she tell the story of what had happened at the capital while they worked. For her part, Liv did a lot of handing over tools, or cleaning them after they¡¯d been put to use. The only thing that the old woman trusted her to do was a bit of work with a metal rasp, to begin the process of smoothing the outer surface of the bone. At midday they shared a bit of rabbit stew, from an iron pot hanging by the hearth, and Liv left with plenty of time for her and Tobias to make the journey back to Whitehill in time for the evening meal. She was relieved to find that her father had got there before them. ¡°I was starting to get worried,¡± Liv admitted, handing off her cloak and gloves to Thora before taking her seat at the high table. ¡°Is that a cut on your cheek? Has Mistress Trafford seen to it?¡± ¡°Just a scratch,¡± her father said. ¡°A gyrfalcon swooped down on me as I was waiting for the waystone to send me along. Thankfully, it had already swooped back up to circle around when the magic sent me along. I hear you found someone to do the bonework?¡± ¡°Duchess Julianne sent me to a woman in Fairford, just down the river,¡± Liv explained. ¡°You¡¯ll get to meet her soon enough; part of her price was that she wants to hear all about the lands north of the mountains.¡± Valtteri laughed. ¡°I suppose that is an easy enough price to pay. Here, I have a letter from your grandparents for you.¡± He passed a roll of parchment to her, and it occurred to Liv that in a land without trees, paper would be impossible to make. Meal forgotten, she unrolled the message and read:
To our granddaughter, Livara - Words cannot express what an unlooked for joy it is for us to discover your existence. When your father rode south to learn the truth behind Ambassador Sakari¡¯s message, we did not dare hope that his words could be true. Your father believed instantly, but perhaps it is a fault of hearts that have been broken too many times that we shied away from any risk of further pain. Our son tells us that he will stay in the south for a while, so that he can teach you. We invite you to Kelthelis as soon as you wish, though we also understand - more than most - that it is not the easiest journey. Nevertheless, know that you will have a place here, whether you come tomorrow, or in ten years. Your father made us a sculpture of you, in ice, so that we could see your face; but it is no substitute for the day when we can welcome you in our arms. We are, your grandparents, Auris ka Syv? Eila T?r V?inis
¡°Liv?¡± Julianne called across the table gently. ¡°Are you alright, dear?¡± She raised a hand to her cheek, and found her skin wet. ¡°I am,¡± Liv said, and carefully rolled up the parchment. ¡°I was just a bit afraid of what they would write. That maybe they wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± Her father placed a hand on her back, and it felt right. ? The winter quickly settled into a new routine. Most days, Liv would ride down The Hill, first to the Old Oak, where her father took a room, and eventually to the townhouse he purchased through the bankers¡¯ guild. It was mostly of red brick, with paned windows, two chimneys, and sharply peaked roofs that shook the snow off as easily as an eager hound. For the morning, Liv would practice their family¡¯s word of power. Some days, that meant sitting on a bench in the back garden, trying to keep herself warm by diverting waste heat from her spells to her own body. Her father forbid her from experimenting with new spells at the same time. ¡°I want you learning one new thing well, not scattering your mind in a million directions,¡± Valtteri told her. ¡°Show more of your sculptures. Flowers, or soldiers, something you¡¯ve done before. And shape your intent so that the heat you¡¯re drawing away goes into you, and not just wherever the ambient mana takes it. Start with your fingers or toes, those are the easiest things to lose to frostbite.¡± The first time she made it work, Liv managed to scald three fingers on her left hand. She shrieked at the sudden pain, lost control of her sculpture, and ended up with a disfigured monster of a swordswoman that might have been Triss¡¯ hideous twin. That put an end to practice for that morning, and when she rode down to spend the afternoon with Auntie Rhea, it was with a salved and wrapped hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you won¡¯t just let me take an hour to heal it,¡± she complained to her father as they tied their horses up at the willow. ¡°Because it would take more than an hour,¡± her father said. ¡°But it will be good practice for you tonight.¡± Liv¡¯s father ended up coming with her to Fairford more than once; he understood the plans for her wand better than she did, and didn¡¯t seem to mind telling the old woman stories of wolves with crowns of ice and bone, bears that could call an ice storm, or even the rusted hulks of metal that sometimes crawled out of the Tomb of Celris. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to fit, does it?¡± Liv said, while she cleaned dust from the bone. ¡°I know the Crosbies have to deal with things like that out of the Foundry Rift, but I wouldn¡¯t have thought they¡¯d mix with ice monsters.¡± ¡°Once Antris perfected his machines of war, he built them for the other V?dim, as well as for himself,¡± Valtteri explained. ¡°You can still see the frozen ruin of one of the great engines of war at the southern end of the canyon. I¡¯ll show you some day. We¡¯re lucky he was killed before he could build any more.¡± On other mornings, Liv¡¯s father demonstrated how to make a blade or a wall of ice that was dense and hard as metal. They borrowed Master Grenfell for that, and one of the guards, so that she could see the difference between her own creations, and those of her father. Where Liv¡¯s sword broke consistently by the second parry - not that she was allowed to be the one wielding it - her father¡¯s didn¡¯t so much as chip. Master Grenfell was eventually able to burn his way through Liv¡¯s walls, unless she kept adding layers of ice to thicken them, but again, Valtteri¡¯s were far more resistant even to magical fire. ¡°Astonishing,¡± Grenfell had declared, after the tests were complete. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll let me listen in on how you do it?¡± Liv¡¯s father considered that for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t see the harm,¡± he finally decided. ¡°And you have taken good care of Livara¡¯s training for years now. Consider it a sign of gratitude. You don¡¯t have the word of power imprinted anyway. But I will ask you not to share with the guild, or at least not without my permission.¡± ¡°It looks just like normal ice,¡± Liv said, poking at her father¡¯s wall again. Master Grenfell gathered his cloak around him and sat down on one of the garden benches. ¡°That is because it is made of the same basic elements,¡± her father explained. ¡°The only difference is in the arrangement. It is a matter of shape, at the absolute smallest level. You see, when water freezes, it arranges itself into tiny crystals in the shape of six sided patterns, almost like rings. Look closely at a snowflake, sometime, and you¡¯ll get an idea. But when you squeeze it very tightly, it takes on different shapes. When you make it dense enough,¡± Valtteri finished, and waved a hand at the wall, ¡°this is what you get.¡± ¡°Fascinating,¡± Master Grenfell remarked. ¡°Go ahead, Livara, give it a try,¡± her father said. It was only later that evening that she realized his smile should have been a warning to her. ¡°Squeeze it really tight,¡± Liv said, nodding. ¡°Alright. That shouldn¡¯t be so hard.¡± 66. A Wand of Bone Learning to make adamant ice, as her father called it, proved to be an exercise in frustration for Liv. She had been warned that learning new words of power wouldn¡¯t come as easily to her as Cel had, ever since that day on the frozen river. Now, she found that even magic which had seemed so instinctual for most of her life could balk her like a stubborn horse. Liv spent every spare moment trying to compress even the smallest shard of ice, but every attempt ended in one of two ways: either she didn¡¯t press hard enough, and only normal ice formed, or she pressed unevenly. In that case, the ice cracked outward from the top, the bottom, or one side, whichever direction she¡¯d failed to keep under control. Then, the entire attempt was ruined. It got so bad that her father began purposefully distracting her with other techniques, so that she didn¡¯t empty her mana reserves every day on failed experiments. He taught her creus - or kreus, as he wrote it - the word for crystal in V?dic. With that, she was able to practice the invocation Valtteri had used to rescue her in the alley back in Freeport. She didn¡¯t bother to record set invocations in her notebook, now, only new words or notes on how to use them. Flexibility was what had won Liv her duel, and she refused to let herself be trapped into defeat by relying on rote habits or patterns, like the princess. Liv determined that she would shape her ice like a growing thing, as she needed in the moment. With every incantation, her father insisted she practice the technique of controlled heat transfer. That, at least, she mastered as easily as ever - though Liv had more than a few nights of burned fingers or toes to deal with, before she was finally confident. Auntie Rhea gave her a clay pot of burn salve to use, and most of it was gone within a ten-day. Even the burns were useful, though, because they gave her a chance to practice circulating her mana to heal her body. She kept the technique secret, as her father had asked her to. She used it only in her bed at night, after Thora had left her alone, and gave all the credit to Rhea¡¯s medicine if someone commented on how quickly she healed. Her conspiracy was aided by old Master Cushing¡¯s theories that her Elden blood accelerated her natural healing - thoughts he¡¯d left to Mistress Trafford in his extensive notes on Liv. ¡°It isn¡¯t your Elden blood,¡± her father explained, as they sat on the snow at the top of Deer Peak, strapping well-sharpened and waxed wooden skis onto their boots. ¡°It¡¯s the V?dic. I would wager that I heal faster than you do, and I know my father heals more quickly still. I can only imagine what sort of wound would be required to put one of the old gods themselves down. That¡¯s one of the reasons you can hold more mana than your Master Grenfell expects, also. Your Elden bones were designed to hold magic, but V?dim practically were magic.¡± ¡°Speaking of my bones,¡± Liv said, pushing herself up with her gloved hands and wobbling on her skis, ¡°is there anything we can do about them? I don¡¯t want to break an arm or a leg every time I fall. It¡¯s been better since I started eating mana-rich food regularly, but Mistress Trafford still thinks there¡¯s a danger.¡± ¡°She is an intelligent woman,¡± her father said, using a nearby tree to get himself upright. ¡°It¡¯s why I¡¯ve avoided practicing fencing with you. If the right food hasn¡¯t fixed things yet, I can only think of two things to attempt. One is prolonged exposure to a mana-rich environment, such as the shoals of a rift. The other would be to attempt circulating your mana through your bones, specifically, as if they needed to be healed. But I¡¯m no chirurgeon, Livara. I¡¯m only making guesses on this.¡± She bent over and passed him two poles cut from strong aspen wood, keeping another pair for herself. ¡°I¡¯ll try it tonight,¡± Liv decided, turning herself to face downslope. ¡°Start small,¡± her father said. ¡°With a finger or something you won¡¯t mind breaking. Now. On the way down, I want you to strike as many trees with your shards as you can, in succession. Only one shard at a time. You¡¯re to channel the waste heat into your own body, to keep yourself warm.¡± ¡°You realize that, with the skiing, you¡¯re asking me to do something like three things at once?¡± Liv complained. ¡°What do you think a battle is like?¡± her father shot back. ¡°Better you learn to think quickly now, when no one is trying to kill you. Follow me!¡± He pushed off with his poles and shot down the mountain, skidding around trees as he went. Liv took a deep breath to center herself and followed. Choosing her first target, she shouted: ¡°Celet¡¯co Scelis¡¯o¡¯Mae!¡± A glittering shard of ice shot off to her left, shattering against the trunk of a pine tree, and a flush of warmth crept through Liv¡¯s body. She couldn¡¯t help but grin as she sped after her father, down the mountain. ? Gradually, the pieces required to assemble Liv¡¯s new wand came together, as different artisans completed her orders. The payments made a noticeable dent in her account with the bankers¡¯ guild, but she¡¯d been receiving a royal pension for eighteen years with little to spend it on, so she wasn¡¯t worried. Auntie Rhea finished the carving and set Liv to doing the polishing herself while she did delicate work carving buttons. The springs had long since been made and delivered by Dustin, Emma¡¯s betrothed. The stamped leather double-wrap belt was done, stained a beautiful rich brown and sporting a shiny steel buckle. Once all of the major carving was done on the wand itself, Liv brought it to Hardwin so that he could make notes on the measurements for the sheath. Then, it was back to polishing, until Rhea judged the process finished. Another hefty pouch of coins went to the jeweler, who would inlay the sigils carved into the bone with silver. In the meanwhile, preparations for Emma¡¯s wedding accelerated: the ceremony would be held as soon as the snows began to melt, in the temple of the trinity. Osric Fletcher, the same priest who¡¯d laid old Master Cushing to rest, would perform a blessing in the name of Sitia, Lady of Changes, as he¡¯d done for all the couples in the town since Liv was a small child. ¡°How do you know for certain?¡± Liv asked her friend. She watched from her seat in the dress shop on The Hill while Emma was fitted with new skirts and a bodice in deep blue, dyed with indigo from Lendh ka Dakruim. It was the color of the goddess who blessed weddings - for many women, the only time in their lives they would be permitted to wear such a vibrant color, if they could afford it. The underskirts were white, and white lace decorated the sleeves and hem of the overskirt; the dress was her wedding present from Liv. ¡°You just know,¡± Emma said. ¡°He¡¯s the only person I never get sick of spending time with. Do you ever feel like you have to put on a face for people? Like a performance, to be who they expect you to be? I don¡¯t need to do that with Dustin.¡± ¡°It sounds nice,¡± Liv said, and wondered whether she would ever feel that way about someone. There¡¯d been no letter from Cade, yet, but it was also the depths of winter and the passes were all closed. Unless he was going to send a messenger by waystone - which was a ridiculous idea, for something that wasn¡¯t urgent - she didn¡¯t expect a letter until after the snow had melted. ¡°Thinking about your boy back at the capital?¡± Emma teased her. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°No,¡± Liv lied. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t expect him to wait six years for me. I told him as much. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already found someone else. Are you living at your father¡¯s house, after the wedding?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re buying Master Gregory out of his shop,¡± Emma explained. ¡°The upper floor is set up for a family to live in, though he never ended up having one after his wife died.¡± ¡°You can afford it?¡± Liv asked, prepared to offer up her own money if it was needed. ¡°I¡¯ve had years of selling the castle meat from mana-beasts,¡± Emma assured her. ¡°It¡¯s paid me well enough - probably better than most people in town realize. If we really wanted to, we could probably afford one of the smaller homes up on The Hill, but there¡¯s no point when the forge is in the Lower Banks.¡± ¡°Even if you moved it all up The Hill, the merchants would complain as soon as Dustin got up in the morning and started hammering away,¡± Liv agreed with a grin. ? By the time the flood season came that year, Liv¡¯s wand was finished. Master Grenfell did the enchanting work - a skill that her father admitted was not his strong suit. Duchess Julianne and Baron Henry - the proclamation that he was now to be addressed as Baron of the Aspen Valley had been made - as well as Emma, Liv¡¯s mother, and even Gretta all gathered along the edges of the practice yard to watch her put it to use for the first time. Even the soldiers on the castle walls seemed to be facing the wrong direction, and Liv was surprised that no one had yelled at them to get back to their patrols. A half dozen archery targets had been arranged at one end of the courtyard, and Liv couldn¡¯t keep a smile off her face at the feel of the wand settled in the sheath at her left hip. ¡°Take your time,¡± Master Grenfell said. ¡°Try out everything slowly and deliberately. There is no rush, no crisis. Better to get everything right now, and make any adjustments needed before you have to use it in an emergency.¡± Liv nodded. She¡¯d cast four spells using the future tense as soon as she¡¯d woken up that morning, the bone wand the focus for all of them. It held the magic nicely, she could feel, almost as well as mana-stone. A big breakfast of sausage made from mana-rich venison, and potatoes cooked in garlic from Auntie Rhea, hadn¡¯t quite managed to make up for all the magic she¡¯d used. All told, the morning preparations had used every single one of the seventeen rings Liv could hold inside her body. With everyone¡¯s eyes on her, Liv drew the wand. It felt right in her hand: the handle was tightly wrapped in soft leather, smooth and comforting, and the mana-stone set in the pommel gave the entire length of bone a nice, solid weight. She couldn¡¯t help but caress it with the fingers of her left hand, just for a moment. Then, she thrust the wand at the leftmost straw target and pressed the first button set above the wand¡¯s grip. Liv felt the smallest click, and a single shard of ice shot out from the tip of the wand, streaking across the length of the courtyard and impaling the target. When she lifted her thumb from the button, the tightly coiled spring she¡¯d purchased from Emma''s husband-to-be pushed the polished piece of bone back up into place. ¡°That¡¯s faster than I could ever speak it aloud,¡± Liv said. With an eager swipe, she pressed the second button, sending a full spread of five shards fanning out. Some of them hit the targets, while others missed, but that wasn¡¯t really the point. If she sent that kind of spell into a group of men - say, up on a rooftop loading their crossbows - aiming carefully wouldn¡¯t be her primary concern. Liv pointed the wand down at the ground in front of her and cut it through the air as if drawing a line between her and the targets. With a click of the third button, a wall of ice rose in front of her, piling up rapidly until it stood tall enough that she couldn¡¯t see around it. Finally, she walked around the wall and over to the straw targets. There, she pulled the length of the wand away from the handle, using both hands, and rotated until the pieces snapped back into place with another click. Layers of ice coalesced around the wand, building a new shape with the length of bone serving as a core. While the magic worked, Liv gathered up the waste heat produced, and shunted it into her own body, paying special attention to her hand. By the time the spell had done its work to completion, she was holding a sword of ice, built up around the wand. She made a few stabs at the target, and then used the last of the remaining heat to melt the ice away so that she was holding, once again, a length of bone. Only now, it glistened with beads of moisture. Applause sounded from the castle walls above her, and Liv couldn¡¯t help but blush. ¡°Next time there¡¯s an eruption,¡± Piers called from above her, ¡°we¡¯ll just put you on the wall, and the rest of us can take a nap!¡± Liv shook her head and waved him off, then strode back across the courtyard to where her mother and Gretta waited to give her one hug after the other. When they¡¯d returned to the kitchen, she huddled with her father, Master Grenfell, the Duchess and the Baron to answer their questions. ¡°Everything moved easily?¡± Henry asked. ¡°Nothing felt like you had to struggle with it, or as if it might break?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°No, it was all perfect,¡± she said. ¡°Everyone involved did incredible work.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the baron said, with a satisfied nod. ¡°When you go into a fight - whether it''s culling a rift, a duel, or an ambush in an alley - you need to be able to rely on your weapons.¡± ¡°How much mana did you use for that load out of spells?¡± Grenfell asked her. ¡°All of it,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°I thought so, from the way you were eating at breakfast. You¡¯re giving up flexibility in the name of speed.¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Liv said, raising her left hand, from which the gold rings and bracelet once owned by Princess Milisant glittered. ¡°I have eight rings of mana here, if I need it, plus what I regained from breakfast. By the time luncheon is done, I¡¯ll be back to normal.¡± ¡°That girl was wearing around eight rings of mana?¡± Henry exclaimed. ¡°I told you,¡± Julianne teased her husband. ¡°She may not be a magical prodigy, but she has plenty of money to spend. I bet she¡¯s already got a replacement.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy enough to have this one,¡± Liv said, replacing her wand in its sheath. ¡°It gives me enough leeway not to worry about fully loading the wand each morning. The only problem is I don¡¯t have enough mana to put a spell on the ring, as well.¡± ¡°Give it time,¡± her father said. ¡°You aren¡¯t done developing yet.¡± ? The first letters from the outside world were delivered just before Emma¡¯s wedding: one each from Triss and Matthew at Coral Bay, one from Sidonie, and not only a letter but a package as well from Cade Talbot. Liv read the other three first, because even looking at the delivery from Bradon Bridge put butterflies in her stomach. Sidonie wrote of her winter in the capital, and complained a bit about how almost everyone she¡¯d met was at Coral Bay, leaving her with little to do but focus on her studies. The best part of the letter, in Liv¡¯s opinion, was the younger girl''s musings on creative ways to employ her family¡¯s word, which apparently functioned by propelling objects away from her with great force. Liv had an idea or two herself, and resolved to send them back in her return letter. Triss and Matthew both wrote about what life was like at the college, though Triss also took time to assure Liv that Matthew had recovered well. He¡¯d have a scar on his back for the rest of his life, and Triss¡¯ chief complaint about that was that it was placed so that hardly anyone would ever see it. ¡°He would have looked nicely dangerous if it was on his cheek,¡± Liv read aloud to Thora, giggling. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she actually wrote that down.¡± ¡°The two of them sound made for each other,¡± Liv¡¯s maid remarked. Thora was hanging up freshly laundered skirts, while Liv read letters while sprawled across her bed. ¡°They do, don¡¯t they?¡± Liv agreed. She was surprised to find it didn¡¯t upset her anymore. Triss already felt like a good friend, and if she made Matthew happy, that made Liv happy too. ¡°His letter is all complaining about remedial grammar classes. It sounds like they both did well in their combat examinations, however.¡± ¡°Are you finally going to open that package, then?¡± Thora asked, having finished with the last skirt. ¡°I¡¯ll do it for you, if you¡¯re too anxious.¡± Liv sighed. ¡°Hand me a pen-knife, then.¡± The box was small, easily held in one hand, and made of finely finished cherry wood. There was a metal latch, which had been covered over with wax pressed with the seal of the Talbot arms: a bridge over a river. The wax was undisturbed, which Liv assumed meant that the messenger hadn¡¯t opened the box up and stolen what was within. Using the small knife Thora handed her, she pried the wax off and swung the lid back on the hinges. Thora gasped. ¡°Oh my,¡± Liv said, lifting a carcanet of silver, sapphires and pearls up in her hands. ¡°I think you have your answer, then, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora told her. 67. Adamant Ice After Emma¡¯s wedding, Liv once again found herself feeling very alone. The one friend she had in Whitehill, who had been something approaching her own age in spirit, if not in years, had now begun an adventure that left the two women with less and less in common. Liv was happy for her friend, but she also felt it would be selfish to intrude too much on Emma¡¯s new life as a married woman. She hunted less and less often, instead helping her new husband, Dustin, by taking orders and collecting payment at the forge, while he focused on turning out horseshoes, kitchen knives, and the other odds and ends in constant demand. Emma¡¯s father, Kale, was now an aging man of fifty-four years, and less willing to hunt the edges of the shoals for mana-beasts. Liv couldn¡¯t have faced Emma if the old hunter had gotten killed trying to get her meat, so she did more and more hunting for herself, all through the flood season and into harvest. Her father came with her, and they used the time in the forested slopes that surrounded the river valley to practice her magic. There was less call for the trick of transferring heat to warm her own body, so instead Valtteri set her to using the heat from one spell to melt the ice created by another. Liv¡¯s defensive sphere, which she¡¯d previously struggled to conceptualize in such a way that it could be opened, could now be melted through with the after-heat of summoning a frozen blade. At night, before she went to sleep, Liv practiced circulating her mana through her body, and set to work on the fragile bones that had troubled her for as long as she could remember. Her father had warned her to start on something she didn¡¯t mind breaking, but her left pinkie finger made it through her early work intact. After a month, she thought that she¡¯d made progress, but still wasn¡¯t eager to risk a fracture by testing her work. Instead, Liv simply made it a nightly routine, one that would be proven one way or the other in time. It was the process of creating ice under pressure that continued to elude her, all throughout the year. Though her father assured her that it was not an easy technique to master, Liv couldn¡¯t help but be frustrated at her own failures. Liv¡¯s chief connection to the world outside of the Aspen River Valley came in the form of the letters she both sent and received all through the warm months. She had wondered whether Matthew might visit, and even if he might bring Triss, but they wrote her that they would be accompanying a group of journeymen east to a culling on the border of Lendh ka Dakruim, in the lands of House Sherard. Liv fretted about that, given the events that had occurred at the capital, but Duchess Julianne did not seem worried. ¡°If they were going to strike at him, they¡¯d be fools to do it in their own lands,¡± she told Liv, over dinner one evening. ¡°This once, let us be grateful our enemies are not entirely fools.¡± Cade wrote regularly, and even invited her to visit him at Bradon Bridge, but now that she had both her mother and her father, Liv didn¡¯t want to leave them behind. Instead, she invited him to Whitehill, but the letter he sent in return told her that his father forbid it. Apparently, Baron Talbot wanted to keep his only son and heir close at hand, before losing him to Coral Bay. So their understanding held, at least for the moment. Cade insisted that he still wished to court her, and Liv tried to pour her love of the mountains and the north into the letters that she sent to him, so that he might understand her better. The jeweled carcanet, Liv wore for Emma¡¯s wedding, and then had Thora pack it away for the next time she needed to dress at her best. When she wasn¡¯t hunting with her father, practicing with her magic, writing letters, or helping Master Grenfell, Liv spent her time in the kitchen. Her first teacher had less and less to instruct her in, as the months and then years went by. The court mage also had a new crop of young students, a particularly bright brother and sister whose father was an overseer at the mines and able to afford their lessons. Liv spent most of her time in the Master Mage¡¯s chambers helping them with their basic grammar. The kitchen was more pleasant, chiefly because it was familiar, and Liv enjoyed helping her mother and Gretta with the meals. Gretta, it was true, did less and less actual cooking as time went by, but no one seemed to mind very much. When the harvest was in and the first chill of winter come, however, Liv noticed her mother knuckling a pained back more and more often. ¡°It¡¯s just years of bending over pots and pans, stirring or rolling out dough,¡± Mama said, when Liv pressed her about it. ¡°Happens to everyone as they get older.¡± ¡°You two need another assistant cook,¡± Liv grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to the Duchess about it.¡± She was always very careful to refer to Julianne by her title, when she was in the kitchen, even if they were long past such formality in private. ¡°Especially once I go away to Coral Bay.¡± She wiped her flour-covered hands on her apron. ¡°You know that you don¡¯t need to work anymore,¡± Liv told her mother, hesitantly. ¡°Between the pension from the crown, and the accounts Father has given me access too, I could probably buy us a house. Not on The Hill, of course, but near the market.¡± ¡°That money is for you,¡± her mother chided her. ¡°You¡¯re likely to need it, whether at Coral Bay or after. How many crowns did you spend making that wand, anyway?¡± ¡°Not more than I could afford,¡± Liv replied. But more than she cared to admit to her mother. ¡°Besides, what would I do with myself?¡± her mother asked. ¡°Sit at the window all day and watch people go by in the street? I suppose I could sell pies and tarts, but then I¡¯d still be doing the same work, but in a smaller kitchen. I¡¯d rather be here, with everyone I know.¡± She nodded to where Gretta dozed in the corner, having been lulled to sleep by a patch of warm sunlight. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± Liv said, but she privately resolved herself to talk with Julianne sooner rather than later. Patch, one of the remaining mousers from Charlie¡¯s litter so many years ago, wound about her leg purring loudly, and that was the end of the conversation. Liv''s father made several short trips through the waystone, usually in the summer months, as the years passed. Each time, he carried a letter from Liv to her grandparents, and brought one from them in return. ¡°I feel as if I should go with you, at least once,¡± Liv told him, after he¡¯d returned from his second trip. Emma was pregnant that summer, and while her father was away, she¡¯d spent a lot of time down at the forge, keeping her old friend company. ¡°They know you¡¯re coming after you finish college,¡± Valtteri told her. ¡°Still, that¡¯s another eight years,¡± Liv said. ¡°Eight years for the Vakansa is not the same as for humans,¡± her father said. ¡°And the trip is dangerous. Still, if you feel strongly about coming, I will allow it when you¡¯ve mastered crafting adamant ice.¡± That promise gave Liv even more reason to practice, and also a countdown. If she couldn¡¯t make progress by her father¡¯s third summer at Whitehill, he would go to Kelthelis without her once again. All that winter, she put every spare moment into practice: everything else was a distraction. When she was being measured by the seamstress for new dresses - Liv had gotten what was probably her last growth spurt, complete with aches in her shins - she made daggers of ice in her hand, then melted them again, leaving a puddle on the floor. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Each dagger, however, ended up deformed, cracked, and of uneven density - as did flowers, walls, spears, swords, soldiers, and anything else she made the attempt with. Some days, it was enough to make her scream. What had at first seemed like a long stretch of time quickly began to acquire a sense of urgency as the snows began to melt. ¡°It¡¯s the same problem every time," Liv complained to her father one afternoon in the castle courtyard. ¡°If I¡¯ve got the pressure right one one side, I slip up and lose it on the other. Or if not, at the top, or the bottom.¡± ¡°Perhaps we should try the simplest of shapes, then,¡± her father said. ¡°I had thought that using the shapes you were already familiar with would make this easier, but clearly that has not been the case. Why don¡¯t you focus entirely on Orvis. And keep it small.¡± Liv took three deep breaths to calm herself, and then got back to work. One melon-sized sphere of ice after another came out warped and deformed, cracked, or even broken into pieces the instant after it appeared in her hand. As flood season wore on and crops were planted, she grew more and more desperate. When only a ten-day was left before her father¡¯s date of departure, Liv had Steria saddled and rode up Deer Peak. When she reached the summit, she tied the mare¡¯s reigns around a convenient aspen branch, sat down on the ground, and crossed her legs. The entire river valley was laid out before her, and the seemingly endless chain of mountains at her back. Somewhere beyond them were the lands of the Eld, and the far north, where her grandparents lived. In every direction, the sky went on, infinite and blue. The clouds seemed low enough to touch, if only Liv stretched out her hand, and for a moment she was nearly overcome with the urge to just jump out into the emptiness. She wondered if there was a word of power that would allow her to fly, and felt a little dizzy. Liv closed her eyes, and took deep breaths like Master Grenfell had first taught her over twenty years ago. Once, twice, three times, and then she stopped counting. The warm sun heated her skin, and the mountain breeze rustled her hair. She let herself simply sit and wait, until she felt almost on the edge of sleep. Then, Liv cupped her hands in her lap, and began. ¡°Celet Orvis,¡± she whispered, not even using her wand. She wanted to think of nothing but the shape of her spell, to have no distractions whatsoever. Liv pictured a ball of ice, perfectly round, in her hand, pressed in tightly on every inch of it¡¯s surface. A steady inward pressure, from every direction at once. The word of power at the back of her mind roused, but she didn¡¯t feed it any mana for a long moment, not until she was certain that her intent was precise and certain. Finally, Liv reached inside her and brought the mana out. Near two years of practice under her father¡¯s tutelage had honed her control, and now it moved through her body purposefully. As the mana passed, it did not harm her bones, muscles or skin. It caressed every bit of her from the inside, straightening what was crooked and rejuvenating the slightest traces of damage or illness. The combination of incantation, intent, and mana coalesced in her hands, and nothing else existed. Only the pressure, the constant pressure on every side as the infinitesimal crystalline structures of ice formed. Liv pressed, and pressed, and then something shifted. Frozen crystals began to fall into place, but not like anything that Liv had ever successfully made before. When the spell was complete, she opened her eyes to look upon a frozen ball that was even smaller than Liv had expected. She tipped it from one hand to the other, using the excess heat generated by the spell to keep her palms and fingers from being frozen. Then, Liv stood up. Carrying the orb, she walked over to where a bare face of rock dropped off to the north. Perhaps thirty or forty feet below, boulders sat in the shadows. Liv threw the orb down at the massive rocks. Instead of shattering, the globe of ice rang like a gong on impact, then rolled off to one side. Liv couldn¡¯t help but let out a wild whoop, which echoed off the mountains. Then, she returned to her seat in the sun and set to work on doing it all over again, and again, until she had no mana left to work with. ? Instead of riding back to Castle Whitehill, when Liv came down from the mountain she immediately sought her father out at the house he¡¯d purchased on The Hill. She didn¡¯t bother knocking on the door: she¡¯d been given a key long since. Instead, she simply marched in and found her father at the long dining table he hardly ever used, packing. The length of the tablecloth was covered with clothing, snowshoes, bedrolls and furs, hardtack, dried fruit, nuts, jerky, hunting knives, and all manner of supplies. Valtteri looked up upon Liv¡¯s entrance, his hand paused over a sheet of paper on which he¡¯d made a list. ¡°You¡¯re usually only gone for a ten-day or so,¡± she exclaimed, distracted by the extent of the sprawl. ¡°Do you really need all of this?¡± ¡°Things can go wrong very quickly that far north,¡± her father explained. ¡°Even for someone who knows what they are doing. A single accident or mistake can put you an inch from death, with no help to be found in the wide open places.¡± ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯re packing enough for two,¡± Liv said, getting herself back on track. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ve met my requirements?¡± Valtteri asked her. Liv took three deep breaths to center herself, and held out one hand. She wasn¡¯t feeling confident enough to toss this off like a normal spell, not yet. She closed her eyes, and spoke the invocation: ¡°Celet Orvis.¡± Just as she had up on the mountain, she guided the mana flow, and sharpened her intent, pressing in with as much mental effort as she could muster. When the magic subsided, and Liv opened her eyes, a ball of ice sat in her hand. ¡°Test it, if you like,¡± she said, and tossed it over the table to her father. Valtteri caught the sphere in his hand and turned it over, examining it from every angle. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Very good, Livara. Alright, then. I made you a promise, and you have kept up your end. You may come with me to Kelthelis.¡± ? Liv made certain to write a whole new set of letters over the days that followed, in between making her own preparations. She let Matthew and Triss, Sidonie and Cade, all know that she was making the trip north with her father, and likely wouldn¡¯t receive any correspondence until she¡¯d returned. Her father insisted that she bring all of her winter clothing to his house, to be inspected. ¡°None of this would protect you in the winter months,¡± Valtteri remarked. Her boots, gloves, wool stockings, skirts and fur-lined winter cloak, he finally accepted with a sigh. ¡°We will have to have winter clothing made for you, so that you are prepared,¡± he decided. ¡°But we are going in the warmest month of the year, and you know how to heat your own body if you have to.¡± Everything was packed into saddlebags the night before they left, save for the clothing that Liv would be wearing for the journey. That evening, Thora agonized over remaining behind. ¡°But who¡¯s going to dress you while you¡¯re away?¡± the maid lamented. ¡°Your hair is going to be a mess by the time you get back. And what if you rip a seam on one of your bodices? You¡¯re hopeless with a needle, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I can survive a ten day,¡± Liv told her. ¡°And you can¡¯t come. It¡¯s too dangerous a trip for someone without magic.¡± That night, she enjoyed a last cuddle with the castle cats, and stayed up late sharing a pot of tea with her mother and Gretta. ¡°You have to tell us everything when you come back,¡± Mama insisted. ¡°I heard the sun doesn¡¯t even set during the summer,¡± Gretta said. ¡°And doesn¡¯t rise during the winter. How do they even sleep?¡± In the morning, when Steria was brought out into the courtyard already saddled for her, Liv was a bit surprised at how many people had gathered to wish her a safe journey. Her mother and Gretta, of course, and Duchess Julianne and Baron Henry; and not only Master Grenfell, but Mistress Trafford as well, and both Thora and Sophie. Julianne¡¯s lady¡¯s maid had given Liv a safe distance since their troubles years before, but any bad blood between them had long since settled. Even a few of the soldiers, such as Sophie¡¯s husband Piers, and old Tobias, who¡¯d made so many trips with her south to Fairford. Even Emma, with her father and husband and their infant son were there. ¡°You¡¯d think I was going across the sea for months,¡± Liv said, after giving all the embraces was done with. She swung up into the saddle, and took her reins in hand. She¡¯d left her staff behind in Thora¡¯s care, but her bone wand sat in its sheath on her hip. She¡¯d left off her gloves and winter cloak for the ride to the waystone, and she still felt nearly overheated under the summer sun. ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon enough,¡± her father said, giving a wave to the assembled crowd. ¡°You take care of her, Val!¡± Liv¡¯s mother shouted over the general din. ¡°Bring her back safe!¡± ¡°I promise I will, Maggie,¡± her father called back. Then, they turned the horses to the castle gate, and rode out. 68. Kelthelis Liv and her father paused to clothe themselves for the cold before activating the waystone. For her, that meant donning leather gloves and a heavy wool cloak, both lined with fur. In her father¡¯s case, however, there was a sleeved and hooded tunic of hide, also lined with thick fur, and fringed ornamentally at the edges. ¡°I want you in the saddle as soon as we¡¯ve fed mana to the waystone,¡± Valtteri told her. ¡°Once we¡¯ve arrived, follow me no matter what happens. You aren¡¯t obligated to defeat anything that assaults us, only to keep moving, you understand?¡± Liv nodded, and followed him to the set of sigils they needed. ¡°This is a lot of mana for only one person to give up,¡± she pointed out. ¡°One of the reasons that it has never been possible for me to go and return in the same day,¡± her father agreed. When he placed his hand on the stone, she tugged her left glove off and followed suit. The sensation of the stone sucking at her mana was strangely familiar, by this point, and Liv simply let it happen. She¡¯d never borne the cost with only one other person to share, and realized that most of her friends probably wouldn¡¯t be able to. The moment the waystone lit up, Liv tugged her glove back on, rushed back to Steria, and pulled herself up into the mare¡¯s saddle. Should she draw her wand now? Better to be safe and ready to react in a moment, Liv decided. She looped the reins around her left hand and pulled the bone wand with her right. Around her, a column of brilliant white light rose up into the sky. In the dark between space, Liv spent a timeless moment that stretched somewhere between a heartbeat and eternity. The unseen presences that she had felt before seemed to turn toward her, as if taking notice, and she felt the urge to reach out to them. But this was not the first time that Liv had made a journey by waystone, and her father had warned her there would be danger on the other end. As hard as it was to think of anything beyond the darkness as being real, she kept hold of herself and waited for the inevitable arrival. Light and cold and motion exploded into existence around Liv simultaneously, in a panicked confusion. The intense pressure of mana around her was nearly overwhelming, and in that first moment it was all Liv could do to breathe in and get the magic under control, so that it couldn¡¯t ravage her body. ¡°With me!¡± her father shouted, and the charms braided into his hair shone. Crystals of ice sprung up to their sides, howls ringed them round, and Liv caught a glimpse of fur and fang launched toward her. Liv clicked the second button on her wand and thrust it out, as much on instinct as conscious thought, and five shards of ice shot forward, taking a great white wolf in the chest and flinging it back to the ground in a spray of blood. The monster was near the size of Steria, its back encrusted with icy-spikes as long as her arm, and two frozen horns curling back from its forehead. Ahead, Liv heard her father shout, and she kicked the mare into motion, following Valtteri off the waystone and onto the hard-packed snow. The cold of the air burned her lungs every time Liv took a breath, and once she had a moment to glance round she saw they were being pursued by an entire pack of wolves. The one she¡¯d struck with a prepared spell was down in a pool of blood, and several more corpses stained the forest of crystals that her father had raised back behind them. Liv leaned forward in the saddle. It wasn¡¯t often she rode at a gallop, but the shaggy mare gamely kept up with her father¡¯s gelding, and she resolved that Steria deserved every treat in the world for taking her away from the wolves. Liv reached behind her with the wand, and clicked the third button, raising a wall of ice behind them to delay the pursuit. There was a yelp and a crash as the foremost wolf proved unable to halt its momentum in time to avoid a collision. It was only once they¡¯d gotten a bit of distance from the winter wolves that Liv was able to take in her surroundings. To their right, the great, icy chasm of her memories stretched out further than she could see. Along the edges were strange frozen formations, some of which put Liv in mind of arches, pillars, or frozen staircases. A sudden, nearly irresistible urge to ride up to the edge and look down possessed Liv, and she turned Steria¡¯s head. ¡°Liv!¡± her father shouted. ¡°This way!¡± Valtteri rode up at her side, reached out, and grabbed the reins from her hand. For a moment, she thought it would be perfectly reasonable to simply leap off the galloping horse and walk to the edge herself. Then, whatever the feeling was, it broke, and she turned away. After less time than she would have expected - only a few moments - her father slowed the horses to a walk. ¡°Can I give you the reins again?¡± he asked. ¡°What was that?¡± Liv shook herself. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. ¡°I just felt like I needed to look over the edge, and see what was down there.¡± Her father¡¯s frown was frightening, but he didn¡¯t scold her. ¡°Keep close to me,¡± he warned, instead. ¡°A pack of wolves will follow for days sometimes. They¡¯ll turn aside when they smell Kelthelis.¡± For Liv, that ride was a strange one. Until travelling to Freeport, she¡¯d never realized just how much she took for granted the mountains and forest that surrounded Whitehill. Even at the capital on the sea, however, there had been buildings to break up the horizon. In the far north, there was only an endless plain of white, stretching along a flat horizon in every direction. There was nothing to stop the wind that howled across the crusted ice, and the reflection of the sun off the ground was nearly blinding. The air itself was not as cold as Liv had expected; more like early flood season in the Aspen Valley, than the heart of winter. The oddity was that a place could be this cold, while somewhere like Whitehill was so sunny and warm that the only relief would be to go down to the river and splash around. They rode for several hours, though she could feel when they left the shoals of the rift long before that. If the pack of wolves was still tracking them, Liv could neither hear nor see the animals, so she felt comfortable enough to ask her father questions as they occurred to her. ¡°I assume Kelthelis is far enough away from the rift that you don¡¯t have to be fighting off mana-beasts all the time,¡± she began. Her father nodded, but never ceased scanning the horizon. ¡°It would be convenient to be closer to the waystone, but the attacks would be constant and never ending. It¡¯s hard enough to deal with eruptions when they come.¡± ¡°Is that how my aunt died?¡± ¡°She led a culling team down into the chasm,¡± Valtteri confirmed. ¡°It was nothing she hadn¡¯t done before - her third or fourth eruption, I believe. There shouldn¡¯t have been anything in the shoals that would present any real threat to her, but¨C¡± he paused. ¡°But what?¡± Liv asked. ¡°My sister always had a fascination for the depths of that place,¡± he answered. ¡°She thought that if she could fight her way to the very heart of the Tomb, she might be able to put an end to the eruptions, somehow. The idea drove her to take dangerous risks.¡± ¡°Is there any truth to it?¡± Liv regretted the question as soon as it was out of her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± her father admitted. ¡°Even if there was, she failed. I would have rather had her back.¡± After that, they rode in silence. ? The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Kelthelis reared up from the icy plains like shards of broken glass from a window pane. As they drew closer, Liv could see the palace - there was no other word for it - had been built from bricks of ice. The graceful arch rising above the gate, the towers, the outer walls - all of it was elongated, compared to the rather squat fortification at Whitehill, but at its core the construction was not so different as to be strange. Only, instead of gray or white stone, or even the red brick of Freeport, here every piece glittered a pale, gentle white, and every wall seemed only half opaque. The roofs of the palace were peaked, and a crust of thick white snow sat atop them. On the walls, men and women in hide tunics just like her fathers looked down at Liv silently. ¡°Is it all adamant?¡± Liv asked. Her father raised his hand to the guards on the wall, and one of them waved back in acknowledgement. ¡°Every brick,¡± Valtteri assured her. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t melt on the inside? I presume you have fires, to cook on if nothing else,¡± Liv said. ¡°The ice is layered with enchantments,¡± her father explained. ¡°It sheds heat, whether from the sun, the air outside, or fires within, redirecting it all into the air inside the palace. You¡¯ll find that, between the walls cutting the wind, the cooking hearths, and the body heat of those inside, the rooms are comfortably warm.¡± There was wood here and there, and glass, Liv observed as they approached the gate into the palace itself. She imagined they must have traded for every pane of glass, every great door of oak, from other Eld to the south, perhaps bringing the supplies in by sleigh. She wouldn¡¯t have wanted to try to bring cargo through the waystone, given how dangerous the rift clearly was. In one corner of the courtyard, an entire wagonload of empty barrels caught Liv¡¯s eye. ¡°Shipped from Al¡¯Fenthia,¡± her father explained. ¡°To be enchanted here, and then shipped back south for the drovers¡¯ guild. Come this way.¡± They saw the horses settled in a stable constructed from the same frozen blocks as the palace itself, and a young Elden girl with hair dark as midnight promised Liv that Steria would have warm oats. ¡°Most of these people are your very distant cousins,¡± her father explained, as they walked through an enclosed tunnel that connected the barn with the palace. ¡°Many generations removed, of course. Syv? was not descended from any of the Vaedim, nor was her husband. As a result, the family is split into two groups: those of pure Elden blood, who don¡¯t live as long without the aid of magic, and then just the few of my brothers and sisters who have ever existed.¡± ¡°Are there more than my aunt?¡± Liv asked. ¡°My father¡¯s first kwenim - what you would call his wife - bore two children who did not survive to adulthood,¡± Valtteri answered. ¡°And one son who did, Aulis. I never knew him; he died of a plague that swept the north centuries ago. The sickness took his mother, as well, and my father did not bind himself to another partner for many years. My mother, Eila, is much younger than him, and came to us from the House of D?ivi.¡± Liv opened her mouth to ask what magic her grandmother¡¯s family practiced, but before she could speak the tunnel opened up into a great antechamber, with a curving staircase of ice leading up to the palace¡¯s second story. Two Eld waited for them there: one, a pale man whose long white hair was no longer the pure white of new fallen snow, but instead dull and thinning. His face was set with deep wrinkles, but his eyes glittered brightly, and he wore a long robe of white fox fur that trailed along the ground behind him. At the man¡¯s side was a woman whose skin was several shades darker than either her husband, or her son. It was her hair that truly surprised Liv: an inhuman blue so dark it was almost black, but definitively not. She looked no older than Duchess Julianne, which was to say like a woman old enough to have a son grown. ¡°Mother, Father,¡± Valtteri greeted them. ¡°This is my daughter, Livara.¡± Liv hesitated. Despite the letters they¡¯d exchanged, she still felt an unreasoning fear that their faces would harden, that they¡¯d cry out ¡®bastard¡¯ and turn away from her. Before she could take a step back, the woman with blue hair moved forward and caught Liv up in her arms. ¡°My granddaughter,¡± she said. For the space of a breath, Liv stiffened, caught by surprise. A faint scent of perfume, something with traces of musk and spice that put her in mind of wild places, settled around her, and when Liv breathed out again she let herself relax and return the embrace. ¡°Grandmother?¡± she tried the word out, never having been able to connect it with a real, flesh and blood person before. ¡°Is that right - I should have asked if there was an Elden word.¡± ¡°We will teach you,¡± Eila murmured, then released her. Liv¡¯s grandfather approached her next, and his eyes were visibly wet. ¡°Valtteri told us how much you looked like her, sculpted you in ice, but seeing you-¡± he shook his head, and hesitantly raised a hand to touch Liv¡¯s cheek. ¡°Not an imitation or a mirror,¡± Auris decided. ¡°Your aunt was taller, a warrior trained for battle. More solid. I see her ghost in your eyes, but you are your own woman. Good. That is as it should be. May I?¡± he stretched his arms out, and this time Liv was the one to move first. She wrapped her arms around the old man, and laid her face upon his chest. It was hard to believe she was holding someone who had seen the fall of the old gods, the passage of over a thousand years in the world. There was something about her grandfather¡¯s arms that reminded her of hugging Gretta. A tremor, perhaps; the sign of strength once present that was now fading. How many years would it take to leave her grandfather entirely, Liv wondered? Decades? In that moment, she regretted not pushing harder to come sooner. ? Ten days at Kelthelis passed by Liv in a blur. She was given rooms of her own, that Grandmother Eila told her would be kept even in her absence, hers alone. The floors were covered in the furs of all manner of northern creatures: fox and hare, bear and wolf, and the bed was piled with the same, only thicker and more luxuriant still. Liv would never have believed that she could sleep warmly in a room made entirely of ice until the first morning she woke, cocooned in furs and thrillingly cozy. ¡°There are no hot springs here, I¡¯m afraid,¡± her grandmother apologized the first morning at breakfast. ¡°You would have to travel south to Mountain Home for that.¡± ¡°That is where Inkeris lives with his family,¡± Liv¡¯s father told her. ¡°Our closest neighbors, though I wouldn''t say they are actually particularly close.¡± ¡°And where is your family?¡± Liv asked her grandmother. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a good map of the north in Master Grenfell¡¯s books.¡± The food laid out before her was like nothing she was used to: a kind of flat, round and yellow bread. There was meat, some of which looked a lot like venison, and fish. There was also some sort of raw, frozen fat, like lumps of suet before they were dropped into a cooking stew. ¡°That is because all of our trading with the human kingdoms is kept to the foreign quarter in Al''Fenthia,¡± Liv¡¯s grandfather explained. ¡°We don¡¯t usually permit traders from Lucania to wander our lands freely. The only real exceptions are a few trusted members of the mages¡¯ guild. It¡¯s too early to be certain, of course, but so far they have proved themselves willing to assist us with eruptions. Though none of them have ever made it this far north.¡± ¡°None until today,¡± Liv told him, and held up her right hand to show off her guild ring. She couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Though I¡¯m not much of a guild member to speak of, yet. I¡¯m just an apprentice who hasn¡¯t even been to college yet.¡± ¡°My parents lived in the taiga,¡± Eila explained, coming back around to Liv¡¯s earlier question. ¡°My mother still does; she¡¯s the one with V?dic blood. My father passed many years ago.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Liv said. She looked down to the table for something to drink, and saw that she¡¯d been provided with two cups: one of water, and one of something dark and thick. ¡°Seal blood,¡± her father explained. ¡°Drink it while it''s warm.¡± Liv stared down at the cup. Hesitantly, she reached down and lifted it to her lips. It was an effort to force herself to swallow: it was like tasting your own bloody nose. She immediately grabbed the cup of water, and used a big gulp of that to wash down the blood. ¡°Can I ask what your family¡¯s word of power is?¡± Liv said, to distract herself from the lingering taste. ¡°You can,¡± her grandmother said, leaning back in a fine chair of carved wood and some kind of bone. ¡°The House of D?ivi specializes in D¨¡, which governs the passage of time.¡± Whatever expression Liv wore must have been truly amusing, for her grandmother and grandfather both chuckled at it. ¡°Time,¡± she said, finally, whirling to face her father. ¡°Your mother has time magic, and you never told me?¡± 69. D膩 ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯ve imprinted the word also,¡± Valtteri admitted. ¡°But I wanted you to focus on mastering Cel before you go off to Coral Bay. No distractions. And I knew the moment I mentioned D¨¡, it would be a distraction.¡± ¡°But how does it even work?¡± Liv asked, turning away from her father and leaning over the table toward her grandmother. By this point, her food was the last thing on her mind. ¡°It is exceedingly complicated, dangerous, exorbitantly expensive in terms of mana, and a shadow of what it was before the death of the V?dim,¡± Eila said. ¡°But you¡¯re already familiar with one use. The cold storage enchantments we sell to the human trading guilds are layered with an additional set of sigils that use D¨¡ to alter the way items stored inside those chests and barrels experience the passage of time, slowing their degradation. We¡¯ve never told that to the guilds, however.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the reasons we waited as long as we did to license those enchantments,¡± Liv¡¯s grandfather said. ¡°Fear of what the humans would do if they knew about that particular brand of magic. But finally, practicality won out.¡± He waved his hand at the ice around them. ¡°You¡¯ve seen this environment, Livara. We don¡¯t have the kind of natural resources of the southlands. We can¡¯t grow crops this far north, or mine. The only reason we live here is to do our duty and watch over that rift. The gold we earn from that license allows us to import wood, cloth, food...¡± ¡°And my relatives aren¡¯t in much better shape,¡± Eila added. ¡°The death of D?ivi was incredibly destructive. It devastated the surrounding area, as well as reducing our word of power to a shell of what it once was. Even now, the rift left behind is second only to Godsgrave in terms of how dangerous it is.¡± ¡°We accept the funds, and then quietly transfer a share of them to House D?ivi, keeping their involvement a secret,¡± Liv¡¯s father continued. ¡°A secret?¡± Liv looked between the three of them. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you told me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re our granddaughter," Auris said. ¡°Descended from both houses. If anyone deserves to know, it is you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not teaching you!¡± Eila warned, raising a finger in front of her face to warn off any complaint or whining. ¡°It¡¯s far too easy to kill yourself with it. I like this plan of you learning everything the mage guild can teach you. Perhaps in a decade or two, when you¡¯ve gained enough experience and confidence, we¡¯ll come back to it. Until then, put it out of your mind.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just leave it at that,¡± Liv urged. ¡°You have to at least show me how it works.¡± ¡°That response proves that I was correct not to tell you,¡± her father pointed out. ¡°Your grandmother has just explained how dangerous and difficult this magic is - do not treat it like a new toy.¡± ¡°Hush, Val,¡± Eila said. ¡°You were even worse. Besides, I¡¯m permitted to spoil my only grandchild. Is there something of yours that you left home, Livara, that you would recognize? Something special to you, or unique, perhaps, that could not possibly be duplicated? Some object you would recognize in an instant?¡± Liv thought about it for a moment. ¡°Rosie,¡± she decided. ¡°My rag-doll. I¡¯ve had her for as long as I can remember, since I was a little girl. Mama had to patch her up more than once.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re certain you didn¡¯t bring your doll?¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± Liv said. ¡°Father said coming was dangerous, so I left her behind. Not that she does much more than sit by my pillow these days, anyway.¡± ¡°Go up to your room and look through your things,¡± her grandmother said, with a smile on her lips. ¡°Look thoroughly.¡± Liv pushed her chair back, turned, and headed for the stairs. Behind her, she heard another chair move, and turned back to see her father following her. Eila, in the meanwhile, was muttering quietly under her breath, eyes closed. When she reached her room, Liv dug through the saddle bags she¡¯d brought, while her father waited in the open doorway, leaning on the wooden frame with his arms crossed. At the bottom of the second saddle bag she opened, Liv found her girlhood doll. ¡°How?¡± she exclaimed, picking Rosie up and turning to her father. ¡°I remember sitting her up on my pillow before I left the room.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Think back, now.¡± Liv felt a wave of vertigo come over her, and swayed on her feet. She remembered leaving the rag-doll on her bed, but she also remembered a last minute decision to stuff her into the saddle bag. ¡°My mother has caused you to have packed the doll this morning,¡± Liv¡¯s father said. ¡°The experience of holding two contradictory memories can be a bit sickening, so I would suggest you don¡¯t dwell on it. I want to take you down to the armory, not put you to bed with an upset stomach.¡± Liv closed her eyes, practiced her breathing, and waited for the moment to pass. When she was able to, she walked over to her bed and put Rosie on the pillow, in the doll¡¯s accustomed place. ¡°Could she have caused me to decide not to come, if I had been mauled by wolves?¡± she asked. ¡°This was a small change,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°And I doubt you¡¯ll see your grandmother all morning, as a result. She¡¯ll be exhausted and lying down in her rooms. To do something like what you¡¯re suggesting is beyond the power of anyone but the V?dim, and they¡¯re gone. It¡¯s one of the reasons D?ivi was targeted so early in the war, from what I understand, and why he proved so difficult to kill. Come along.¡± Liv followed her father through the icy halls of Kelthelis. ¡°Why are we going to the armory?¡± she asked. ¡°To have you fitted,¡± he answered. ¡°I spoke to Mistress Trafford. She thinks you¡¯ve had your last growth spurt.¡± ¡°I still might get another inch or so!¡± Liv protested, as they walked back down the stairs. She¡¯d only just that year reached the five foot mark, and didn¡¯t even weigh eight stone. Her father chuckled. ¡°Perhaps, but girls often finish growing younger than boys, in my experience. I suspect you¡¯re going to have to be happy with what you have.¡± He led her to a part of the palace she hadn¡¯t seen before - not that she knew much of the place at all, yet. It had the look of a sort of barracks, and as they passed an open doorway, Liv noticed a pair of guards stripping off their armor. ¡°If I¡¯d had the right food when I was younger, I wouldn¡¯t be so small,¡± Liv complained. ¡°Maybe when I learn D¨¡, I¡¯ll fix that.¡± Her father laughed, and led her through an open door set with a great metal lock. Inside, a woman with broad shoulders and burly arms waited near a bench in the center of the room. Along all four walls, armor stands held intricately tooled and stamped sets of boiled leather armor. ¡°This is Kaija, our resident armorer, and your second cousin several times removed-¡± ¡°Four times, I believe,¡± the woman said. She reached out a hand, and Liv clasped her arm in the fashion of the eld. ¡°Off with you then, Val. I¡¯ll get her measured.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain that I need armor,¡± Liv began, but found herself interrupted as easily as her father had been. ¡°Nonsense,¡± Kaija said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about some of the trouble you¡¯ve gotten up to. Your father may be silly enough to travel the shoals without protection, but rust it if I let you do the same. Now strip.¡± When Liv hesitated, the gruff woman only laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve got nothing I haven¡¯t seen before. Go on now!¡± ? A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The strangest thing about the far north was that the sun never set during the entire time Liv was there. It dipped close to the horizon, but the closest to night she experienced was a sort of lingering twilight. If it hadn¡¯t been for the heavy curtains she could close around her bed to block out the light, Liv wasn¡¯t certain how she could have possibly slept through it. Over the days that followed her arrival, Liv ate every meal with her grandparents and father; after that first meal, the table was often filled with extended relatives, as well, though she struggled to keep track of everyone - and sometimes even to talk to them. Not everyone spoke Lucanian, and Liv¡¯s knowledge of V?dic was of limited utility when she was confronted with the Vakansa dialect. Practice with her father meant she could generally make herself understood when she needed to, but it was still a struggle. One of the people who was fluent in Lucanian was Kaija, the armorer, who Liv saw on several occasions. She even began to grow fond of the woman¡¯s gruff manner. Liv couldn¡¯t see how a set of armor would possibly be finished before she left, but every day the fittings were further along. In between meals, Liv continued her lessons with her father, though her grandfather now joined in, as well. Auris Ka Syv?¡¯s skill with their family¡¯s magic was simply astounding to Liv: he spent an afternoon demonstrating to her how to control the weather by heating and cooling masses of air in the sky above. As the hours passed, he called wind, summoned clouds, and set a light snowfall into motion. Her grandfather¡¯s explanations made her head hurt. ¡°The trick is to cool a great amount of air, and then move it in so that it pushes the warmer air up, displacing it,¡± Auris told her, with a grin. ¡°This is all far beyond you right now, but I wanted you to see the possibilities.¡± Liv grinned, stuck her tongue out, and caught a snowflake. On several afternoons, she went out with a hunting party, and learned to track the caribou that made their home this far north. They were like the mule deer she knew in many ways, but adapted to survive in incredibly harsh conditions. Liv found it as satisfying as ever to bring food back for a meal, and the night after her last hunt she spent bothering the cooks to learn recipes she¡¯d never experienced before coming. And, true to her word, Kaija had a set of leather armor waiting for Liv on the morning that she and her father were to depart. ¡°It needs to be oiled regularly,¡± the armorer warned her. ¡°Bring it with you next summer when you come back, so I can see to it.¡± ¡°What do the enchantments do?¡± Liv asked, turning a shaped vambrace of caribou hide over in her hands. V?dic sigils were tooled into the hard leather, which had been stained so pale it was almost white, and there was a small plate of steel riveted to the inside chest. The buckles and rivets were of steel, and the edges of the piece were rounded and smooth. ¡°There are two enchantments,¡± Kaija said, ¡°and it''s the same for every piece. The first keeps the temperature of the individual pieces constant. Spend your time sweating in the southlands, and it¡¯ll feel cool compared to the air around you. Wear it up here, and it¡¯ll feel warm.¡± ¡°I like that,¡± Liv said, with a grin. ¡°And the second?¡± ¡°An inscription using Ract,¡± the armorer explained. ¡°It¡¯ll clot your blood quickly, stop the bleeding from a wound. It won¡¯t actually heal you, mind, but it should keep you alive long enough to get to a chirurgeon. Here, let me show you how to get it all on.¡± The set of white boiled leather was nothing like the jack of plate that Baron Henry¡¯s guards wore at Castle Whitehill. That was, in appearance, essentially a kind of doublet, with plates of steel sewn in between the layers of fabric. Liv¡¯s new armor was designed to be worn over a dress. There was a cuirass, in shape much like a bodice with attached faulds at the bottom, that buckled into a backplate. Pauldrons strapped on to the cuirass and backplate, which covered her shoulders, and two smaller spaulders descended from them to protect her upper arms. The vambraces extended from her wrists to just below Liv¡¯s elbows, while a skirt of stiff leather pieces, long and pointed, covered the upper part of her legs. For her shins, there were greaves that easily buckled over her wool stockings. Finally, there was a leather helm that covered most of her head, with a nosepiece and cheek guards, but left her eyes and mouth open for ease of casting. It had been decorated with a crest of white horse-hair. Once the entire set was on, Liv felt both weighed down and strangely supported: the leather pieces were stiff, which Kaija explained was exactly how they were supposed to feel. ¡°The point here is not for you to go wading into the middle of a battle, so don¡¯t try it,¡± Liv¡¯s distant cousin explained. ¡°Your father told me you¡¯re the sort of person who fights from a distance, so I designed most of this to be pieces you could wear over your everyday clothes, when you need to.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll turn aside a glancing cut, but don¡¯t count on it stopping a crossbow bolt. I¡¯ve reinforced it with a bit of steel over your heart,¡± Kaija continued. She thumped the cuirass over Liv¡¯s chest. Somewhat selfishly, Liv wished the older woman might have worked the shape to emphasize her modest bust a bit more. ¡°Really, you shouldn¡¯t be putting yourself in a position where you need all this, if you¡¯re going to be sitting in back and casting.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said. ¡°Truly. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll actually use it, other than travelling here and back, but it¡¯s beautiful. I love it.¡± ¡°If you never use it, I¡¯ll be all the happier, but I doubt that will happen. When it gets damaged, bring it back to me, no one else,¡± Kaija chided her, and Liv nodded to show she understood. ? The trip back along the outskirts of the Tomb of Celris was easier than the journey in - not because they faced less danger, but simply because Liv and her father weren¡¯t dropped into it instantly, and because they didn¡¯t go alone. Half a dozen of the hunters Liv had spent a few afternoons with rode along to the shoals, and with spear and bow they bought enough time for the waystone to be activated. When Liv found herself once again in the warm morning air of the Aspen Valley, she was grateful to be wearing her new armor, which immediately felt cool rather than warm. She tore off her heavy winter cloak and bundled it up before remounting Steria. ¡°Will they be able to get back alright?¡± Liv asked her father. They turned the two northern horses away from the waystone and back toward the mine road that ran south to Whitehill. ¡°They¡¯re all veteran hunters,¡± Valtteri assured her. ¡°They know what they¡¯re doing. Let¡¯s get you back to your mother before she begins to worry.¡± As wonderful as it had been to meet her grandparents and see her father¡¯s home, Liv also found that she was incredibly relieved to return to Whitehill. She had enthusiastic hugs from her mother, Gretta, and Duchess Julianne, and later that afternoon from Emma as well. Liv made the journey with her father each year after that, visiting Kelthelis four times in total before the year she was to leave for Coral Bay. It was the most time she¡¯d ever spent anywhere other than the Aspen River Valley, and the far north began to feel familiar to her. Not home, precisely, but somewhere comfortable all the same. Creating adamant ice never got easier for her, but, as Master Grenfell told Liv, that was what practice was for. From creating spheres, she progressed to using the technique in her walls of ice. After she¡¯d mastered that, she began to work on using it to make a sword that wouldn¡¯t break during a fight. Every step of the process was exhausting and frustrating, taking months of practice before she felt like she made any progress at all. Nevertheless, by the time harvest season of her final year at Whitehill approached, Liv was able to shape needle-thin, dense shards of ice that could pierce jack of plate as easily as a crossbow bolt. News came to her from the outside world in the form of letters, exchanged with the friends she¡¯d made during her brief time at Freeport. Sidonie and Cade went to Coral Bay two years before Liv, and the pangs of jealousy that fact brought on were nearly unbearable. Matthew and Beatrice had finished their time at Coral Bay before she¡¯d ever even gone, and Liv would only have two years with anyone at all that she knew. Triss wrote that she¡¯d determined to join the guild, and left the college as a journeyman with the intent of earning her rank as a full mage. Her older brothers left her father more than enough heirs to inherit the barony anyway, she confided to Liv in her letters. Matthew went with her, and it became difficult to get letters to and from the pair as they journeyed the kingdom aiding culling teams at one eruption after another. While he hadn¡¯t joined the guild like Triss had, no one would turn away one more hand during an eruption. Julianne was only slightly mollified at her son¡¯s failure to return to Whitehill when he wrote that he¡¯d requested - and received - permission to wed Beatrice from her father. The date was arranged for the end of harvest season, so that Liv could attend before leaving for Coral Bay. ¡°I¡¯m surprised they¡¯re not coming in by the waystone,¡± Liv grumbled at the breakfast table, nearly exactly six years since she¡¯d accompanied the Summersets to Freeport. Her father had been right, it turned out: she hadn¡¯t grown another inch since the first trip north to Kelthelis. ¡°Your sense of scale is ruined,¡± Master Grenfell remarked, ¡°by all the time you¡¯ve spent up north. Two human mages is rarely enough to activate a waystone.¡± The court mage¡¯s hair was nearly entirely gray now, and thinning. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a good enough excuse for a day¡¯s riding,¡± Liv decided. Her father had made a trip back to Kelthelis, supposedly to get a gift for the wedding, so she had free time. ¡°Bring a few of the guards with you,¡± Duchess Julianne told her. ¡°The last time you went to that inn didn¡¯t go so well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore,¡± Liv told her, and pushed her plate aside. ¡°But if it will make you feel better, that¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll give them time to get Steria saddled, anyway. I¡¯ll have them back here by dinner.¡± Half a bell later, Liv rode out of the city gates, trailed by Piers and Tobias. It was a warm day, the sun was bright, and the mountains cradled the valley like a mother¡¯s arms. Once Steria had splashed through the river at Fairford, Liv gave the mare her head. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh as the wind whipped back her hair. It was good weather for a wedding. 70. Hands of the Goddess If the western mountains had ever had names, Wren didn¡¯t know them. The goddess hadn¡¯t bothered to share, though she clearly had a destination in mind. These peaks were both more steep and more rugged than those near the coast, thrusting up into the clouds like blades. All down the summit and upper slope, the Red Shield camp spread. Despite the difficulty of the journey through the jungle, and then skirting the edges of the badlands, the group of worshippers had grown. For every original Red Shield who fell to the bite of a venomous serpent, sickness brought by the sting of mosquitos, or bad water, two new arrivals had taken their place. They came from the east, across the ocean: some from Lucania, others from Lendh ka Dakruim, and there were even Eld from the north. It was disorienting. Wren stalked through the camp, frowning at the mix of dialects and languages, at the variety of clothing. Everything had changed, since the day her father and the bloodletters had used the blood from a stolen idol. ¡°Wren!¡± She paused, turning at the sound of her cousin¡¯s voice. Calm Waters and her husband had been among the most ardent supporters of the resurrected goddess, and also among the first blessed with fertility by Ractia¡¯s power. Even now, Wren¡¯s niece, Blossom, trailed along behind her mother. The girl was only five years old, and didn¡¯t even remember the tribe¡¯s traditional hunting grounds to the east. ¡°Cousin,¡± Wren greeted Calm Waters, with a smile. She caught up Blossom, swung the girl around twice, and then set the girl on her hip. ¡°I feel like I haven¡¯t seen you in weeks. You¡¯ve been well, I hope?¡± ¡°Well enough,¡± Calm Waters said. ¡°May I speak to you a moment?¡± She nodded her head to the trees that clung to the high slopes, away from the encampment. ¡°Always,¡± Wren said, and led the way, carrying her niece. In all honesty, it was a comfort to get away from the bustle of so many people in one place. It almost reminded her of Calder¡¯s Landing, now, or even a town like Whitehill. ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Wren¡¯s cousin said, in a hushed voice. ¡°And I think you should come with us.¡± ¡°Leaving?¡± Wren felt her stomach drop. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Before they call the warriors together,¡± Calm Waters explained. ¡°Before they notice that Soaring Eagle is missing. This isn¡¯t what we thought it would be, Wren, and I think its time you admitted that.¡± ¡°Of course it is,¡± Wren argued. ¡°We have our goddess back, and she¡¯s blessed us. She¡¯s blessed you.¡± Her father¡¯s words, coming out of her mouth. She¡¯d heard them often enough over the past years that they came now without even thinking. Blossom began to wiggle, so Wren set the girl down and let her scamper off after a particularly bright mountain flower. She didn¡¯t even know the names of all the plants here, they were so far from home. ¡°We wanted a child,¡± Calm Waters said. ¡°Not a war.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be a war,¡± Wren insisted. ¡°It¡¯s a rescue. There are so many believers still trapped over the ocean, who can¡¯t get passage on a ship. You¡¯ve heard the stories of those who came from the north, how the Eld are hunting them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s horrible,¡± Calm Waters agreed. ¡°But I¡¯ve also heard them talk about the sort of sacrifices they used to make. There¡¯s a difference between animals and people, Wren. Have you even looked at your father lately? He¡¯s not the same man anymore.¡± Red eyes, shining in the dark. Wren shook the image away. ¡°He¡¯s just so busy, you don¡¯t understand how much is on his mind. He¡¯s the right hand of the goddess, and that¡¯s a lot of responsibility. When we¡¯ve rescued our brothers and sisters, he¡¯ll be able to relax again.¡± Calm Waters looked down at the ground, sighed, and then raised her head to meet Wren¡¯s eyes without flinching. ¡°If you aren¡¯t ready to see it yet, I understand. I wasn¡¯t either, for a long time. I was too grateful to have Blossom. In some ways, I still am. But we brought her back to save our tribe, Wren, not to throw us into battle. We¡¯re leaving - going back to the old hunting grounds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very long journey to take alone,¡± Wren said, looking over to where her niece played in the dirt. ¡°My husband is a good hunter,¡± Calm Waters said. ¡°He¡¯ll get us enough blood to fly most of the way. It¡¯s how we were meant to travel, anyway, without all these other people slowing us down.¡± ¡°Blossom won¡¯t be able to fly that far,¡± Wren argued. ¡°So we¡¯ll rest often.¡± Her cousin shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s a strong girl. But it¡¯s better than staying here, Wren, and we aren¡¯t the only ones who think so. Have you noticed that Falcon and Laughing Brook are gone?¡± ¡°I thought they¡¯d just been out hunting,¡± Wren admitted. The two brothers had often ranged far and wide to return with enough game to feed the encampment. ¡°This isn¡¯t the Red Shield tribe any longer,¡± Calm Waters said. ¡°When you understand that, we¡¯ll be waiting for you to come back to us.¡± She reached out and embraced Wren for a long moment, then released her and stepped back. ¡°Come along, Blossom.¡± Wren watched the two of them walk away, and the wild thought of running after them filled her mind for longer than it should have. She was wanted below. Finally, she turned her steps back up the mountain slope, and toward the gate. It had taken weeks of searching to find, hidden beneath a thousand years of vines and fallen scree. The rocks had been shovelled off to the side, the growth hacked away, and now the great metal doors in the mountain stood revealed again. The Eld in the encampment said that the doors stood within the shoal of the rift beneath their feet, but for herself, Wren could not feel anything until she descended to where the mana was most dense, and became a heaviness in the air. Even for those who could not use mana, it eventually became impossible to ignore. The doors opened soundlessly at Wren¡¯s coming, splitting down the middle. In the beginning, they had only moved for the goddess herself; but Ractia had altered the magic so that her most trusted subordinates were able to come and go, as well. Wren preferred to fly down the shaft on her own wings, but with a fight coming she couldn¡¯t spare the blood. Instead, she stepped out into the empty space just past the gates. There was always a heartstopping moment of fear before the disc formed: a circular floor of pure blue mana, pulsing with veins of gold, that filled the circular shaft and supported Wren¡¯s weight. It waited, and when no one else joined her, dropped suddenly out from beneath her feet. The lurch and sudden feeling of falling always made Wren stiffen, because the descent wasn¡¯t under her own power. The mana-disc moved quickly, at least, down into the darkness. Ractia said that there wasn¡¯t enough mana to spare on lighting the shaft, or on anything else that was not essential - especially with the assault imminent. The halls beneath the mountain, at least, were lit by small bulbs of mana-stone that glowed with the ambient magic they¡¯d absorbed from the rift, and Wren was easily able to find her way. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Nighthawk Wind Dancer, along with the goddesses¡¯ other advisors, waited in the very heart of the mountain, in the room of glass. Ractia had appointed one person to her council from each of the groups of her worshippers. From the Eld, a sharp man named Calevis, who claimed to be descended from the Lady of Wyrms. His eyes glittered like green jewels, and they followed Wren with a focus she found uncomfortable as she crossed the room. From Lendh ka Dakruim, a man named Aariv, the oldest of them, with a wrinkled face and long gray hair. Wren had watched him use his magic to light the ceremonial fires in the goddesses¡¯ honor, at more than one sacrifice. She wondered whether Aariv would be burning their enemies today. Manfred, a mercenary from Lucania, represented the humans among the faithful. He¡¯d been open about the fact that he came to the goddess for magic, and Wren knew that Ractia had given it to him. He was the only one to wear armor, and he carried a warhammer at his belt, with a small head meant for dealing with steel plate. His eyes had been brown when he¡¯d arrived, but now they glistened as red as Nighthawk¡¯s. The last of the advisors couldn¡¯t properly be said to be living at all. Karis looked like nothing so much as a living suit of antique armor, from the tips of his sabatons all the way up to the shadows beneath his helm. Wren thought of the warrior as a ¡®he,¡¯ but in truth she might as well have used the word ¡®it.¡¯ Constructed by Antris, the V?dic Lord of Machines, Karis had been slumbering beneath the mountain when they¡¯d arrived. The goddess had been particularly happy to find him, and very pleased when she was able to wake him. For Karis, it was like a thousand years had simply gone by while he was sleeping. It did not escape Wren¡¯s attention that not a single one of Ractia¡¯s advisors was a woman. The goddess¡¯ tastes ran to the muscular and fit. Wren had to restrain herself from grimacing at the memory of the Great Mother¡¯s hands caressing her father¡¯s bare chest during more than one council meeting. ¡°The warriors are gathered,¡± Wren¡¯s father told her, by way of greeting. His voice rumbled through the room like an avalanche. ¡°Manfred will lead the assault, and you will accompany him.¡± ¡°Do we have our promised distraction?¡± Wren asked. Despite what she¡¯d said to her cousin, there was a lot that could go wrong with this plan, as she¡¯d argued time and again. ¡°Have faith,¡± the goddess said, from her place in front of the great curved panes of glass that filled an entire half of the room. Lights in a dozen colors danced across the glass, moving with every graceful sweep of Ractia¡¯s hands. V?dic sigils crawled along in blocks that changed too rapidly for Wren to even attempt to read. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Wren pressed. She was often the only one who questioned the goddess about her plans, but she wasn¡¯t willing to risk her life through ignorance. Ractia did not turn, but the movement of her hands paused briefly. ¡°The ring is incomplete, since Tamiris used parts of it to bombard us, but it still collects enough power for our needs. I am connecting the waystone here to the one at Soltheris, but calling down so much mana will cause overloads all throughout the network. What you call eruptions,¡± the Lady of Blood explained, before Wren could ask. ¡°Which rifts are going to erupt?¡± Wren asked, with a frown. ¡°Half a dozen, perhaps a few more,¡± the goddess told her with a careless shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve made sure they¡¯ll all be in the northern part of the continent. That should keep the Cotheeria occupied long enough for you and Manfred to hold the gate at the other end of the connection.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Manfred said. His hoarse voice sounded like it had been burned to a crisp by too many nights breathing the smoke of campfires, of drinking cheap ale. ¡°Come along then, Wren. I¡¯ll want you to take your hunters up to whatever high ground you can find and cover my men.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Wren followed him out and down the hall to the cavernous chamber that contained the rift¡¯s waystone. There, scores of armed men and women waited for them, clustered together on top of the stone. ¡°As soon as you¡¯ve got a hold of yourself,¡± Manfred shouted to them, ¡°you run off the stone. You make room for our brothers and sisters to get back through our lines. They know we¡¯re coming, and they¡¯ll make a rush for it. Archers, crossbows, take time to pick your targets. It¡¯s going to be chaos, and I don¡¯t want any of our own people taking a friendly arrow through their neck.¡± Already, the waystone was glowing. Wren pulled her bow off her back, drew an arrow from her quiver, and nocked it to her string. Then, she waited while the light built, brighter and brighter, and then exploded upward. Once she could see again, Wren stumbled off the waystone and into the cold northern air. The column of light rising from behind her cast her shadow forward, and she was glad she had her back to it. All around her, people were shouting and screaming in panic. Soltheris was the largest port of the Eld, for all that it was only navigable for part of the year. Off to the east, Wren could see a forest of masts, marking the fishing fleet safe at anchor. To the south and west, she could make out a great range of mountains. Around them, houses built of northern larchwood, with sharp peaked roofs designed to shed snow, rose two and three stories high. That was where Wren needed to be. ¡°Red Shield hunters, with me!¡± Wren cried, and shifted into her bat form. She beat her wings, swooping up onto the roof of the nearest home, then turned back to her human form and crouched in the crusted snow. There, an Eldish guard thrust a spear through the leg of a woman sprinting for the waystone. Wren¡¯s arrow took him in the throat, and he was spun about in a spray of blood. The refugees broke for the waystone in waves, from all around. Some came from alleys, others simply turned from market stalls where they¡¯d pretended to shop. The door of an inn banged open, and two men sprinted out, running for the column of light. The city guard responded to the sudden presence of armed warriors quickly, Wren had to give them that. They poured in from every direction in small groups, and every one of them was better armed and equipped than her hunters. The Red Shields weren¡¯t soldiers: they were taught to stalk their prey in the jungles silently, and kill with a single arrow to the neck, or to the heart. Manfred, on the other hand, was not only a mercenary of many years, but now one of Ractia¡¯s most favored captains. He raised his hand, and a fountain of blood erupted from one of the Eldish guards, leaving him nothing but a shrivelled husk, dead on the stones of the street. Not content to let the gore simply fall to the ground, Manfred stuffed it down the throat of another guard with a wave of his hand, choking the man with viscera. Wren had lowered her bow without even realizing it, and her hand hovered over the arrows in her quiver. All throughout the streets beneath her, men and women were dying. The guards fought because they thought they were being invaded; the worshippers of Ractia fought to get to the waystone; and Manfred¡¯s men fought to hold the line. It was chaos. For every one of Ractia¡¯s faithful who leapt into the column of light, another one was cut down. ¡°Is this really going to be the end of it?¡± Wren asked herself, up on the lonely rooftop. Would the Eld who lost fathers and brothers and sons today simply let that grudge go, or would they blame the people who had, from their point of view, attacked their city? Would they come west to Varuna, to get revenge? ¡°We wanted a child,¡± Wren¡¯s cousin had said. ¡°Not a war.¡± Wren didn¡¯t regret the fact that Blossom existed. Her niece was kind, a happy, laughing girl who¡¯d never complained about a childhood spent on the move, whether in the jungles or in the mountains. But she also didn¡¯t see any reason that the Elden guards in the streets below her deserved to die. What would her father say? Not the grim, glowering man of recent years, but the kind chief she¡¯d grown up with? Would the Nighthawk of her childhood have counted all of this killing as a price worth paying for the return of their goddess? Or, if he could have seen what Wren was watching right now, would he have changed his mind, and told her never to go to Whitehill? The little girl she¡¯d pulled out of the ice, the same one who¡¯d caught her with the idol, had pointed ears just like the people below. She¡¯d be grown now; for all Wren knew, she could be one of the Eld in this city right now. How ironic would it be to have saved the life of the child, only to put an arrow in the woman years later? An arrow whistled past Wren, and she jerked back, slipping and sliding down the crust of snow that covered the roof. As she tumbled off into open air, she changed, catching the wind with her wings and swooping up into the sky. It would be easy enough to find another vantage point, another rooftop, and go back to work with her bow. Wren knew that was what Manfred would expect her to do, and her father, and the goddess herself. Instead, she circled above the city and turned south toward the mountains. 71. Savalent ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why it has to always be you,¡± Rika insisted. ¡°You¡¯ve spent twenty years running all across the north. Just once, let Sohvis deal with something.¡± Keri pulled the strap of his vambrace tight, making sure the enchanted piece of armor was snug and comfortable on his forearm. ¡°It¡¯s my duty,¡± he told her, reaching for the missing piece. ¡°My father is head of the council. How can I stay here while I send someone else to do my fighting for me?¡± ¡°Your duty doesn¡¯t seem to leave a lot of time for me or your son,¡± Rika continued. He wished that she¡¯d at least had the restraint to do this in their rooms, rather than stand in the doorway of the armory, where anyone could hear. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I agreed to when we were joined. We were supposed to raise a child together, Keri.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t what I wanted, either,¡± he admitted. ¡°Don¡¯t think for a moment that I like this, Rika.¡± He finished with his other vambrace, and reached over to the armor rack to pull his helm off and settle it under his arm. ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t rather there have been a century of peace, so that I had nothing to do but play in the snow with Rei? But I can¡¯t control what is happening out in the world. All I can do is fight to keep you both safe, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m not going to hide behind the walls while an eruption rages, and let other men die to keep me safe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re asking me to do,¡± Rika shot back. ¡°You¡¯ve never been a warrior, my love,¡± Keri said. He reached an arm out to her, but his kwenim stepped away, deliberately putting distance between them. ¡°You say you don¡¯t like it,¡± she said, her voice hard. ¡°But I¡¯ve heard what the men call you now. The scourge of the north. They love you for every victory, and you love how they worship you. You love it more than you love us.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t love you,¡± Keri argued, through gritted teeth, ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep doing it. I fight because I have a family to protect. And I have to go. We can talk more when I return.¡± He settled the helm on his head, strode over to the wall where he¡¯d leaned his N?v¡¯bel, and took the shaft in his grasp. ¡°Fine,¡± Rika spat, turned on her heel, and stormed away down the hall. Keri took a moment to close his eyes and count his breaths, to slow his heart. Then, he made his way out of Mountain Home and into the courtyard, where the soldiers of House B?lris waited. ¡°I¡¯ve split the men as you commanded, cousin,¡± Sohvis said, falling into step at Keri¡¯s side. ¡°A third to remain behind, the rest with you to cull the rift.¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°This is five years too early, at least. There shouldn¡¯t be an eruption right now. There were no signs of it.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Keri said. ¡°Which is why I need you to remain behind.¡± Sohvis balked. ¡°It¡¯s why you need me with you,¡± he countered, but Keri shook his head. ¡°No. Someone needs to protect the elders - to hold the walls, and keep Rika and Rei safe,¡± Keri argued. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone alive I trust more to do that than you, Sohvis. If you¡¯re in command here, I can fight at the rift knowing my family is safe.¡± He reached out and grabbed his cousin by the back of his helm, pressing their foreheads together. ¡°Can you do that for me, cousin? Keep them safe?¡± ¡°I would never let anything happen to Rika,¡± Sohvis promised. ¡°I would die first.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Keri released him. He strode over to Kersis, his gelding, and swung up into the saddle. The name meant ¡®charger,¡¯ or ¡®runner,¡¯ in old V?dic, and it was well deserved. There¡¯d been a few light snows, but true winter hadn¡¯t come yet, and that would let them reach the rift more quickly. He hoped it would be fast enough to catch the mana-beasts before they¡¯d spilled out into the taiga. ¡°We know this hunt, don¡¯t we boys?¡± Keri shouted, wheeling Kersis around to ride in front of the assembled warriors. Their steeds must have caught the tension in the air, for many of the horses began to paw at the stones of the courtyard. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing it for a thousand years. For our lives, and the lives of our fathers and grandfathers. It may have come a little early, but that¡¯s no matter. We do what we¡¯ve always done: we ride out to keep our families safe.¡± He held his spear high, where they could all see it, and allowed the slightest bit of mana to leak down his arm, up the haft, and into the blade, so that it glowed with the brightness of a summer sun. ¡°When night falls,¡± Keri shouted, and the men answered: ¡°We are the light!¡± He let the flow of mana die, settled the butt of the spear on his stirrup, and turned Kersis for the gate. Riding in ranks, the unconquered warriors of House B?lris followed. ? The first wave of mana-beasts were a herd of caribou, warped into massive, steaming monstrosities. Keri¡¯s scouts found them in the frozen forest, halfway between the lower slopes of Menis Breim and the shoals of the rift. That fight wasn¡¯t so bad: the poor animals must have been caught up in the shoal as it expanded outward, and likely not exposed for very long. Arrows and spears made easy enough work of it, though he would have preferred a lone beast, or even two, which would not have delayed them so long. By the time they reached the shoal, grown to half again its normal size, a low lying mist had gathered within. The entire area stank of rotten eggs. Keri held up his hand and called his warriors to a halt. ¡°Linnea. Ilari. With me,¡± he called out. The two warriors he¡¯d named off were both veterans, a man and a woman older than Keri. Most importantly, they each had a second word of power, and one that was vital for situations like this: Ve. ¡°Acidic, or just toxic, you think?¡± Linnea asked. She was dark haired and dark skinned, and had come from the eastern coast to join with one of Keri¡¯s distant cousins. Among the sun-kissed blonde heads of those descended from B?lris, she was easy to pick out at a glance. But she¡¯d learned the lands in her time here, and was as skilled a hunter and warrior as anyone else. ¡°I¡¯d say toxic, from the smell, but I¡¯d rather not find out,¡± Keri said. ¡°Can the two of you blow it away? Send it north, if you can, but so long as it doesn¡¯t go west, Mountain Home will be safe enough.¡± ¡°No worries,¡± Ilari assured him. ¡°Leave it to us, war leader.¡± Keri kept his face carefully neutral at the title, and watched the two get to work, chanting an incantation together. The council of elders hadn¡¯t officially given him the title, but he wasn¡¯t certain how to stop the warriors from using it anyway. Rika was wrong: he didn¡¯t enjoy the growing esteem of the men and women who followed him because he loved glory. But he did care about those who followed him, and he wanted to return home with every one of them safe, if he could. If they believed he was someone who would lead them to victory, if that helped keep their spirits up, how could he take it from them? Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The wind came from the southwest, pushing sprays of powder, fallen pine needles, and other detritus with it. It hit the low-lying bank of fog like a hammer beating hot steel, pushing the mist away from the Elden warriors, and away from Menis Breim, as well. When the attack came out of the fog, it was so sudden that both Ilari and the gelding he rode had been crushed into a red paste on the taiga floor before Keri could even register what had happened. The bear had been brown, once, before the poisonous mana of Keremor had seeped into its bones. Now, its fur was mangy, with only patches remaining, and its skin looked burned. Its eyes were crusted with tears, and Keri could hear the pained wheezing of each enormous breath. But even if the bear might die eventually from the killing fogs of the rift, that wouldn¡¯t be soon enough to avoid a fight. Keri kicked Kersis into motion and wheeled the gelding around to get some distance. ¡°Scatter!¡± he shouted. ¡°Arrows, spears and words!¡± The warriors were well trained, and they took their horses in a dozen directions at once, giving the mammoth bear no easy target - save one. Linnea was still chanting, and she was now the only one pushing the winds that cleared the mist. If she was aware of what had happened, she couldn¡¯t spare the concentration to protect herself - and if she wasn¡¯t, if she was completely caught up in the magic, the result was the same. ¡°Rust it,¡± Keri cursed. ¡°Savelet Fleia o¡¯Mae!¡± He thrust his spear toward the bear as it reared back, and he could feel the enchantments carved into the haft suck his mana in voraciously. For a moment, the blade was so bright that he couldn¡¯t look at it, and then a beam of sunlight shot forward, taking the enormous beast in its shoulder. The bear roared in pain, stumbling backwards. Smoke rose from its shoulder, and the stench of burned meat mixed with the rotten-egg reek of the fog that lingered. Taken together, the smells were enough to make Keri¡¯s stomach roil, but he didn¡¯t have time for weakness. He turned Kersis toward Linnea, leaned over as soon as he was close enough, and grabbed her reins in his left hand. The bear came crashing down, barrelling toward the two Eld in a haze of anger and pain. But at that moment, Keri¡¯s warriors sprang to action. A hail of arrows struck the mana-beast, and it paused to wave its arm as if at a cloud of gnats. The spells that followed were more effective. Blasts of burning sunlight were most common: the ancestral word of House B?lris came directly from the V?dic Lord of Light, after all. But Keri¡¯s riders were veterans, and the most experienced of them - nearly three in ten - had experience with a second word. A blast of fire took the bear in the face, and then a bolt of lightning fell from the sky to strike its flank. The roots of the pine trees rose up from the forest floor to wrap around its right leg, holding the monster in place. Together, the Eld kept it back long enough for Keri to lead Linnea¡¯s horse out of danger. ¡°Hold it in place!¡± Keri shouted. He wheeled Kersis back around, and let his mana roar back into the blade of his spear, filling the metal until it was so hot that he could feel it nearly burning his face. The gelding was well trained, and charged forward at the bear without hesitation. With the grace of the Eld, who¡¯d been crafted by the old gods as dancers, entertainers, and concubines, Keri got his feet beneath him and stood on his saddle, holding the reins in his left hand and his burning spear in the right. Just before Kersis would have charged directly into the monster, Keri leaped from the saddle, thrusting the spear with both hands directly at the monster¡¯s chest. The gelding, released from his control, swerved aside and ran past the bear. Keri drove his spear for the mana-beast¡¯s heart, with all the force of both the horse''s charge and his own weight behind the thrust. The stink of burned flesh and hair was all around him, and the lingering poison in the air burned Keri¡¯s eyes, making him weep as the bear staggered back under his weight. It might have been the speed of the charge, or the pain from the super-heated enchanted metal, or perhaps the roots wrapped around its legs, but the bear fell backward, and Keri rode it to the ground. ¡°Savalent o¡¯Mae,¡± he gasped, hardly able to breathe, and sunlight erupted around him. The burst of magic burned out to every side, consuming the bear, the pine needles and brush of the forest floor, even the poison in the air in a moment of raw ignition. Keri squeezed his eyes closed and held his breath, so that he didn¡¯t burn his own lungs with the heat. After only an instant, he cut off the flow of mana, and staggered back, falling off the cooked corpse of the bear. He didn¡¯t risk breathing until he felt the arms of his men around him, and even when he opened his eyes, he could hardly see. Keri found that, as the cold air of the taiga swept back in, his sweat soaked body shivered with cold. ¡°You saved my life,¡± Linnea said. Good. She was alive. ¡°Here, drink this,¡± one of the men, Olavi, said. He offered Keri an enchanted flask of caribou broth, kept warm all along their journey by magic. Keri gulped it down, and felt the rush of mana hit his stomach and move through his body. Gradually, his sight returned. ¡°I¡¯m not wounded,¡± he said, but he accepted help back to his feet. ¡°Your spear.¡± Linnea offered it to him almost reverently, and Keri took it in his hands. Another of his warriors had gotten Kersis by the reins, and brought the gelding back around. With his legs still a bit shaky, Keri accepted a hand back into the saddle. ¡°That may have been the worst of it,¡± one of the warriors remarked. Keri thought the sentiment overly hopeful, and he was proven right a moment later by a chorus of howls. ¡°Why¡¯d you have to say it, Anssi,¡± Linnea groaned. ¡°Wolves we can handle,¡± Keri told them. They needed to always see him strong and confident, so he straightened in his saddle despite wanting nothing more than to collapse into his bed and sleep for a ten-day. ¡°Form up, now. We can¡¯t let a single one of these creatures past us. Nothing reaches the walls of Mountain Home!¡± The hunters of House B?lris got to work without complaint, and grisly work it was, long and exhausting. After the wolves had been dealt with, Keri sent half a dozen men to make camp. They would ditch it and raise a palisade of sharpened spikes, while Keri and the rest kept fighting. By the time night came on the first day, he¡¯d split the group into shifts, so that a third of his soldiers could rest at any given time. They butchered white foxes whose coats had once gleamed like the snow, but were now burned and shedding like the bear had been. The foxes and the ermines all wept as they came, their eyes red and raw from the poisonous vapors that spilled out of the rift. The rabbits they let pass: they wouldn¡¯t be a threat to the walls of Mountain Home, even grown a bit larger, and their meat would feed the town for days. The gyrfalcons and snowy owls were brought down by arrows: they all knew from past experience that an owl grown large enough will swoop down on children, if it gets the chance. By the second day of the eruption, they were all exhausted, and every one of them had been wounded at least once. When it was their turn to rest, Keri and the others circulated the raw mana of the rift to heal themselves as best they could, but there simply wasn¡¯t enough time to keep up before they needed to fight again. When the third day came and went, they were practically dead on their feet. A quarter of the warriors Keri had brought down from the mountain were too badly wounded to fight any longer, and three more had been killed since Ilari and his horse had died. Keri was just about resigned to sending a rider back to call for reinforcements when the shoals finally began receding again. It was a slow process, but by the morning of the fourth day there was no doubt: the eruption was over, and they had survived. There would be weeks of hunting the taiga ahead of them, still, to ensure nothing threatened Mountain Home, but the worst was over. The journey back took longer than their ride down from the mountain, due to their exhaustion and the need to transport their wounded, but on the sixth day they rode back into the courtyard. Keri had been hoping that Rika would be waiting for him, and that time apart would have calmed her anger, but instead it was his father who met him when he dismounted. ¡°What is it?¡± Keri asked, feeling a sudden rush of panic at Ilmari ka V?inis¡¯ grim face. ¡°Did something get over the wall? Are Rika and Rei hurt?¡± ¡°Nothing like that,¡± his father assured him. ¡°All the men on the wall had to do was shoot down a few rabbits, and a single owl. You did well. But we¡¯ve had news. There were eruptions all across the north - at the Al''Fenthia, the Tomb of Celris, and more. And there was an attack on the waystone at Soltheris. A mixed force of Eld and men, and stranger things. Great bats, like during the last war. Blood magic.¡± ¡°The cult of Raktia,¡± Keri said. His father nodded. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end, I fear. Things will only get worse from here on.¡± 72. The Ravages of Time The Sign of the Terrapin hadn¡¯t changed much in the twelve years since the night that Liv and Matthew had fought off a group of drunks there. Without Matthew dragging her out to spend time at the Old Oak or the Laughing Carp, Liv didn¡¯t feel much of an urge to be drinking in common rooms. Someone had given the inn a new coat of paint, and freshened up the sign, but the cobblestones in the courtyard were looking a bit worn. In the bright autumn morning, Liv couldn¡¯t see the warm flow of firelight shining out through the window panes, but two chimneys were trailing smoke up into the mountain sky, and she could taste burning wood on the air. Liv tied Steria up to the rail beside a mare and a gelding, then ducked beneath the painted sign depicting a turtle and headed inside. Triss and Matthew were seated at one of the round tables, with trenchers piled high on the table in front of them, and mugs of ale. At a glance, Liv saw corn cakes drizzled with honey and melted butter, fried slices of apples, puffy clumps of scrambled eggs, and steak tips. ¡°I should have skipped breakfast and eaten with you two,¡± she called out, striding across the room. ¡°Liv!¡± Triss jumped to her feet, dashed around the table and empty chairs, and threw her arms out. Laughing, Liv returned the hug. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too,¡± she said. ¡°Letters aren¡¯t quite the same.¡± When she and Triss broke apart, it was Matthew¡¯s turn, and Liv shrieked when he not only gave her a hug, but pulled her off her feet and spun her around twice before putting her back down. ¡°You look ready for Coral Bay,¡± Matthew said, once he¡¯d released her. ¡°Is that a new wand?¡± ¡°Not quite new, now,¡± Liv said, patting the length of polished bone hanging from her belt. ¡°We made it after everything that happened at Freeport. Your mother¡¯s going to give you grief for not coming back to see her when your fourth year was finished.¡± ¡°The plan is to distract her with a wedding,¡± Matthew admitted. ¡°Here, grab a seat while we finish up.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but look the two of them over while the trenchers were scraped bare. Triss gave her a few slices of apple to taste, which was nice. They were gooey and sweet, perfectly done, but they couldn¡¯t distract her from thinking how much her friends had changed over the years. There were the scars, for one thing. Thin white lines, for the most part, that showed they¡¯d been treated properly and healed clean - a few on Triss¡¯ hands and lower arms, and one quite prominent on Matthew¡¯s cheek. Combined with their arms and armor, the traces of old wounds made what they¡¯d spent their time doing clear to anyone who cared to look. Matthew wore a jack of plate in a deep, forest green, so that his linen shirt beneath brought to mind Summerset colors without anything so obvious as embroidered heraldry. The armor was obviously well used, with its own collection of scratches, stains, and general wear and tear. Triss, on the other hand, wore a double layered fencing doublet of deep red, nearly the color of wine, with a triple buckled leather cincher around her waist that covered the entire belly, from just below her bust. While Matthew¡¯s boots ended just beneath his knees, Triss¡¯ went up to her thighs, but were of soft leather that could easily be rolled down. Liv picked out V?dic sigils embroidered on fabric, or stamped into leather, all over the both of them. It didn¡¯t take much to guess that if either of the two drew their rapier, she would see enchantments etched into the steel, as well. She itched to ask what all the magic did, but there would be plenty of time for that on the ride back to Whitehill. As soon as he¡¯d cleared his plate, Matthew stood. ¡°I¡¯ll settle up for breakfast and the room,¡± he said, and walked over to the bar. ¡°Room, singular?¡± Liv asked, leaning forward over the table. ¡°Don¡¯t tell his mother,¡± Triss requested, with a hint of blush in her cheeks. ¡°I know what the tradition is, but we¡¯ve been roaming around the countryside for years together at this point. And at college - well, you¡¯ll see once you get there,¡± she left off. ¡°I daresay more than a few parents would be properly scandalized if they knew everything that went on. You¡¯ll be leaving just after the wedding?¡± Liv nodded, swallowing the last of her apple slices. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for it so long, it almost doesn¡¯t seem real to finally be going. I only wish I could have done it earlier, with you and Matthew. Cade will be there, though, and Sidonie.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much,¡± Triss said. ¡°There¡¯ll be fifty or sixty others just getting there with you. One or two of them are bound to be worth keeping!¡± She laughed, pushed her chair back, and stood up. ¡°All set, love?¡± Matthew walked past Liv, slipped an arm around Triss¡¯ waist, and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°Paid up, and he assured me the horses had their oats early this morning. We¡¯re ready to leave.¡± ¡°Is that all I get?¡± Triss complained. ¡°Just one on the cheek?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying not to shock my sister before the wedding,¡± Matthew said, laughing. ¡°Come along, ladies.¡± Liv followed them out of the inn, trying to imagine what it would be like to feel so easy and relaxed with a man. Emma had told her that when you¡¯d found the right person, you¡¯d just know, but Liv had never felt anything like that. Triss had said things were different at Coral Bay - would Cade expect to just kiss her, whenever he felt like it? She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that. Thankfully, she was able to shove those thoughts away once they were all in the saddle. The two horses tied up next to Steria did indeed belong to Matthew and Triss, and Liv could see that the saddlebags were absolutely stuffed, once Matthew had them secured. Still, it didn¡¯t seem like a lot to be travelling the country with. Nothing like the great trunks of clothing they¡¯d all brought to Freeport when they went, or the packing that Thora had been seeing to for days now. There was no need to push the horses, so they rode close to each other and chatted on the way north to Fairford. ¡°What¡¯s the far north like, then?¡± Matthew asked Liv. ¡°You said you¡¯d been to visit your father¡¯s family in your letters. I wish I¡¯d been able to stay in Freeport long enough to meet him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a different world,¡± Liv said. ¡°No trees anywhere, Matthew, as far as you can see. Just endless plains of ice and snow. There¡¯s nothing to break the wind, and it comes howling in like it would bowl you over. But it''s beautiful, at the same time. I want to go in winter; I¡¯ve only ever been during the bright nights, when the sun never sets. But everyone tells me that at night, the stars are painted with colored lights - blue, green, and purple. I want to see that.¡± She shrugged, and laughed. ¡°After college. How about you two? Where have you been?¡± ¡°Mostly around Lucania,¡± Triss said. ¡°We stopped by Valegard on our way here, and my parents won¡¯t be far behind us. A few days, maybe.¡± ¡°Before that, we were helping at rifts, here and there,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Mostly in the kingdom, but we did answer a call from Lendh ka Dakruim once. Talk about a whole other world, Liv, you should see that place. There are these massive creatures they call haathee, all gray, with a kind of trunk they use to eat-¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A sudden brightness from the north made Liv squint. She couldn¡¯t help but shiver when she saw a column of light connect the summit of Bald Peak with the ring in the sky above. ¡°No,¡± Liv heard herself say. ¡°It¡¯s too early.¡± ¡°How often does it erupt?¡± Triss asked, all humor gone from her voice. ¡°Twenty years?¡± ¡°Twenty-five,¡± Matthew said. ¡°This is a year early. We need to go.¡± He kicked his gelding into a gallop, and both Liv and Triss followed. They didn¡¯t slow at Fairford, taking the old way across the stony shallows, rather than risk trampling anyone on the newer bridge. By the time they reached Whitehill, the horses were glistening with lather. ? Everything felt both hauntingly familiar, and yet changed in a terrifying way, all at once. By the time the three of them had handed the horses off to a pair of wide-eyed stableboys, and then made it into the great hall, Liv saw that half a dozen of the knights who kept manors in the city had already gathered. Baron Henry¡¯s wheeled chair was at the high table, and Duchess Julianne was with him, as well as Master Grenfell and Mistress Trafford. Someone must have sent for Emma and her father, for they¡¯d come, as well. The part that really stuck out to Liv was just how much older everyone was. During the eruption when she¡¯d been a girl, both Baron Henry and Julianne had been young and vital. Master Forester had a bit of salt in his hair and beard, but he¡¯d been a confident, fit man - the best hunter in the valley. Even Master Grenfell, who¡¯d always been more of a scholar than a warrior, had moved easily then. Now, Henry was crippled. Twenty-four years of being unable to walk, to run, or to fight have left him with a lot of extra weight, and it showed in his face. He was swiftly approaching sixty, and Liv had heard Mistress Trafford speaking with the duchess about the possibility of amputating his feet: he had sores that wouldn¡¯t heal. Master Grenfell was even older, though Liv had never asked his exact age. Long use of mana had kept him more vital than might otherwise be expected, but it had also ravaged the skin of his arms and hands: it seemed like he nearly always had bandages on one arm or the other, now, and Mistress Trafford had told Liv that the mana-sickness never really went away anymore. His hair had long since lost its color, and was thinning. Kale Forester had dealt with age by simply shaving his head bare and letting his beard grow massive and white. To Liv¡¯s eyes, he appeared strangely shrunken: all the muscle he¡¯d once carried had withered away as the years went on. Three years ago he¡¯d stopped hunting entirely, sold his home, and moved into the rooms above the forge with Emma and Dustin. None of them looked like they should be fighting their way into the shoals of the rift. ¡°Matthew,¡± Julianne exclaimed, coming around the high table to throw her arms around her son. ¡°Thank the trinity you made it back before the beasts came.¡± ¡°We saw the flare of the eruption while we were just south of Fairford, and rode hard,¡± her son said. Julianne released him after a moment, then embraced Triss as well. ¡°Might be a brief delay of the wedding,¡± Triss told her. Julianne laughed. ¡°Yes, I expect so. I¡¯ll send a knight and a few guards south to wait for your parents at the pass, to make sure they get here safely.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll have their own men, but they won¡¯t know the area as well, so I appreciate it,¡± Triss said. The two women let each other go, and then everyone gathered about the high table, where a map of the valley had been spread. ¡°Is my father back?¡± Liv asked. Henry shook his head. ¡°And I don¡¯t know whether he¡¯ll be able to make it, now,¡± the baron admitted. ¡°During an eruption, the shoals push out far enough to encompass the waystone.¡± ¡°Nothing at a minor rift will stop him when he comes,¡± Liv said confidently. ¡°But it would have been nice to have him here for the fighting.¡± ¡°It would have,¡± Julianne admitted. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the culling team to the rift, while Henry holds command here.¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv interrupted. When everyone looked at her, she managed to hold her ground, but she still felt a blush creeping over her cheeks at the attention. Someday, it would be nice if her face could keep from showing every little thing she felt. ¡°No offense, Your Grace,¡± she continued, using Julianne¡¯s formal mode of address. ¡°But none of you have any business culling a rift anymore.¡± ¡°I understand that you¡¯re trying to help, Liv,¡± Julianne said, ¡°but you¡¯ve never actually culled a rift during an eruption.¡± ¡°But Triss and I have,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Plenty, over the past few years. Triss is recognized by the guild as able to take command of a culling, depending on seniority, and if I¡¯d joined I would be as well. No one doubts you¡¯ve got plenty of power, mother, but it¡¯s been ages since you had to use it. Father can¡¯t go. Master Grenfell, you were never a fighter. Master Forester, can you even draw that old bow any longer?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not saying this to be cruel,¡± Triss said. ¡°But we all know who the team is going to be.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re counting my name on that list,¡± Emma said, speaking up for the first time. ¡°Emma, you¡¯ve got a child who¡¯s barely five,¡± Liv broke in. ¡°You should stay behind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still a better shot than anyone else in the valley,¡± Emma said. ¡°Even if I only show it on market days. Three people aren¡¯t enough to be safe.¡± ¡°On that, she¡¯s correct,¡± Mistress Trafford said. ¡°I¡¯ll be going with you, to dress wounds. We want enough knights and guards to protect the camp, as well.¡± ¡°If Master Grenfell can give me enough bags of mana-dust, I¡¯ll see to that,¡± Liv said. ¡°You¡¯ll have everything in the stores,¡± her old teacher promised. ¡°And the largest stone, as well. You know the one. You¡¯ll need every bit of stored mana you can bring.¡± Liv scanned the room, and found that Thora had made her way in, and was hovering by the wall in case she was needed. ¡°Go and tell my mother to pack every bit of mana-enriched food fit to travel,¡± she ordered. ¡°Flasks of broth, dried jerky, everything. We want it all.¡± ¡°You know that I am actually the one in command here,¡± Julianne said, frowning. ¡°You are,¡± her son said, with a nod. ¡°Which is why we also know you¡¯ll make the best choice for the survival of the town.¡± Julianne was silent for a long moment, and Liv thought she looked like she¡¯d just had a bite of something particularly unpleasant. ¡°Fine. Matthew, as my heir, you have command of the culling team. You¡¯ll take Beatrice, Liv, Emma, and Amelia with you. Sir Anselm, Sir Gervase, and Sir Randel will each command two castle guards. That will give you enough for three shifts to keep watch on your camp. That makes fourteen. Those of us who have grown too old to go will deal with anything that gets to the walls.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll depart as soon as everyone is assembled,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Saddlebags only, no wagons or carriages. You can send whatever doesn''t fit up the road in a wagon behind us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s decided, then. At least no one¡¯s pregnant, this time,¡± Julianne muttered. ¡°Liv, please come up to my sitting room with me.¡± Liv frowned, but followed the duchess out of the hall and upstairs. It wasn¡¯t until the door had been closed behind them, and Julianne had crossed to her desk, that she began to speak. ¡°I realize now that I made a mistake in ever asking for these papers,¡± the duchess said. She opened a drawer, flipped through a sheaf, and pulled out something that Liv hadn¡¯t seen in years - an order of adoption, marked with the seal of the king. The last they¡¯d heard, Julianne¡¯s father no longer stirred from his bed, and Prince Benedict had the run of the kingdom. But the decree was still valid. ¡°I know you have your father¡¯s family, now,¡± Julianne said, turning to face Liv with the order in hand. ¡°And, ironically, our positions are reversed. I have only a single heir, and he is about to dive into a rift. If Matthew dies, Liv, I have no one else. I am no longer asking you to sign this to protect you, or to give you a family. I am begging you to sign it so that, if the worst happens, there is someone who can protect Whitehill when Henry and I are gone.¡± She thrust the paper at Liv. ¡°I¡¯ve said before I¡¯m grateful,¡± Liv began. ¡°It¡¯s no longer about you,¡± Julianne interrupted her. ¡°It¡¯s about what comes when Benedict is crowned. I can¡¯t be the deterrent I used to be,¡± she admitted, with a bitter laugh. ¡°As my son has made quite clear, the days that everyone feared my magic are passing. I couldn¡¯t have another child now even if I took another husband. Name your price, Liv. What do I have to do, for you to sign this?¡± Liv looked to the window, where the mountains lay green beneath the brilliant blue sky. ¡°I do love this place,¡± she said, finally, and turned back to Julianne. ¡°I won¡¯t take your name. If you wish to name me second in line after Matthew, it will be as Livara T?r Valtteri, not Liv Summerset. And you will keep the decree secret. If it''s never needed, then no one will ever know.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Julianne agreed. ¡°And you will teach me Luc,¡± Liv finished. ¡°If Benedict ever finds out-¡± ¡°He¡¯s already our enemy. If it has to come out in the open, at least I¡¯ll have the magic to stand up to him,¡± Liv said. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Julianne turned back to the desk, set the decree down, and uncorked a bottle of ink. Liv accepted a quill from the duchess, dipped it in the bottle, and signed her name. 73. Defense in Depth Lady Julianne had called Sophie into her sitting room to sign as a witness, and when Liv left to go prepare, the lady¡¯s maid followed her into the hall. ¡°Keep my husband safe,¡± Sophie demanded, before Liv could head toward her rooms. ¡°Please. I tried to talk him into staying here, but he wouldn¡¯t do it.¡± Piers and Tobias were two of the six castle guards who had volunteered to go with Liv, and she would have preferred they hadn¡¯t. Tobias was a veteran, certainly, and he¡¯d always had a kind smile for her since the afternoons they spent at Auntie Rhea¡¯s cottage, but to Liv¡¯s mind he should have already retired from his service ¨C or at least stayed behind to hold the walls of the castle. As to Piers ¨C well, whatever bad feelings had been between Liv and Sophie twenty years ago, she felt an increasing amount of sympathy for Duchess Julianne¡¯s lady¡¯s maid. After the wedding, there had been a couple years when it looked like Sophie and Piers would have a family. Unfortunately, every pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, and from what Liv understood Master Cushing had ordered them to stop trying after a particularly bad incident. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Liv said, and tried to step past. ¡°Don¡¯t do your best,¡± Sophie insisted, placing herself directly in Liv¡¯s path. ¡°Bring him back. Promise me. He¡¯s all I have.¡± Liv sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen,¡± she said. ¡°It could be that I¡¯m down in the mines, and he¡¯s guarding camp, and I have no way to help him. But I¡¯ll do everything I can. You have my word on that.¡± ¡°Alright, then,¡± Sophie said. She looked tired, and frightened. ¡°That¡¯ll have to be enough.¡± Thora, who must have been waiting for Liv in her chambers, joined them. She placed her hand on Sophie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Why don¡¯t you walk down and give him a kiss goodbye, then,¡± she said. Liv mouthed a silent ¡®thank you¡¯ to her maid, and headed down the hall to her room. Once Sophie was sent on her way, Thora helped Liv into the enchanted white leather armor that she had brought back from Kelthelis. They belted her wand back on over the waist of the cuirass, and Liv carried the helm tucked under her left arm: she hated wearing the thing. Everything else was comforting, but no matter how Thora braided her hair, the helm was never comfortable. When they were finished, Liv and her maid headed down the hall to the stairs, and from there out into the courtyard. Fourteen horses were saddled and loaded down with as many supplies as the culling team could safely carry. Most of the castle staff was gathered around or, in the case of the guards on duty, looking down from the parapets. ¡°I¡¯d rather you were staying here,¡± Liv¡¯s mother said. She and Gretta had clearly been waiting for Liv to come out, and now Mama wrapped her up in a hug, giving her a squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ve been through the shoals up north many times now,¡± Liv reminded her mother. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°That was always with your father, though, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Margaret Brodbeck asked, loosening her arms enough to lean back and look her daughter in the eye. ¡°Which only means he¡¯s taught me well,¡± Liv said, giving her a smile. ¡°When I get back, I have to tell you something. Don¡¯t let me forget.¡± ¡°Here, dear,¡± Gretta said, handing Liv a wineskin on a leather cord. ¡°It¡¯s filled with venison broth with wild onions from the shoals. Try to keep it warm, if you can.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Liv assured her, slinging the leather cord over her shoulder so that the flask hung on the opposite hip from her wand. She could simply redirect the waste heat from her spells to the broth. ¡°No cloak?¡± her mother asked. ¡°You¡¯ll freeze, dove. Harvest nights are cold.¡± ¡°Maybe a few years ago,¡± Liv said. ¡°But not anymore.¡± Master Grenfell approached, giving her an excuse to extract herself from her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯ve loaded your saddlebags with half a dozen pouches of ground mana-stone, and the large stone from my study,¡± her old teacher said. ¡°It¡¯s got over thirty rings in it, and you¡¯re free to use them all if needed. You cast your normal load-out on your wand this morning?¡± ¡°Before I went down to breakfast,¡± Liv assured him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°So says every apprentice on their first culling,¡± Grenfell said. ¡°Be smart. Listen to Matthew and Beatrice, they¡¯ve done this before.¡± ¡°Mount up!¡± Matthew called across the courtyard, and the knights and guards who would be riding to Bald Peak began swinging themselves up into their saddles. Liv saw Duchess Julianne whisper something to her son, embrace him one last time, and then step back. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few days, Mama,¡± Liv said. ¡°You just keep yourself safe and inside the castle until then.¡± She walked over to Steria, put her foot in the stirrup, and pulled herself up. The mare danced across the courtyard, as if she¡¯d caught the excitement in the air. Matthew and Beatrice were mounted, while one of the guards was helping Mistress Trafford up into her saddle. She was weighed down with a satchel of medical supplies that looked like it might tip her over at any moment and send her back down to the cobblestones. Dustin, Master Forester, and Emma¡¯s son, Rowan, had come to see her off. Liv watched her friend kiss her child on the forehead before handing him off, and wondered again if she might not convince Emma to remain behind. But if she knew anything about the huntress, she was both stubborn and determined once she¡¯d made up her mind. Sir Randel, the youngest of the three knights that Julianne and Henry were sending, rode out first, with two guards just behind him, to clear the way through the streets. Matthew and Triss followed, and then Emma and Liv, with Mistress Trafford, the other two knights, and four more guards bringing up the rear. With the exception of just in front of the castle gate, few people were in the streets of Whitehill; when an eruption struck, the temple of the trinity and the castle itself were opened to the population as refuges. Those who couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t leave their homes shuttered the windows, barred the doors, and did their best to wait out the crisis. The castle guards had held back the crowd of townsfolk until the culling team was away, and now Liv followed the rest of the party through an aisle of men, women and children. As soon as they¡¯d ridden past, Liv looked back over her shoulder, and saw castle guards ushering the masses into the courtyard. After that one glance, she kept her gaze ahead: first down The Hill and the west, to the town gate from which they would loop north and follow the road along the banks of the Aspen River to the mines. ? They found the edge of the shoal well before where the road forked, with the right hand route leading to the waystone on the bluff over the river, and the left hand up the mountain slope to the mines. Liv could feel the raw mana permeated the air the moment she approached, but it was Triss who called them to a halt. ¡°We¡¯ll make camp here,¡± she said, swinging down from the saddle of her mare. ¡°Just outside the shoal.¡± ¡°Get a ditch dug and palisades up,¡± Matthew commanded the guards who¡¯d come with them. ¡°Emma, keep watch for stone-bats or any birds of prey in the sky. Mistress Trafford, we¡¯ll leave you here with the camp. Set up to receive wounded as best you can. Liv, what are you doing?¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. While the others began setting up camp, she¡¯d dismounted and walked into the very edge of the shoal itself. After making the trip north with her father time and again, Liv no longer needed to sit down and ignore the world to handle the surge of ambient mana. ¡°Getting myself acclimated,¡± she said. In truth, the edge of this eruption was still less potent than the shoals of the Tomb of Celris. Matthew frowned, and strode over to her. ¡°You should spend as little time in the rift as you can,¡± he said. ¡°Every moment in there makes the danger of mana-sickness worse.¡± Liv turned to regard him. ¡°For humans, yes,¡± she said, after considering her words for a moment. Her father had warned her about the risks of spreading the things he¡¯d taught her, but surely she could trust Matthew? And if she taught him to handle the wild mana of a rift, she¡¯d be increasing his chances of survival. What finally decided her was that they didn¡¯t have time to waste, and given what she recalled of Matthew¡¯s magical aptitude, it could take him weeks of practice to master the technique. Later, Liv promised herself. In time for the next eruption he had to cull. Matthew opened his mouth, hesitated, and then started again. ¡°Can you tell me how many rings you have to work with?¡± he asked, instead of pressing the issue. Liv noticed that he kept himself just outside the edge of the shoal. ¡°It¡¯s important that I understand what you¡¯re bringing to the table, if I¡¯m to make good decisions.¡± ¡°Twenty-three,¡± Liv said, scanning the trees on the lower slopes of Bald Peak. ¡°Twenty-three?¡± Triss exclaimed. ¡°I forgot what a perfect monster you are, Liv.¡± The older woman shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Eight more in here.¡± Liv raised her left hand, where she wore the princess¡¯ golden rings and bracelet, linked by thin chains and set with mana-stones. ¡°Plus the guild ring, and the pommel of the wand. Call it thirty-six.¡± ¡°Liv,¡± Matthew said. ¡°I can only hold twelve, and that¡¯s considered impressive. Beatrice has fifteen, and the guild was practically foaming at the mouth to get her to join.¡± ¡°And here you are, loaded with more mana than both of us together,¡± Triss said. ¡°And not even gone to Coral Bay yet.¡± She laughed. ¡°They have no idea what they¡¯re in for, do they?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan, then?¡± Liv asked. There seemed to be less mana-beasts here than on the trips she¡¯d taken with her father, as well. Not a single gyrfalcon had dove at them yet. ¡°As soon as they¡¯re properly dug in, we make the hike up to the mine entrance,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Can you lay down a circle around the camp? I was going to do it, but now that I know how much power you¡¯re walking around with, I¡¯m going to save my mana.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Liv said. ¡°Just make certain no one crosses the ward by accident.¡± She left the shoals, walked back over to Steria, and fetched the first of the six pouches of mana-stone powder. Come to think of it, she wondered, as she began walking around the outside of the ditch the guards were digging, if she set a circle inside of the shoals, would it be possible to use Aluth to funnel the ambient mana into the powder, keeping the spell active for a longer period of time? It was something to ask Master Grenfell about, when this was all over. ¡°Are you coming with us, or staying?¡± Liv asked Emma, as her walk around the half-pitched camp brought her to the base of the aspen tree in which the huntress had perched with her bow. ¡°With you,¡± Emma said. ¡°Three isn¡¯t enough to go inside. You¡¯ll be too easily overwhelmed. They had four when we were kids, and my father says they barely made it out alive.¡± Liv frowned. She would have preferred Emma stay in the camp, where it was less dangerous. ¡°Make sure you get out before I cast this spell, then,¡± was all she said. ¡°Or you¡¯ll be frozen as solid as a side of beef in the cellar.¡± She continued on, carefully pouring out dust until she reached the spot where she¡¯d begun. Then, Liv looked to Matthew. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she said. ¡°Listen up!¡± he called. ¡°Liv¡¯s about to activate a ward. Once she does, no one cross the circle. It should give you some protection from anything that comes this way. Emma, get over here with us. Everyone else, be inside the ward as of now.¡± He turned back to Liv and nodded. Liv pulled her wand from the sheath at her hip, knelt down, and touched it to the curved line of dust. ¡°Cel¨¥vant Cwo Ferent Sceria,¡± she intoned, shaping her intent and guiding her mana down through her arm, into the wand that sucked at it, and then out into the ring. A line of swirling blue and gold energy spread out to either side, turning gently until the magic met opposite Liv, on the other side of the camp, and completed the circle. She lifted her wand, stepped back, and slid it back into the sheath. ¡°How many rings?¡± Matthew asked. ¡°Only five,¡± Liv told him. ¡°The wand isn¡¯t quite as efficient as a staff for preventing waste, but it still helps.¡± ¡°Up we go, then,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Shoot at anything within range,¡± he instructed the guards, who¡¯d all brought crossbows. ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring the horses?¡± Emma asked, joining the other three. ¡°It¡¯s a good way to lose a good steed to mana-sickness,¡± Triss explained. ¡°Or have it twisted into a beast. No, we leave them here.¡± Liv frowned: she¡¯d never considered it before, but she¡¯d ridden Steria in and out of the northern shoals time and again. She¡¯d have to ask her father if there was something different about Elden horses that let them handle the raw magical energy. ¡°I had a thought,¡± Liv said, after they¡¯d been hiking uphill for half a bell. In that time, Emma had brought down two quail, both mutated to half again their normal size and studded with glowing mana-stone. She would have loved to dress the carcasses for a stew, but there wasn''t time to clean them, so they left the kills where they fell. ¡°I could lay down a line of mana-dust across the entrance to the mines. It would trap everything inside while we scoured the slopes, then we could go in after.¡± ¡°If we could count on that being the only way in or out of the mines, it would be a good plan,¡± Matthew said. ¡°But there¡¯s drainage ditches, air shafts, and collapsed tunnels everywhere. I¡¯ve seen Father¡¯s maps. Blocking just the main entrance wouldn¡¯t keep anything in that wanted to get out. That¡¯s why we have layers of defense.¡± ¡°Defense in depth, it''s called,¡± Triss broke in. ¡°A culling team to go in and take out everything they can, first. Then a fallback camp, for triage and to wear down whatever gets past the primary team. Usually, we have apprentices there. Then, the guards on the town walls, and finally, places like the castle or temple.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t possibly get everything,¡± Matthew said. ¡°In most places, after the primary culling team leaves, lower ranking guild members will stay behind for weeks or months to hunt the countryside. I never really understood how isolated we are up here until I saw how it''s done in the rest of the kingdom.¡± ¡°Hold.¡± Triss raised her arm and made a fist. Liv could see wisps of blue and gold sparking off her eyes, but didn¡¯t remember hearing the woman speak an incantation. For a moment, there was only silence ¨C and then Liv heard something rustling through the underbrush. ¡°Liv and Emma, back up,¡± Matthew said. He and Triss drew their rapiers, and Emma had kept an arrow nocked for the entirety of their journey upslope. Liv drew her wand, scanning the forest for motion. Upslope and to the left of the road, a massive, segmented body burst out nearly on top of them. Beatrice moved as if she¡¯d seen the monster coming, sliding to the side around some sort of deadly claw, while Matthew simply charged forward, lunging with his rapier. The tip skittered off the carapace of the creature. Liv raised her wand, but took a moment to figure out just what she was seeing before she cast anything. It was long, with thin legs that sprawled out in every direction, and two segmented ¨C tendrils? antennae? ¨C that sprouted around its horrible mouth like an enormous mustache. ¡°It¡¯s a centipede!¡± Liv shouted, finally overcoming the shock of seeing such an incredible increase in size. ¡°That means the bite is venomous! The claws, too!¡± Emma called out, already scrambling back for distance as she loosed one arrow after another, aimed right for the monster¡¯s eyes - or what passed for them. Liv recalled the bestiary noting the animals could really only discern light from dark. The arrows didn¡¯t pierce the thick plates that protected the length of the creature¡¯s body, but Triss¡¯ blade unerringly found the joints between segments, piercing them. The moment the creature reared back in pain, Beatrice would dance out of its path, her eyes sparking blue the entire time. She might as well have choreographed the fight in advance for all the chance the monstrous centipede had of touching her. Matthew, in the meantime, simply focused on keeping its attention. The sight of a venomous claw skittering off his jack of plate made Liv flinch, but he seemed no worse for wear, and she recalled that his armor was layered in enchantments. Still, if the only one hurting it was Triss, it would take them all afternoon to defeat the mana-beast. ¡°Save your arrows,¡± Liv told Emma. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it.¡± She raised her wand, pointing it at a spot just to the right of the centipede¡¯s massive head, and let the word of power in the back of her mind wake. ¡°Celent Ai¡¯Veh Creim,¡± she intoned. Crystals of ice, hard as metal, sprang forth from the ground next to the centipede, growing rapidly and sprouting more and more offshoots, which pierced the exoskeleton of the mana-beast. Before it had time to escape, the cluster of crystals caught it by the head ¨C but they didn¡¯t stop growing there. Liv only let the spell finally end when the entire head had been snapped off and then crushed to a pulp, pierced in a dozen places. Emma looked at her, mouth gaping open. ¡°Up to the mine?¡± Liv asked. 74. Bald Peak Mine For all the years that she¡¯d made her home in Whitehill, Liv had never actually seen the entrance to the mines up close. Apart from the miners themselves, almost no one did, and there was a good reason for that: mining in the shoals of a rift killed you. It might come quick, in the collapse of a tunnel, if the rocks crushed you. Or it might be slow, trapped behind rubble with a dwindling pocket of air. If you survived all that, it would be the mana-sickness that killed you. The mining town down by the river had already been evacuated by the time the culling team arrived: they would have been the first to see the flare of mana that marked an eruption, and Liv guessed they¡¯d been on the road south to Whitehill while she was still riding to Fairford with Matthew and Triss. It didn¡¯t surprise her they¡¯d seen no one until now: the time it took to get a culling team ready to depart would have been long enough for them to make it back to town. However, the three corpses slumped at the threshold of the main shaft, at the foot of the wooden beams bracing the entrance, made it clear that for those actually working their shift, no warning would have been enough. These were hard men, muscled and covered in dust, with picks clutched in their dead hands, or tumbled to the ground close by. The head of the first was crushed, the second was missing an arm, and the last had been ripped clear in half. Liv covered her mouth and turned away, fighting down the urge to empty her stomach. ¡°There will be more inside,¡± Matthew said. His voice was quiet, and not without sympathy. ¡°If you can¡¯t handle it, Liv, tell me now. I can send you and Emma back.¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv said. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going. You think that was the centipede?¡± ¡°Could have been,¡± Triss said. ¡°I go first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow, and then you two behind me,¡± Matthew commanded. ¡°Emma, a bow won¡¯t be much good in the mines. How are you with that hunting knife?¡± ¡°Good enough,¡± Emma said. She slung her bow on her back, and drew the blade she used to skin game. ¡°Keep anything that gets by me off Liv, then,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Triss will find the targets, then I¡¯ll get their attention. Once they¡¯re focused on me, Triss hits the flanks. Liv, don¡¯t waste your mana on anything but a kill. You¡¯re here to finish anything we can¡¯t take with the swords, and we¡¯re counting on you to do it. Emma, if she gets dogpiled, she can¡¯t do her job. You stop that from happening. Ring check?¡± ¡°Twelve left,¡± Beatrice said. ¡°Twenty-eight, all told,¡± Liv said. ¡°Good.¡± Matthew nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll head back to camp for rest when we get low, or when someone is too wounded to continue. Triss, you¡¯re up.¡± The swordswoman slipped forward, quietly enough that Liv knew she must have some training in hunting. Had that come during her years at Coral Bay? Most Lucanian noblewomen, she knew, went hawking if they hunted at all. Liv was an exception, and that was because she¡¯d been trained by Master Forester and, later, her father. The guild put more value on the skill than the nobility, but that made sense: the guild did the majority of the culling, these days. A few moments later, Triss returned, her eyes sparking blue and gold. Liv wondered how long that particular spell lasted. ¡°The eruption caused some stone to shake loose,¡± Beatrice told them. ¡°But the shaft all the way down to the first chamber is clear. Watch your footing - it¡¯s wet, with loose rock everywhere, and the floor isn¡¯t even.¡± Liv followed Triss and Matthew down the gravelled path that ran alongside the wooden wagonway. The wagonway was essentially a strip of wooden flooring with a gap left in the center: when she saw the first mining cart, Liv understood why. A wooden pin stuck out of the bottom of the four-wheeled cart, and rested in the gap that ran up the center of the wagonway. When the miners pushed, the pin made certain their wagon stayed on track, and the wood gave the wheels a smooth surface to roll on. She¡¯d worried that they might not be able to see, once they moved out of the sunlight pouring in through the main shaft, but Liv saw now that the ambient mana of the shoal kept the veins of mana-stone in the walls suffused with magic, and they gave off a soft blue glow, threaded with gold. It cast the faces of her companions in an eerie light, but it was more than enough to see by once her eyes adjusted. By the time they¡¯d reached the first chamber, the temperature had dropped dramatically. Liv was glad for her enchanted leathers, which now felt pleasantly warm. She resolved to use the waste heat from her next spell to raise her body temperature. She could feel the surging, wild mana of the eruption, as well, roiling around her as if brought to a boil. The shaft opened up into a wide, low cavern, with a sloped floor. As Triss had said, there were tumbled, broken rocks everywhere, and dust in the air. Liv¡¯s boots slipped on the wet rock, but Emma caught her by the shoulder before she fell. ¡°Thank you,¡± she murmured. Everything was so still and quiet that Liv didn¡¯t want to draw attention by making a loud sound. ¡°There should be tunnels off to the left and the right, heading deeper,¡± Matthew whispered. Triss nodded. ¡°I saw them both,¡± she said. ¡°Does it matter which I scout first?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Matthew shook his head. ¡°Both lead to the river eventually.¡± ¡°River?¡± Liv asked. ¡°It runs underground before coming out of the bluff south of the waystone,¡± he explained. ¡°It feeds into the Aspen, like the springs under Castle Whitehill. You wouldn''t believe how much underground water there is in these mountains. It makes mining difficult, because if they aren¡¯t careful, they can flood a chamber.¡± ¡°Left it is,¡± Triss said, and scooted ahead of them, vanishing in the dim light of the mana-stone veins. Liv hated the waiting, even if she trusted Matthew and Beatrice¡¯s experience in culling. She fidgeted with her wand, and had little else to do but continually scan the darkness, looking for any sign of an attack. When it finally came, it wasn¡¯t on them ¨C the first sign of trouble was Triss¡¯ shriek down the left-hand passage. Matthew immediately dashed down the treacherous slope of the chamber floor toward the left hand tunnel. ¡°Triss!¡± he called out, and then a flickering mass of black shapes, interrupted by glints of blue light, erupted into the chamber, swallowing him up. Liv had seen a mass of stone-bats before, during the last eruption of Bald Peak, when they came for Whitehill. She¡¯d nearly been killed by them, and had no intention of repeating the experience. She pressed the third button on her wand, and pointed it down at the cavern floor, drawing it horizontally in a swiping motion. ¡°Get down, Matthew!¡± she said, then grabbed Emma to keep her old friend close. A wall of adamant ice rose up from the floor, then anchored itself to the ceiling just above their heads. It only took a thought to capture some of the waste heat for herself, and Liv felt a rush of warmth from her fingers to her toes. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. A succession of thumps and crashes rattled through the chamber, as entire groups of stone-bats slammed into Liv¡¯s wall. Nonetheless, the ice held, and she was grateful for every maddening moment of her father¡¯s training. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Svec Aim¨¡k Scelim¡¯o¡¯Kveis!¡± Liv intoned. She hoped Matthew had heard her, but just to be safe she carefully envisioned the spell beginning at the outer base of the wall, and then firing upward at an angle, to avoid the entrance to the left hand tunnel. Liv couldn¡¯t see what happened, but she could hear it, and she knew what her intent had been. Six needle-thin shards of ice shot out simultaneously from the bottom of the wall, just above the cavern floor, into the flapping mass of stone-bats. Liv knew what her frozen shards had done to one of these creatures nearly twenty-five years ago, but that was nothing compared to what she was capable of now. Her shards were dense as steel, sharp, and thin enough to puncture armor like a crossbow bolt at close range. A splatter of red gore hit the wall that protected Liv and Emma from the flock. ¡°Seven rings,¡± Liv counted out loud. That left her with twenty-one, between all she had stored in mana stones. She used the waste heat to melt a long slit in the center of the wall, at chest level. ¡°Use your bow,¡± Liv told Emma, then grabbed her flask of broth, pulled the cork, and put it to her lips. A rush of mana hit her stomach: not nearly enough to make up what she¡¯d used, but perhaps a ring¡¯s worth. Emma unslung her bow, nocked an arrow, set it to the opened slit and shot. Somewhere on the other side of the wall, a bat shrieked. Something slammed into the wall, and an open, bloodshot eye pressed up against the open slit. Emma cursed, backed away, and shot a second arrow. The bat¡¯s ruined eye socket disappeared. ¡°Matthew?¡± Emma called out into the darkness. ¡°Just keep shooting them,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the wall down when there¡¯s nothing left moving.¡± She held onto as much of the waste-heat as she could stand, and it made her feel feverish: Liv could feel sweat soaking her clothes, and slick on her forehead. ¡°Do it quickly.¡± Emma had only three arrows left in her quiver by the time she couldn¡¯t see any more targets. ¡°Have your skinning knife ready,¡± Liv told her, and sent all the excess heat in her body into the wall, melting a doorway through the center. It was a blessed relief to get rid of it, but she gave a shiver at the sudden chill. Before Liv could go through, Emma dashed ahead. When Liv followed, she saw that there were corpses piled everywhere. Many of the stone-bats were still pierced by the arrows that had killed them, and the rest had bloody, gaping holes left by Liv¡¯s needles of ice. ¡°I don¡¯t see them anywhere,¡± the huntress called back to Liv. She kicked aside corpses at the entrance to the tunnel, clearing the area where they¡¯d last seen Matthew standing. ¡°He must have pushed forward to get to Triss,¡± Liv said. ¡°Maybe pressed himself against the wall, and let the bats pass.¡± She waited for a moment, and then realized that neither Matthew nor Triss was going to tell her what to do. ¡°We go on,¡± Liv said. ¡°Try to find them and link up. They can¡¯t have gotten very far, and its possible they¡¯re wounded and need our help. You scout ahead; I¡¯ll give you a count of ten, Emma, and follow. That way you can get a first look and rush back if you need to, but we won¡¯t be very far apart.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡± Emma asked. ¡°Neither one of us has ever done this before, Liv.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve fought in the shoals of the Tomb of Celris with my father,¡± Liv said, trying to reassure her friend. She left out the fact they¡¯d only ever fought their way to or from the waystone, while mounted and moving as quickly as they could. ¡°With your father,¡± Emma pointed out. ¡°Not alone. We should decide right now at what point we turn back, and then stick to it. Even if we don¡¯t find them.¡± ¡°If I dip below ten rings of mana, then,¡± Liv said. ¡°That¡¯s two or three solid spells. Enough to get us back to the surface and down the mountain.¡± ¡°Alright, then.¡± Emma raised her hunting knife in front of her chest, then ducked into the tunnel. Just as she¡¯d promised, Liv counted to ten before she followed. The presence of two stone-bat corpses in the tunnel, with throats slashed or eyes pierced, lent weight to her belief that Matthew and Triss had survived and pushed forward. Still, every moment that Emma didn¡¯t come back and warn Liv she¡¯d found a corpse was a relief. ¡°It opens up just ahead,¡± Emma said, slipping out of the glow of the mana-rock veins as if she¡¯d used a waystone to appear. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of those little mining wagons, all piled up with stone and ¨C I think ¨C silver.¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Lead the way.¡± The two young women slipped out into the chamber. There were more bracings of wood, here, and three carts, like Emma had said. Two were filled with nuggets that might have been silver; Liv was no expert. The third she found far more useful. Liv strode over, reached down into the cart, and lifted a softly glowing chunk of mana stone. It, like the veins in the walls, had soaked up the ambient mana released by the eruption. Unlike the veins, it wasn¡¯t currently supporting an entire mountain above their heads, and she had no worries about killing them if she somehow messed up and broke it. Skin-to-stone contact made, Liv let her eyes close, exhaled, and drew the magic into herself. Twenty-three rings. She was just about to reach out for a second stone when the pained groan of a wounded man came from the other side of the chamber. ¡°Matthew?¡± Liv called, her heart nearly jumping out through her chest. What if he was wounded - or dying? How would she tell his mother? Had the duchess merely been prescient when she insisted Liv sign the adoption papers, or had the very act somehow reached out into the world and cursed them? Liv and Emma scrambled forward by the light of the glowing veins in the walls, and found an overturned cart. ¡°Matthew?¡± Liv called again. ¡°Don¡¯t know a Matthew,¡± a man¡¯s voice came from under the cart. It wasn¡¯t his voice. With a rush of relief, Liv helped Emma heave the cart to the side, turning it over to reveal a dusty miner. He was filthy, and his leg looked bent entirely the wrong way, but otherwise the man seemed like he would live. ¡°Name¡¯s Warin,¡± he said, and then looked over Liv¡¯s armor and wand. ¡°M¡¯lady.¡± ¡°Liv,¡± she said. ¡°And this is Emma Forester with me. We¡¯re part of the culling team. What happened, Warin?¡± ¡°The duchess¡¯ Eldish witch,¡± Warin said. ¡°Aye, we¡¯ve heard of you. No offense, m¡¯lady,¡± he added, wincing from the pain of his wound. ¡°It¡¯s just what they call you. But I¡¯ve never seen a sweeter sight than you two. Thought I was done for.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll help you get down the mountain, of course,¡± Emma said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a camp down there, and a chirurgeon to see to your wounds.¡± ¡°But first, tell us what you¡¯ve seen,¡± Liv insisted. ¡°Did two people come this way? A young man and woman, in armor and with swords?¡± ¡°Got caught in a collapse when the eruption struck,¡± Warin said. ¡°Broke my leg good, as you can see. Took me a few hours, but I managed to get clear of the rock and drag myself this far. Thought I¡¯d take a moment to rest, you see? Before trying to get up to the next chamber.¡± Liv nodded, but none of this was what she needed to know. ¡°The man and the woman?¡± she pressed. ¡°Heard footsteps coming,¡± Warin said. ¡°The bats must have heard ¡®em, too. They came boiling up from the river tunnel.¡± He lifted his hand and pointed across the chamber. Liv could see the telltale scars of mana sickness on his skin. ¡°I turned the cart over on myself to hide, hoping they¡¯d fly by. Didn¡¯t see anyone else - but I did hear those footsteps. And a scream - a woman¡¯s. You find any bodies?¡± ¡°No,¡± Emma said, shaking her head. ¡°I would have thought they¡¯d have stopped or come back for us by now,¡± Liv admitted, with a frown. ¡°Everything¡¯s shaky,¡± Warin told them. ¡°Bad time for people who don¡¯t know the mines to be running around down here. Could have been caught in a collapse, floor could have fallen out, or they could just be lost.¡± ¡°Matthew has his father¡¯s maps,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°Maps are only so good down here,¡± Warin countered. ¡°Especially just after an eruption.¡± Liv stared at the river tunnel for a long moment, but she didn¡¯t realize she¡¯d taken a step in that direction until Emma reached out a hand and took her by the shoulder. ¡°We have to get him down to the camp,¡± Emma said. ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± Liv cursed, in frustration. That wasn¡¯t what she wanted to do at all: she wanted to head after Matthew and Triss. A part of her argued, unconvincingly, that if the man had survived this long they could leave him under the mining cart and come back later. Then, she thought of what it would feel like to be in his position: to first think you were dead, then drag yourself up the mine tunnels in agony. The relief she¡¯d feel when help came. And then the crushing despair if they¡¯d left her to die. There was really no choice at all. ¡°Let¡¯s get the empty cart up onto the wagonway,¡± Liv said. ¡°We can put him in it, and push him up to the surface.¡± 75. Into the Abyss Liv couldn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d wished for a big, muscular man or two. She¡¯d done her best to make peace with the idea that she¡¯d never be over five feet tall, and nearly all the time her magic was more than enough to make up for her physical shortcomings. Carrying a miner with a broken leg down the mountainside was not one of those times. She¡¯d considered simply making a chute of ice down to the camp, putting Warin on it, and pushing. It would have saved them all a good deal of time, sweat, and grief - but it also might have meant injuring his leg worse. A soldier of ice or two could have held him, but how much of her precious mana would that have used up? Would she have the concentration to deal with another centipede ambushing them, if she was animating two servants at once? Try as she might, Liv just couldn¡¯t think of a better solution than hoisting Warin between them, with Emma taking his left side and Liv taking the right. At least that position left her right hand free to keep her wand ready. And every moment they wasted stumbling downslope was time that Matthew and Triss might have been wounded or killed, wherever they were deep beneath Bald Peak. Every step down was a step that would have to be repeated on the way back up, and Liv could hardly stand the frustration. If only Matthew had brought a couple of the guards up to the entrance to the main shaft, and left them there, she could have simply handed Warin off and let them deal with him. Of course, the price was that those men would have been exposed to more raw mana from the eruption, and would be more likely to develop mana sickness. They¡¯d finally come in sight of the camp, with its rough palisade and ditch, when Emma pointed out the bat. ¡°To your left,¡± the huntress said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like the eruption¡¯s turned it into a monster yet.¡± Liv looked up. The sun was making its journey down toward the horizon, but hadn¡¯t begun painting the mountain sky yet. It was early for a bat to be out, wasn¡¯t it? And all by itself. ¡°If it comes close,¡± she decided, ¡°I¡¯ll shoot it down. If not, we won¡¯t worry about it.¡± Still, the bat circled above them: once, then twice. They were almost at the ward, but if Liv broke the circle of dust now, the men inside would have no protection should the bat prove to be a threat. Instead, she and Emma set Warin down carefully. Then, Emma put an arrow to her bowstring, and Liv raised her wand. ¡°Do you need us to shoot it down, m¡¯lady?¡± Tobias called from within the encampment. Around him, half a dozen guards raised crossbows. ¡°Wait,¡± Liv said. There were no growths of mana-stone on the bat that she could see - no casque on its forehead. It circled once more, then fluttered down toward the ground, not between Liv and the palisade, but off to one side. When it was chest-height from the grass, the bat¡¯s body seemed to glisten darkly for a moment, and then stretch and distort. Liv put her finger on the first button of her wand. ¡°It¡¯s a monster,¡± Emma said, but Liv put a hand out and grasped her by the shoulder. ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°I want to see if... The amorphous blood stretched, until it had distinct limbs and a trunk, then solidified. Wet viscera was replaced by skin, hunting leathers, and a mane of wild dark hair. There hadn¡¯t been a purple streak, when last Liv had seen her at Castle Whitehill, but she recognized the woman who¡¯d jumped out the window of the Room of Curiosities, all the same. Come to think of it, she¡¯d had the purple in Liv¡¯s vision. ¡°Wren,¡± Liv said. ¡°Wren Wind Dancer, of the Red Shield Tribe,¡± the woman said. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up, Liv. You are Liv, aren¡¯t you? Not her daughter?¡± ¡°I am. And you haven¡¯t aged a day.¡± ¡°A characteristic of the great bats,¡± Wren explained. ¡°So long as we have enough blood to feed on, we remain young for a very, very long time.¡± ¡°Give the word, m¡¯lady,¡± one of the knights shouted. ¡°We¡¯ve got enough bolts to make her look like a pincushion.¡± Carefully, Liv stepped to the right, putting distance between herself and Emma, who still stood next to Warin. The miner, wisely, remained silent, simply gritting his teeth against the pain of his broken leg. ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight you, Liv,¡± Wren said. ¡°I pulled you out of the ice that day - do you remember?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t very well forget,¡± Liv answered. ¡°But the last time you were here, you were stealing an icon of Raktia. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know anything about her cult, then? And the day all those creatures of blood killed so many people? What¡¯d you need it for, anyway?¡± She decided not to mention what she¡¯d seen on the day her father had taken her to the shoals. ¡°I know a good deal,¡± Wren admitted. ¡°And you may be the only person on this continent who might listen to me. I was making for Whitehill, to see if you still lived at the castle, when I caught sight of a white-haired girl coming down the mountain. I wasn¡¯t certain it was you, at first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few years,¡± Liv said, considering her words. ¡°Why are you here, then? Why seek me out?¡± ¡°Because I think I¡¯ve done something horrible,¡± Wren said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to admit it, for a long time, but - I can¡¯t keep pretending. I need to tell someone, but who would listen to me?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Liv said. ¡°Here¡¯s what I¡¯d like you to do. Fly on down to Castle Whitehill, and tell Duchess Julianne I sent you. She¡¯ll give you a place to stay until I return, and we can talk then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know why the rift is erupting early?¡± Wren asked. ¡°It isn¡¯t the only one. They¡¯re going all across the north, in the lands of the Eld.¡± Liv grimaced: that would explain what was delaying her father. ¡°I do want to know,¡± she said. ¡°But I don¡¯t have time for this right now. I¡¯ve got people still up in that mine, and they need help.¡± ¡°Is it Lord Matthew?¡± Piers called, from inside the palisade. Wren¡¯s eyes flicked up the mountain, then back down to Liv. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go in with you, then.¡± Emma laughed. ¡°You think we¡¯d go in there with someone we don¡¯t trust?¡± ¡°I know you shouldn¡¯t be going in at all,¡± Wren said. ¡°Look at your arms, girl. The veins are already turning.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, though,¡± Liv said. ¡°I can¡¯t trust you. I know who you¡¯ve been with. I¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°If you turn me away, I¡¯ve got nowhere else to go,¡± Wren said. ¡°What would it take? You want an oath?¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv said, after considering for a long moment. ¡°If I can¡¯t trust you, I can¡¯t trust your oaths, either. Set your bow down on the ground, and your knives, as well. Emma¡¯s going to collect them. Then we¡¯re all going inside the camp, and your hands are going to be bound.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Wren said, pulling hunting knives from half a dozen sheaths secured to different parts of her body. She put them all in a pile, along with her quiver and bow, then took three steps back away from the weapons. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Emma,¡± Liv prodded. The young woman dashed forward, gathered up the weapons, then backed away again. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring down the ward,¡± Liv said, and stepped over to the circle of dust that marked out her magic. She drew a line through it with the tip of her wand, breaking the spell. ¡°Two of you men, come out and get Warin here,¡± she called. ¡°Piers, Tobias, come tie her hands.¡± There was a moment when Liv wondered whether anyone would actually follow her orders: they didn¡¯t know that Julianne had named her an heir, after all. She was neither a knight, nor an experienced mage. But if there was to be a test of her tenuous authority, it seemed that it would not come quite yet. She felt better once Mistress Trafford had taken both Warin and Emma off to her tent - to set the miner¡¯s broken leg, on the one hand, and to deal with Emma¡¯s symptoms of mana-sickness, on the other. Liv wished she¡¯d already learned Aluth: with the word of the mages¡¯ guild, she would have been able to drain mana from Emma, just as Master Grenfell had once done for her. When Liv continued her conversation with Wren, the older woman was bound securely, weaponless, and surrounded by knights with their hands on their weapons. If the worst happened, at least Liv wouldn¡¯t have to fight Wren alone. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve got as long as it takes me to finish here to talk, and I¡¯ll listen. Piers, get me the great mana-stone Master Grenfell sent along.¡± Tobias brought a folding camp stool, and Liv took the opportunity to get her weight off her feet. ¡°The short of it is that the eruptions aren¡¯t natural,¡± Wren said. ¡°They¡¯re a distraction, while Raktia¡¯s followers in the north are evacuated from Soltheris.¡± ¡°An Elden port on the east coast,¡± Sir Randel broke in. ¡°Fifty or sixty miles from Al''Fenthia, perhaps.¡± ¡°It was burning, when I left,¡± Wren said. ¡°You were there,¡± Liv said. ¡°For this evacuation.¡± ¡°Or was it an attack?¡± Randel asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure the people who lived there saw it that way,¡± Wren said, her shoulders slumping as she looked down at the ground. ¡°They said it was going to be a rescue, but a rescue shouldn¡¯t leave the streets littered with bodies. So I left.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± Liv asked. Piers lugged the great, rough mana-stone over to her and set it on the ground. The moment she placed her palms on it, Liv began pulling in stored mana, to refill what she¡¯d spent in the mine. ¡°No,¡± Wren admitted. ¡°It had been coming for a while. I¡¯ll tell you everything later. But the important thing is - the goddess was supposed to help us. My people. We¡¯re dying - never designed to last as long as we have, I think. Just to be soldiers for a long gone war. And she did help, a bit, but she¡¯s also got us doing other things. I think she wants a war, and that¡¯s not what I signed up for.¡± The light from within the massive mana-stone dimmed, and Liv felt a sense of fullness that told her she had taken everything she could, for now. ¡°You can take that back,¡± she told Piers. ¡°I¡¯m going back up into the mine,¡± Liv said, ¡°to find Matthew and Triss. Sir Randel, please keep Emma here. I don¡¯t want her exposed to any more mana. Wren Wind Dancer, I¡¯m not the one who can make a decision about you. That¡¯s Duchess Julianne. You stole from the castle, and it sounds like you have more than that to answer for. We¡¯ll take you back to Whitehill, and you¡¯ll be given a chance to speak. What will happen after that, I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°You should take me with you,¡± Wren urged. ¡°I can help you in the mine. Nothing can find its way in the dark like a bat. If you want to get these friends of yours out while they¡¯re still alive, I can lead you to them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re actually considering this, m¡¯lady,¡± Sir Anselm said. ¡°You need men you can trust down there. Let me come with you.¡± ¡°And have you end up dying from mana-sickness?¡± Liv shot back. ¡°No. I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± There was a lot of grumbling from the guards that had gathered around: they clearly weren¡¯t happy with the idea. Sir Randel shifted. ¡°Well, let¡¯s think about this for a moment,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m the senior knight here, I think everyone will agree. With Lord Matthew missing, and his fiancee, I believe that leaves me in command of the expedition.¡± ¡°And can you cast a single spell, Sir Randel?¡± Liv asked him. ¡°No,¡± the knight admitted, shaking his head. ¡°But my family¡¯s blade was enchanted back in the days of Baron Henry¡¯s grandfather. I¡¯d wager it will do well enough.¡± He patted the hilt with his hand, and Liv could feel that she was losing control of the situation. They were all used to seeing her as a young girl, not a soldier or commander. ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± she cursed. ¡°I¡¯m the only member of the mages¡¯ guild here, and it¡¯s the guild¡¯s duty to handle eruptions. Let me do my job.¡± ¡°No offense meant, but you¡¯re an apprentice,¡± Sir Randel said. ¡°You¡¯ve no experience to speak of, my lady. Let us who do, take over.¡± ¡°Do you want a ward around this camp, or not?¡± Liv demanded, raising her wand. ¡°Because so far as I know, I¡¯m the only one left who can cast one. If you don¡¯t like what I do, you can complain to Duchess Julianne later, but for now, you¡¯re going to do what I say. Now, I¡¯m going back up that mountain to find Matthew, while you all hold here and shoot anything that tries to pass you. Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady,¡± Piers and Tobias said immediately, and Liv was grateful for it. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me,¡± Liv said, grabbing Wren by the ropes that bound her hands. ¡°But I don¡¯t trust you with weapons. Come on.¡± ¡°Let one of us come with you, at least,¡± Sir Randel protested, and made as if to follow Liv out of the camp. She pulled a pouch of mana-stone off her belt, and used it to repair the circle. ¡°Stay back,¡± Liv called to the knight as he approached. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to end up frozen solid.¡± She touched her wand to the circle, and repeated her incantation. The dust flared back to life, enclosing the camp, and everyone within it. ¡°Come on, then,¡± Liv said. She set off up the mountain, and Wren, her hands bound, followed. ? They made it back to the entrance with nothing more than a single, stone-encrusted doe running across their path. Liv killed it with a single shard of ice to the neck, launched by triggering the first spell in her wand, and was about to leave it there on the ground when Wren spoke up. ¡°Just a moment,¡± the woman said, and knelt down in the dirt next to the carcass. Liv watched as Wren leaned down to the neck, which was still spurting hot blood, and fastened her mouth about the wound to drink. When Wren stood up again, her mouth was wet and red. Liv turned and kept walking up the slope toward the main shaft of the mine. ¡°A lot of people would be sick if they watched me do that,¡± Wren said, trailing behind her. ¡°My father¡¯s people drink seal blood,¡± Liv told her. ¡°It isn¡¯t so different. They use cups, however, instead of latching straight onto the wound.¡± ¡°I¡¯d use it if I had one,¡± Wren told her. ¡°Do you drink from people, as well, or only animals?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I used to buy it from the butchers¡¯ shop in Calder¡¯s Landing,¡± Wren told her. ¡°Never once drank from a person.¡± ¡°But your people did during the war,¡± Liv said. ¡°That¡¯s how the stories go, anyway. The Great Bats of Raktia, descending on the battlefield and drinking from the corpses. That¡¯s why the trinity teaches us to burn our dead.¡± They¡¯d come to the shaft, now, with its wooden beams framing the entrance for stability, and Liv ducked inside. The sun was nearly down, and the world dipped in twilight, but inside the mine the veins of mana-stone glowed as brightly as ever. ¡°That was before I was ever born,¡± Wren said. ¡°They might have done.¡± ¡°You said you could find them,¡± Liv said, motioning down the shaft to the first chamber, where they''d been overwhelmed by an entire colony of mana-bats. ¡°Not on two legs,¡± Wren said. ¡°But I have enough blood, now.¡± She shimmered in the darkness, her skin running red and wet, her clothing dissolving into blood. A moment later, a black bat flapped away from where the huntress had stood, and off into the darkness. Liv looked down at the ropes which had once bound Wren. They lay in a heap on the floor of the cavern. It appeared that the huntress could have escaped any time she wished to. With a scowl, Liv took the left hand cut, down toward where they¡¯d found Warin. By the time she reached the mine carts piled with chunks of silver and mana-stone, the small bat had returned. Wren - it must have been her, for any other bat present during the eruption would have grown monstrous long since - found a perch on the ceiling and hung upside down, then flapped her wings to get Liv¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s you,¡± Liv said, and the bat squeaked. ¡°Have you found them?¡± The bat squeaked again. ¡°Well, lead on then.¡± The little bat let go of its perch, and led Liv deeper into the mines, down wet, dim corridors hewn out of the living rock of the mountain. Finally, they came to a place where the passage broke - perhaps from the eruption, or perhaps later, during an aftershock. A wide crack had formed in the floor of the tunnel, leading down into the darkness, and the edges crumbled when Liv stepped close. ¡°Here?¡± she asked the bat. ¡°Did they fall down? How far is it?¡± Wren flapped down into the abyss, and Liv heard her squeak from below. Then, the bat flapped back up out again, as if waiting for her. Liv sighed. ¡°Celet Aimac Belia o¡¯Mae,¡± she said, extending her wand down into the darkness. A chute of ice formed, attached to the edge of the crevice, and then extending downward. Carefully, Liv sat down at the top of the chute, took firm hold of her wand, and pushed. Picking up speed, she slid down into the abyss. 76. Water Under Rock Liv shaped the bottom of the chute to curve up into a bit of a bowl, so that the end of her slide down into darkness was not a wild, uncontrolled and bone-breaking tumble out onto the rock of the cavern floor. Then, she scrambled out of the ice and got her boots under her on solid ground, while the little bat flapped around in circles overhead. From the tumbled rockfall, and the lack of wooden braces or wagonways, Liv could see that they¡¯d passed beyond the bounds of the mine, and into natural caves. The eruption must have triggered a collapse, and opened the chasm that led down into the depths. The bat fluttered around the spill of rock, then shifted into Wren once again. By the dim light cast by the veins of mana-stone, the purple streak in her hair blended in with the black, but the frown on her face was obvious. ¡°Look here,¡± the huntress said, and pointed to a rusty stain on the rocks. The sound of her own heartbeat roared in Liv¡¯s ears, suddenly overwhelming. She scrambled over the rocks to where the stale air of the cavern was now thick with the metallic scent of spilled blood. It reminded her of dressing a carcass. Was Matthew buried somewhere beneath the rocks, wounded and dying? Was Triss? Wren was beside her. ¡°Here. You see? Someone¡¯s arm was pinned.¡± She pointed at a scrap of fabric amidst the stains, and - Liv flinched. What was beyond looked like raw meat and bone. ¡°I think they cut the arm off.¡± ¡°Gods,¡± Liv gasped, and backed away. ¡°Can you tell if it¡¯s a man¡¯s, or a woman¡¯s?¡± With a wince, Wren shook her head. ¡°Not without shifting all this rock, and maybe not even then. But that means they survived the collapse, and kept going. It means your friends were still alive when they left this chamber.¡± ¡°And it means we have to get them back to the surface,¡± Liv added, ¡°before anyone bleeds out. They had belts for a tourniquet, at least. Can you tell which way they went?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one route out of this chamber,¡± Wren said, turning away from the rockfall and pointing into the dimness. ¡°Listen. Can you hear the water?¡± The two women made their way through a rough crevasse, squeezing between sharp slabs of rock, as the sound of running water grew louder. Liv wondered how Matthew, in his armor, could ever have fit through the passage: it was so cramped that she found it terrifying, herself. She couldn¡¯t escape the thought that she would get stuck at any moment, unable to proceed forward or to retreat back, doomed to stand alone in the faint light of the mana-stone until she died from thirst or starvation. When they finally squeezed out onto the bank of an underground river, Liv collapsed, sucking in huge breaths and hugging her knees to her chest. Breathe, she told herself, going back to her first lessons with Master Grenfell like she had so many times before. There was nothing like breathing exercises to calm her again when it felt like she was going to be overwhelmed by panic. ¡°I think there¡¯s a way across for you,¡± Wren called over, her voice echoing off the rocks. Liv looked up, and saw the huntress hop onto a rock in the middle of the rushing water. It occurred to her that Wren could simply shift to bat form and fly over - that she could have flown through the crevasse, as well. In truth, she could have abandoned Liv at any time and made her way far more easily. The fact that she didn¡¯t - well, it wasn¡¯t enough for Liv to trust her quite yet, but it did ease her fears somewhat. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, then,¡± Liv said, and clambered back to her feet. ¡°Any sign they came this way? Is there blood?¡± ¡°More than I¡¯d expect, actually,¡± Wren said, turning back to face Liv from her perch in the middle of the river. ¡°With this much, I¡¯d think we¡¯d be finding a corpse. I wonder -¡± The water behind Wren exploded outward in a sudden spray, as a massive, pale fish leapt out of the water and closed its mouth around the huntress¡¯ right arm and shoulder. The weight of the thing - it must have been the size of a horse - carried Wren off her feet and down into the pool at the base of the boulder she¡¯d been perching on. Before the cave-fish could carry Wren away, Liv pressed the second and last button on her wand, snapping her wrist to flick the tip at the fish. Five shards of adamant ice shot forward, ripping through the pale scales and sinking into the fish¡¯s body. It opened its mouth, and Wren vanished, only to reappear an instant later on the fish¡¯s back, sinking her face into its wound. The massive cave-fish thrashed, and Liv tried not to be sick at the thought of what its blood must taste like. She ran forward, scrambling across wet rocks to get as close to where Wren rode the wounded fish as she could. Would another spell be a waste? Her hand hesitated over her hunting knife, but in the end she didn¡¯t need to pull it. The fish dove back into the river, vanishing into the depths, and left Wren splashing through the water. Liv reached out a hand, grasped the huntress¡¯ arm, and hauled her up onto the rocky shore, where the two of them collapsed side by side, soaked in cold water and shivering. ¡°How bad is it?¡± Wren asked. Liv got onto her hands and knees and began to feel around Wren¡¯s shoulder, arm and chest. The fish¡¯s teeth - of course the monstrous cave fish had teeth - had punctured Wren¡¯s skin in a dozen places, at least, all of which were obviously bleeding. Liv began chanting the chirurgeon¡¯s charm, to clean the wound, and then used strips of cloth torn from her underskirts to wrap the wound as best she could. She really needed to begin just carrying bandages with her. ¡°Not as bad as I expected,¡± Liv said. The wounds had begun to clot even as she was wrapping them. ¡°That¡¯s because I got a few big gulps of its blood before it dove,¡± Wren said. ¡°Fresh blood will help me heal.¡± Once the bandages were tied, Liv helped Wren back to her feet. The hunter took a moment to catch her breath, and then they took turns leaping from rock to rock across the underground river. From there, they followed a low passage, through which they had to duck, further down. Halfway through was the first real sign of Matthew and Triss they¡¯d had since the rockfall: a slaughtered beetle, grown to enormous size, its back encrusted with growths of mana stone. The entire corpse was desiccated, as if every drop of blood or moisture had been drained from it. Liv breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s Matthew¡¯s magic,¡± she said. ¡°That means they came this way, and he¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°I wish he¡¯d left a bit of blood for me,¡± Wren complained. ¡°But yes, that¡¯s a good sign.¡± ¡°Can you use both mana and blood?¡± Liv asked, keeping her voice low, as they scooted past the withered carcass. Wren shook her head. ¡°My people were never given Tamiris¡¯ gift, like yours were. Raktia empowered us with her blood magic, instead. One of the upsides is that we¡¯re nearly immune to mana-sickness, but we also have a harder time sensing it in the air. It takes a lot of mana in an area before I can feel anything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s getting brighter up ahead,¡± Liv pointed out. The low passage must have opened, not much farther along, because she could see distant veins of mana-stone, all around the edges of a great space. The veins looked richer here than in any of the chambers that had been mined above them. A horrible smell came from the cavern. ¡°Shh!¡± a woman¡¯s voice came out of the dim tunnel, and Liv jerked away when a hand wrapped around her arm. Wren had already leapt back, hands raided, before Liv recognized Triss¡¯ bruised and dusty face. Next to her, leaning against the rock and breathing shallowly, was Matthew. His eyes were closed, and a leather belt had been buckled tight around his left arm just above the elbow. Everything below the tourniquet was missing. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Triss!¡± Liv exclaimed, and at the sound something stirred in the great chamber beyond. From the sound of it, something very big indeed. ¡°Triss,¡± she repeated, lowering her voice so that it would barely be audible. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± the swordswoman said. Her eyes looked strange - the dark part was so large as to almost completely swallow the color around the edges. When Triss spoke, Liv smelled vomit on her breath, and wrinkled her nose at the stink. ¡°Hit my head when the tunnel collapsed. Still dizzy, things won¡¯t seem to stop spinning. But we need to get Matthew back to the surface. We had to-¡± When Liv saw that she was struggling with the words, she interrupted. ¡°We saw. You did what you had to do, Triss. You¡¯re both alive. What¡¯s in the chamber beyond?¡± ¡°A bat,¡± Wren murmured, from where she¡¯d craned her neck out to the end of the tunnel. ¡°I recognize the smell of guano.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what that stink is,¡± Liv said. ¡°Good news, Triss, it wasn¡¯t just you.¡± She grinned, but the older woman didn¡¯t seem to hear the joke. ¡°Can you fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good for at least one more,¡± Beatrice said, but Liv thought that she sounded very, very tired. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what I can do against that thing. Have you got a glimpse of it yet, Liv? That¡¯s why we stopped here.¡± Liv looked over to Wren. ¡°It¡¯s big,¡± the huntress said. ¡°Very big.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a stone bat, they all are,¡± Liv said. ¡°What, like a wagon?¡± Wren shook her head. ¡°More like a house.¡± With a scowl, Liv scooted forward on her belly, to the very edge of the cavern, so that she could get a look for herself. The entire chamber was at least the size of the courtyard at Castle Whitehill, and she¡¯d guess more than three stories tall. The floor was covered in droppings, while the walls shone blue-gold, the density of the mana so strong that visible wisps floated up off the rock into the air. Liv stretched her hand out, and was actually able to feel the richness of the mana in the chamber. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s still the shoals,¡± she murmured, and Wren shook her head. ¡°If I can feel it, we¡¯ve reached the border of the depths,¡± she agreed. That was bad - so far as Liv had ever heard from Master Grenfell, the previous culling team had never gone this deep. Her father had told her multiple times how her aunt and namesake had died in the depths of the Tomb of Celris - though, Liv reminded herself, that was also a more powerful and dangerous rift than this one, on the whole. Surely the depths of Bald Peak wouldn¡¯t be that bad. A tributary of the underground river, more the size of a stream, ran through the floor of the cavern at an angle, and that must have been what the massive stone-bat drank to stay alive. It was too large to roost upside down, hanging from the ceiling of the cave: instead, it simply leaned against one wall, wings wrapped around its head in slumber. There were two crevices leading out, beyond the one that they¡¯d found Matthew and Triss in. The crevice on the left seemed, from what little Liv could see, to descend deeper into the mountain, while the one on the right angled up. That, she guessed, would be the one they needed to take to get back to the shoals, and find their way out again. Neither exit was large enough for the slumbering behemoth to fit through. It must have eventually become too bloated on dense mana to get out of its roost, and been trapped. She tried to imagine what it must eat, and scanned the floor. There were bones, in between the stalagmites, and even pieces of armor, ancient and rusted. ¡°I wonder if the smaller bats bring it food,¡± she mused. Then, she scooted backward further into the low crevice, where Liv and Wren huddled together with Matthew and Triss. ¡°Wake up, love,¡± Triss murmured, shaking Matthew gently. He blinked, and stirred. ¡°Is it time to move on?¡± he asked. ¡°Hey there,¡± Liv said, doing her best to smile. ¡°Looks like you got yourself into a bit of trouble again.¡± "Liv!¡± Matthew grinned with what looked like genuine relief. ¡°We were worried about you. Is Emma alive? And who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Left her back down at camp,¡± Liv said. ¡°After we dragged a surviving miner down. We dealt with the flocking bats, but we couldn¡¯t find you after. This is Wren. She helped me find you.¡± There would be time to go into the complications involved after everyone was safe, she decided. ¡°It was my fault,¡± Triss admitted. ¡°I stumbled on a loose rock, and stirred them up. When they all came at me at once, the only thing I could do was press myself against the wall of the tunnel, and hope they passed me.¡± ¡°I pushed forward, trying to get to her,¡± Matthew said. ¡°And then there was nothing to do but to try to get behind them. Once we did, the floor went out from under us, and my arm was pinned. Triss was right next to me, but I couldn¡¯t even get her to wake up at first, and when she did-¡± ¡°We can deal with all that later,¡± Liv decided. ¡°We need to get you both past that bat, and heading up again. Once we reach the encampment, Mistress Trafford will put you both to rights.¡± ¡°I thought,¡± Matthew said, ¡°that if I could get close enough to it, without waking it up, I might be able to kill it with Ters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one option,¡± Liv said, thinking things through. She slipped the cord of her flask off, pulled the cork, and passed it to Matthew. ¡°Venison broth, infused with mana. Both of you should have some.¡± He nodded, drank three big gulps, then passed it to Triss, who looked at it for a moment before shaking herself and taking a sip. Liv had seen head wounds before, when old Master Cushing took her around the Lower Banks to help him work, and to get practical knowledge of injuries. Whatever happened, she didn¡¯t trust the idea of letting Triss sleep - at least not until she was in the hands of a chirurgeon. Sometimes people who¡¯d taken a blow to the head didn¡¯t wake up again. Nor did she trust anyone she was with to fight the monster in the next chamber. It was large enough to crush any one of them, of course, but between Matthew¡¯s blood loss, Triss¡¯ muddle-headed dizziness, and Wren¡¯s puncture wounds, none of the three were in good condition for a fight. ¡°Can you change shape?¡± Liv asked Wren. ¡°And can you fly, if you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯d need a taste of blood, at least,¡± the huntress admitted. ¡°Blood?¡± Matthew asked, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s a kind of magic,¡± Liv said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it right now. If I cut the bat, with a sword or something, and brought it back to you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a simpler way,¡± Matthew said, and raised the stump of his arm. Below the tourniquet, the ragged wound glistened wetly in the blue light of the mana-stone veins. ¡°You¡¯d let me?¡± Wren asked. ¡°If it will get us out of here?¡± Matthew nodded. Wren ducked forward, took Matthew¡¯s upper arm in her hands, leaned down and flicked her tongue out. Matthew shivered, gritting his teeth against the pain, and Triss turned away, retching. ¡°That¡¯s disgusting,¡± the swordswoman said, in between coughs. ¡°Alright,¡± Wren said, eventually, straightening back up and releasing Matthew¡¯s arm. ¡°That should be enough.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the plan then,¡± Liv said. ¡°Wren, you¡¯re going to get into bat form, and lead the two of them back up and out of the mine. You get them down the mountain to Mistress Trafford. Since you¡¯re the least wounded, I¡¯m going to remind you - there¡¯s a ward around the encampment. Use a branch or a sword or something to break the circle before either of them crosses it.¡± ¡°What are you going to be doing?¡± Matthew asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to distract the monster,¡± Liv said. ¡°Don¡¯t go until I have its attention, but once I do, run as fast as you can. Follow the bat, Wren¡¯ll find you a way.¡± ¡°This bat,¡± Wren said, ¡°and no other.¡± She shifted right in front of them, through her glistening, intermediate stage where she seemed to collapse into nothing but blood, and then back out until her wings were spread. She perched on Liv¡¯s shoulder for a moment, squealed, and then hopped over onto Matthew. ¡°No stone growths, see?¡± Liv pointed to Wren¡¯s back and shoulders. ¡°And she¡¯s normal sized. She can¡¯t talk, but she can see in the dark better than you.¡± ¡°Do you trust her?¡± Matthew asked. ¡°Not entirely,¡± Liv said. ¡°Not yet. But she could have left me behind at least twice by now, and she hasn¡¯t. I¡¯d say that counts for something. Not until I have its attention, do you understand?¡± Matthew nodded, but Triss was motionless, so Liv reached out, took her by the shoulder, and gave her a shake. ¡°What?¡± Triss asked. ¡°You run with Matthew,¡± Liv said. ¡°Follow the bat. Got it?¡± Triss flinched, and nodded. Liv flexed her fingers around the bone wand in her hand, and crept forward into the great cavern. Her boots echoed off the rock walls of the vast chamber, no matter how carefully she stepped. Once she was out of the low crevasse, she could stand again, and that was a comfort. She rolled her shoulders and shook her neck out, and kept her wand raised. Past the stalagmites Liv stepped, through bones older than her, weaving between rusted pieces of armor and broken swords to either side. When she came to the center of the chamber, she stopped, took a deep breath, and felt Cel wake at the back of her mind. It was a familiar feeling, and despite the terrible danger of what she was about to do, Liv smiled. ¡°Celent Svec Belim,¡± she intoned, and with the beginning of her chant, bulbs of ice began to sprout around the floor of the cavern. The great bat stirred in the dim light. 77. Ice Beneath the Mountain Liv built her intent off the same mental images she¡¯d used during her duel on the beach - except that instead of creating one rose, she made six. Mana poured out of her into an elaborate construction, half a dozen rings in an instant, but she focused particularly on the bulb that surrounded her and lifted her off the cavern floor. Years of practice and experimentation had taught her that the difference between a clear piece of ice, and one that was milky white, came down to three things. First, the water she used - in this case, the ambient moisture in the air of the cave - needed to be pure, rather than carry all sorts of sediments. For Liv, that wasn¡¯t usually a problem. Secondly, she needed to take her time. The more quickly Liv froze something, the more opaque the ice that resulted. With the other five bulbs, it didn¡¯t matter so much whether they were translucent or opaque, so Liv let them form without much in the way of guidance, simply relying on her recollected intent from when she¡¯d practiced and used the spell in the past. The one that would protect her, however, she needed to be able to see out of, and that meant taking the time and care to do it properly. Finally, freezing from one direction, instead of just building outward in all directions, made an impact. Liv¡¯s father had some theories as to why, but at the moment what mattered was building the bulb up from her feet, carefully, layer by layer, until Liv was sheathed in a glass-clear bulb of icy rose petals. That took time. The mammoth stone-bat wasn¡¯t going to give her time. As frozen rose vines spread across the floor of its home, climbing the stalagmites as if they were each a convenient trellis, the thing opened its eyes and hissed. As massive as the bat¡¯s head was, grown to fit the rest of its enormous body, it didn¡¯t seem any more intelligent than a normal bat. It cast about the cavern for a moment, trying to figure out what was happening, and for a moment Liv hoped that would give her enough time to close the bulb around her head. But no, the ice was just climbing up to level with the tip of her nose when its eyes locked on her. The v-shaped casque atop the bat¡¯s skull flared with the golden-blue light of mana, and Liv grimaced. Of course. The things could sense mana: they could track a mage by their spells, and Liv was using quite a lot of magic. She would need to make use of the other parts of this spell before it could close on her. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Encve Sekerim¡¯o¡¯Vradim,¡± Liv intoned, sending another five rings of mana into the coiling vines with the touch of her wand against the base of her protective bulb. As the bat shook its leathery, stone-encrusted wings out, five of the thorns on the vines nearest it exploded outward, shooting across the intervening distance like crossbow bolts and burying themselves in the bat¡¯s chest with rapid, meaty thunks. The bat screeched and reared back in pain, knocking itself against the cavern wall. Pebbles and dust rained down from the ceiling of the cave, and even one broken stalactite fell to shatter on the ground. ¡°Go!¡± Liv shouted, looking back toward the low crevasse where Matthew and Beatrice sheltered. The ice crept past her face and closed over her head, but she¡¯d managed the trick: it was clear enough that Liv could watch an only-slightly-warped image of them running across the cavern toward the tunnel that led up. She thought she even got a glimpse of the dark, fluttering shape of Wren flying past, but Liv didn¡¯t have time to be certain before she shifted her attention to the stone-bat. It would have been nice if the thorns took it down, but Liv hadn¡¯t really been counting on that in the first place. It was bleeding from the chest, for certain. The pain only seemed to enrage the mana-beast, however, and it barrelled across the cavern, splashing through the subterranean stream as it came toward her. Liv had pulled every bit of mana she could hold from Master Grenfell¡¯s giant hunk of mana-stone, before heading back into the mines. That meant she¡¯d begun with thirty-six rings to work with. Four to form the chute that took her down from where the tunnel had collapsed, and another dozen on forming the rose-garden of ice that covered the floor of the cavern, then launching an attack with thorns. That meant sixteen rings were gone, leaving only seven for her to work with before she needed to draw on what was stored in the various chunks of mana-stone she wore. The bat crashed into the bulb of frozen rose petals that cradled Liv, but even against its great size and weight, the adamant ice held. It might have been hard as steel, but Liv had seen metal break or bend, and she didn¡¯t want to risk taking any more hits from the stone-bat than she had to. If it broke through, the leather armor she wore wouldn¡¯t stop her from being smeared into a bloody paste against the rock of the cavern. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Encve Manim¡¯o¡¯Belim,¡± Liv chanted. Five rings, and a wave of weakness caused her to sway on her feet, but it was enough. The other five bulbs opened their petals. Liv had used this spell against the princess because, as a mental image, it gave her a great deal of flexibility in intent. In the years since, she¡¯d given a lot of thought on how to use it even more effectively. Instead of a single rose, a garden. One bulb to protect herself, of course: but what use for the others? Five soldiers of ice, each carrying a gleaming sword, charged down the opened petals and across the cavern floor. Liv grinned, thinking back to every time she¡¯d provided targets for Matthew to spar against in the courtyard of Castle Whitehill. It turned out that she¡¯d gotten just as much out of those sessions as he had, if not quite in the way that anyone had expected at the time. The armored men, all cold, sharp angles, fell upon the bat and plunged their swords into its flesh. The blades she¡¯d made under pressure, constructing them of adamant ice, but the soldiers themselves needed to move, and she hadn¡¯t got the trick of animating anything but normal ice yet. That meant that when the bat spun away from Liv, it crushed the first of the ice-soldiers immediately, grinding it down into cold dust. The others continued to swarm about it while Liv pulled mana from the gold bracelet and rings on her left hand, the pommel of her wand, and the mages¡¯ guild ring on the finger of her right hand. Fifteen left. She needed to finish the thing off quickly. Liv raised her wand, and let the word of power roar at the back of her mind as she focused her intent again. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Encve Vradim Kapium!¡± The thorny ice-roots coiled along the floor of the cavern shifted, then writhed, grasping out to wrap the bat¡¯s legs in twining, thorny knots. It screamed, pulling at the frozen vines, which cracked and shuddered against the monster¡¯s horrific strength. The three remaining soldiers - she hadn¡¯t even seen when it had shattered the second - leapt onto its flanks, puncturing the leathery hide. One even tore at the membrane of the left wing. Blood streamed down the mana-bat¡¯s body, and it threw its head back. Liv didn¡¯t properly hear what happened. An instant, stabbing pain from inside both of her ears caused her to clutch at them reflexively, dropping her wand onto the cold bottom of the bulb. Hot blood wet her palms, and she felt sick, as if she would pass out. The world spun, and Liv shut her eyes against the dizziness. The venison broth she¡¯d drunk earlier came up again, and it wasn¡¯t until after she¡¯d finished retching it up that Liv realized she couldn¡¯t hear anything other than a sort of ringing or buzzing sound. Her mind raced, cataloguing the symptoms, until she remembered how Master Cushing had taken her to help treat a boy who¡¯d lost his hearing. ¡°The ear is severely infected,¡± Liv recalled the old chirurgeon explaining. ¡°If the pressure builds enough, the tissue inside - the eardrum - can rupture. Symptoms include nausea, bleeding from the ear, loss of hearing, pain-¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. She groaned, pushed the memory aside, and reached out for her wand, then scrambled back to her feet. Liv was covered in her own cold vomit, and the air inside the bulb stank. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t look like that would be a problem for very long, because the stone-bat was continuing to scream, and the ice all around was cracking. Liv couldn¡¯t hear the sounds, but she could see every time the thing paused to take in a deep breath, then began to howl again. With each scream, a frozen soldier, loop of coiled vine, or the petals of an open bulb cracked, then shattered. She was lucky the thing didn¡¯t seem capable of simply destroying everything she¡¯d built at once, with a single attack, but that was only going to draw the fight out. When her own bulb collapsed, Liv scrambled back out of it and ran to take shelter behind one of the larger stalagmites. She only had nine rings left to work with, and the last spell loaded into her wand. The thought of trying to stab the bat herself, after seeing what it had done to the frozen soldiers she had sent in, was laughable. All around her, the frozen garden was falling to the floor of the cavern like snow. She had to do something. ¡°Celent Ai¡¯Veh Creim!¡± She ducked out from behind the stalagmite, flicked her wand, and summoned a cluster of adamant crystals around the bat¡¯s feet. They grew quickly: her father had drilled her exhaustively in this spell. As the clusters of sharp ice-crystals sprouted more and more offshoots, the legs and feet of the giant stone-bat were torn to ribbons. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t stop the bat from breaking its way through them, like a charging bull knocking aside drovers. Maybe it would die of blood loss eventually, but not quick enough to save her. Four rings left - hardly enough to do anything. Liv broke out running, but the damage to her ears threw her off. Her sprint turned into ungainly staggering as the floor of the cavern seemed to roll and pitch like a rowboat on the Aspen River in flood. She only just managed to make it into the low crevasse that had sheltered Triss and Matthew before the bat reached her. The leather armor Kaija had made for Liv kept her from getting bruised or scraped too badly when she threw herself down to roll across the stone, but it certainly wasn¡¯t pleasant. If she hadn¡¯t spent years reinforcing her bones every evening with mana, she was certain she would have broken an arm or a leg right then. The bat¡¯s face smashed up against the stone face outside the crevasse, and while Liv could no longer hear the monster, she could certainly smell it. The reek of its breath would have made her empty her stomach if she hadn¡¯t already, but she couldn¡¯t help gagging and coughing. A long, pink tongue slithered in between the rock, snaking toward her. ¡°Celet¡¯co Aiveh Aim¨¡k Scelis¡¯o¡¯Mae,¡± Liv gasped, thrusting her wand at the tongue. A single, needle-thin shard of ice - all that she had mana for - shot out and pierced the tongue in a splatter of hot, reeking blood. The bat withdrew, and she hoped that it was feeling a great deal of pain. There was no way back up the rockslide; even if her chute down into the abyss hadn¡¯t melted too much to be usable, Liv didn¡¯t relish the thought of trying to climb up the smooth ice. One fall would be the end of her. If she couldn¡¯t kill the bat, she needed to get past it, and the moment it was recoiling in pain was probably the best chance that she would get. Liv scrambled back out of the crevasse and did her best to sprint across the cave, as much as she could with her balance thrown all out of whack. The bat didn¡¯t notice her at first, inundated by its own pain, and she pumped her legs, heading for the same tunnel that Matthew and Triss had taken up and out of the cavern. From what she could see of it, the mana-beast was in terrible shape. Its chest had been pierced by thorns, its flanks stabbed by swords, its feet and legs shredded first by thorns and then crystals. Even its tongue had been pierced. Unfortunately, its eyes still worked - and, presumably, its mana sense. The bat flung out a great, leathery wing, blocking Liv¡¯s route, and she had to veer to the left to avoid running right into the membrane. She slipped on half-frozen dust and shards of ice, scrambled back to her feet, and dashed for the nearest place to hide: the tunnel that went down. Liv splashed through the subterranean stream and down the incline; once again, the stone-bat was unable to pursue her only because of its immense size. She got far enough into the tunnel that she hoped she could avoid the tongue, and slumped against the wall for long enough to catch her breath. As she sat there gasping, the bat throwing itself against the entrance as if to force its body through, Liv could feel that the ambient mana of the rift had pooled more densely further down the passage. She chanced a look in that direction, and frowned: the veins of mana stone looked different. In every other part of the mine, the softly glowing veins spread through the mountain like fat marbling a cut of steak. They curved and spread, sometimes thicker, sometimes thinner. The mana stone down this tunnel, however, ran straight and true, like a rule or a plank of cut wood. For a moment, Liv was seized by the simple, basic urge to go and look. Curiosity nearly drove her to get to her feet, but another impact from the stone-bat trying to force its way to her brought her back to reality. She didn¡¯t need to go deeper into the rift: she needed to link up with Matthew, Triss and Wren, and get out. Liv knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight anything without mana, which meant she needed to make it back to the encampment to rest and recharge. Or did it? Liv had avoided it before, out of a fear that she might damage the structure of the mines even more, but that hardly seemed to matter now. She stood up, and reached for the nearest vein of mana-stone. She put her palm to it, and pulled. Power flooded into her, as the glow from the vein dimmed. But that wasn¡¯t even everything that was available, was it? Liv had long hours of practice in preventing the raw mana of a rift from overpowering her body: every time her father had taken her north to visit her grandparents, they¡¯d passed in and out of a rift even more powerful than this one. Even now, she was aware of the crushing density imbalance: her body was practically empty, and the mana that surrounded her was desperate to get in. Instead of restraining or slowing it, Liv breathed it in. The mana of the rift filled her in the space of a heartbeat, and it was all Liv could do to direct it, pushing it out into every last piece of her body, to the toes and fingers, because there just wasn¡¯t enough room. She had to do something with it, and she had to do it now. Something about the feeling reminded Liv of the very first day she¡¯d ever used her magic, reaching out desperately to pull Emma from the icy waters of the Aspen River. ¡°Hand,¡± Liv muttered, and her voice was very soft and far away, hardly even audible over the ringing in her broken ears. ¡°Celet Ghesia!¡± The intent was familiar, half remembered. From the subterranean stream, a massive hand of ice, a mirror-image of Liv¡¯s own, rose. The fingers stretched and clenched, and she stumbled to the edge of the tunnel to see better. The bat spun around to face this new threat, but Liv had it by the head before it could get out of the way. She squeezed her left hand into a fist, and the hand of ice squeezed the head of the bat. The wings flapped for a moment, jerked, and then something popped. Blood and viscera squirted out between the fingers of the frozen hand, and the enormous body of the stone bat went still. Liv released the tension from her hand, and the fist of ice loosened, dropping the corpse to the cavern floor. For a moment, she wondered how much she could sell the bones, the casque, the meat of the monster for. There was no way to get the entire carcass out of the cavern, of course: the poor beast was as trapped in death as it had been in life. But perhaps a piece... Liv twisted the hilt of her wand, and it became the core of a sword shaped from adamant ice. Using the sword like an oversized hunting knife, she climbed onto the cooling body and set to work cutting the bat¡¯s skin away from the casque on its shattered head. Then, she grew a layer of small ice crystals to crack the casque from the bone of the skull. Carefully, Liv brought the hand of ice down, shedding the outer layers so that the gorey remnants of the stone-bat¡¯s death fell away. She used it to scoop the casque up, and then stepped into the open palm herself. There was plenty of water, and plenty of mana. Since stepping into the rift, she''d only been managing the swell of mana, so that she didn''t hurt herself. Now that she was willing to open up and invite it in, the power surged through her with enough force to make the fine hairs on her arms stand on end. The pouring waters of the subterranean water froze in great crusts and roils, pushing the hand up the right hand path, with Liv riding in the palm. She kept her wand in her right hand, and held onto one of the massive frozen fingers with her left, and the wind of her passage brushed her face. Faster and faster she moved, until Liv doubted a horse could have paced her as she rode on up the tunnel. 78. The Cascades Wren winged out of the crevasse, struggling to keep herself aloft and moving in the right direction. Shifting between human and bat forms didn¡¯t help her to heal wounds any more quickly, and even a fresh infusion of blood wouldn¡¯t make for a miracle. What she needed was time to rest and recover, preferably with a few jugs bought from the local butcher. Behind her, the two wounded Lucanian mages scrambled across the now-frozen floor of the cavern, jumping frosted vines and ducking to keep their torso¡¯s low. A single stalactite and a mess of pebbles and dust shook loose from the ceiling at the thrashing of the wounded mana-beast, and Wren had to swerve desperately out of the way. While a falling stone might have left her with a nasty bruise in human form, as a bat, it could knock her out of the air. The white-haired Eldish girl Wren had hauled out of the ice so many years ago had surrounded herself in some kind of frozen barrier - it looked like a rosebud, of all things. However ridiculous that might have seemed, the ice was holding up to the attacks of the mammoth stone-bat, somehow. Wren reached the upward tunnel, circled once to check on the two people she¡¯d agreed to guide, and watched nearly half a dozen other enormous, frozen rosebuds, scattered around the cavern, opened. Out of each one marched a soldier, all of ice, clutching a glittering sword. As one, they fell on the stone-bat, stabbing it with their blades. How did that sweet little girl, Wren wondered, become such a monster? What exactly had happened over the past twenty-five years? She¡¯d seen young Lucanian guild mages fight in the jungles of Varuna, but that was nothing like this. When Liv had proposed fighting the stone-bat by herself, Wren had assumed the girl intended a quick distraction, or at worst to sacrifice herself so that her friends could get away safely. But if she was capable of this level of magic, she might actually be able to win. The two wounded mages - Matthew and Beatrice, was it? - had reached the upward tunnel, so Wren turned away from the ongoing battle and swooped low above their heads. She opened her mouth, sending out a high pitched pulse of sound that no one in human form would be able to hear. The most disorienting part of adapting to bat form, for children of the Red Shield Tribe, was not usually learning to fly. That came with a few bruises, certainly, but small children had a certain fearlessness and genius for physical play that usually saw them cavorting about the jungle clearings rather quickly. No, the hard part about using a bat form was mastering how to sense one¡¯s surroundings using bouncing sound. The organs for it were almost entirely new: the human throat couldn¡¯t produce sounds of the appropriate pitch, nor could the human ear receive or interpret the returning information. Of course, Wren had been flying and hunting for many years, but she still remembered hours of frustration, and the patience of her father as he taught her. The thought brought a pang to her chest, and Wren wondered whether she would ever see her father again. She wondered whether the man who¡¯d picked her up when she was crying over a skinned knee would recognize what she¡¯d become now. A mental map of the tunnels built in Wren¡¯s mind with each pulse of sound, and she steered the fleeing mages first right, then left, but always upward. She squeaked at them when she needed their attention, and if that didn¡¯t work, she swooped in low, just past their heads. Neither of them was moving quickly, but they were moving, and that was something. Nearly physical waves of sound erupted from behind them, and Wren guessed only the enormous, deformed creature trapped back in that cavern could possibly be responsible. Matthew and Beatrice stumbled, clutching their ears in pain, and Wren dropped out of the air to land in human form on the tunnel floor. ¡°What was that?¡± Matthew asked, once any of them could hear again. ¡°It was the bat,¡± Wren said, gasping. ¡°That¡¯s horrifying. I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s just the size, or something about how mana from the rift has altered it, but the thing must be able to use sound as a weapon.¡± ¡°If it hurt us that badly,¡± Beatrice said, placing one hand on the tunnel wall for balance, and forcing herself to her feet, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what it must have done to Liv. We need to go back and help her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the last thing you should be doing,¡± Wren argued. ¡°You can barely walk, and he¡¯s missing a hand. Goddess knows what¡¯s still between us and the exit, and you want to go backwards?¡± She regretted the slip as soon as the word had left her mouth: Raktia was no longer the sort of name Wren wanted to be invoking, but it seemed like old habits were going to take time to break. ¡°She came back for us,¡± the Lucanian girl argued. ¡°And you¡¯d abandon her? Just like that?¡± Wren laughed, and rolled to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m not abandoning anyone. Did you see what kind of magic she was using? If that girl can¡¯t beat the thing on her own, there isn¡¯t anything you or I are going to be able to do to help her.¡± ¡°Matthew?¡± Beatrice said, turning to the wounded young man. ¡°She¡¯s your sister, or might as well be.¡± ¡°The only sister I ever had,¡± he said. Wren saw that the man¡¯s face was far too pale, and observed that unlike the two women, Matthew hadn¡¯t gotten to his feet yet. ¡°Whether it¡¯s legal or not. And it kills me to leave her back there. But Wren is right.¡± ¡°What?¡± Beatrice exclaimed, opening her mouth to argue. ¡°You hit your head,¡± Matthew said. ¡°And you¡¯ve been foggy ever since, Triss. You¡¯re not talking like someone who¡¯s been on a culling before. Neither of us are in a condition to do anything but pull back. You need to trust me to make this call.¡± ¡°However talented she is, Liv isn¡¯t trained for this,¡± Beatrice insisted. ¡°She¡¯s more trained than you want to admit,¡± Matthew shot back. ¡°You read her letters, same as I did, Triss. Six years with her father. She¡¯s been north. You need to trust her. Remember that duel in Freeport? You trusted her then. Have a little faith now.¡± ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± Beatrice cursed, and then bent over to help Matthew up to his feet. ¡°Lead the way, Wren. But if she doesn¡¯t make it out of there, Matt, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡± ¡°Neither will I,¡¯ he murmured. ¡°Can you still find us a way, without your wings?¡± he asked Wren. ¡°I know the next few turns, at least,¡± Wren assured him. ¡°Come on.¡± With her hunting knife in hand, she led the two of them up through a dizzying array of rough tunnels, ever upward, and toward the roaring sound of water. Finally, they broke out onto a tumble of rock that framed the descent of a subterranean cascade. Above them, the buried river tumbled down in a great rush, crashing over the rocks onto which the three companions had emerged, and then down below them into a great, dark pool from whence the current continued on into the darkness. The air was wet with mist and spray, and the rocks were slick, darkened with moss. ¡°Up there,¡± Wren said, pointing to the top of the falls. ¡°That¡¯s the level the mines are on. We can climb the rocks.¡± If she could have shifted into bat form, the ascent would have been simple enough - but that would require more blood, and Wren didn¡¯t have any to spare. The faint traces of power that lingered in her from licking Matthew¡¯s wound were hardly enough to keep her injury healing. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Together, the three of them slowly worked their way up the rocks, clambering from one to the next. There was a great deal of swaying, several scrapes and near falls, and a lot of cursing. By the time they were nearly at the top, Wren¡¯s fingers were numb from the cold water, and her hunting leathers were soaked. Her hair was plastered to her skull, wet and limp. Neither of her companions looked any better. Wren hauled herself up onto a wide, flat boulder, then turned around and offered her hand to help pull Matthew up. Beatrice stayed below, got her hands beneath his boots, and shoved upward. The young man had been struggling, and he¡¯d gotten more and more quiet over the course of the climb. When the two women finally got him onto the rock, he simply rolled onto his back and lay there, eyes closed. ¡°He¡¯s not going to make it,¡± Wren said. ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± the girl hissed. ¡°I¡¯ll carry him if I have to.¡± Before Wren could ask how she intended to do that, Beatrice raised a hand, took a breath, and chanted a quick spell. ¡°Aluthet Thl¨¡kis.¡± A shimmering blue plane of raw magic formed beneath where Matthew had collapsed, and it gave off wisps of gold and blue light, the same as the mana-stone veins in the walls of the caverns. Beatrice raised her hand, and the shining rectangle lifted, as well, carrying the young man. ¡°How long can you keep that up?¡± Wren asked. ¡°As long as I have to,¡± the young woman said, through gritted teeth. Wren decided that, rather than waste time arguing, she¡¯d see to it they covered as much ground as they could, using however long the spell lasted. She led Beatrice off the rocks and to the bank of the underground river that wound through the caves and the mines. She could see a cut shaft ahead, with obvious signs of stonework and shadows that might even be wooden bracings. Halfway there, a monster erupted from the river, spraying cold water in every direction. Beatrice staggered backward and drew her sword, but lost control of her magic, dropping Matthew onto the riverbank. He didn¡¯t make a sound, or even flinch, and Wren could only hope that he was unconscious, rather than dead. One glance at the pale mana-beast that had half-slithered out of the water convinced Wren that she had no business getting in close, even if she¡¯d had her dagger. The thing was long and thin, with a segmented, pale body that sprouted dozens of fins, each pair extending out from either side of a given segment. It had some kind of long feelers or sensors extending from its head, though Wren could make out nothing that she recognized as eyes, and great fangs that looked like they could take a limb with a single bite. She backed away, grabbed the hilt of Matthew¡¯s sword and drew it from his sheath. The unfamiliar motion pulled at her wounded shoulder, but Wren ignored the pain and watched as Beatrice drew her own sword and rushed in. The point of the woman¡¯s rapier sunk into one of the many body segments, but Wren couldn¡¯t tell how much of an effect it had, or even whether the monster was capable of feeling pain. It lunged at Beatrice with its head, fangs gaping, but the young woman¡¯s eyes sparked blue, and she slipped aside, slashing out again with her rapier as the monster¡¯s segments passed her. This time, sigils along the thin blade of the sword sparked to life, shedding bright light, and the wound seemed to panic it. Wren, circling to keep her distance, couldn¡¯t figure out why for a moment, until she saw the injured segment of the monster¡¯s body shrivelling up, as if it had suddenly lost all the moisture within. It looked like that one section had been left to dry in the sun for days, or perhaps been smoked over a fire. It recoiled in pain, thrashing about the water as it tried to get at Beatrice again. The young woman, however, always seemed to know exactly where to step to keep herself out of harm¡¯s way, and every cut she made withered the monster¡¯s body more. Finally, the mana-beast turned and slipped back into the water, having apparently decided this particular prey was more trouble than it wanted to deal with. Wren picked her way back down to the riverbank, and slid the wounded man¡¯s sword back into the sheath at his belt. ¡°We should get moving before it comes back,¡± she said. ¡°Can you use that spell again?¡± Beatrice shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s the last of my mana,¡± she admitted, sheathing her own sword. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to carry him the old fashioned way.¡± Wren didn¡¯t much like the sound of that, but she managed to get the man¡¯s uninjured arm around her shoulders, while Beatrice took what was left of the other. Between the two of them they pulled him up off the ground and staggered forward. Then, Wren frowned. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Beatrice gasped. ¡°Heard something,¡± Wren said. ¡°Rumbling from below the falls.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can hear anything but the water,¡± Beatrice said, and then caught herself. ¡°Wait, I hear it too.¡± ¡°Run,¡± Wren shouted, and forced herself forward. It was less of a run than an off kilter, drunken walk, but the two women managed to keep moving. For a moment, Wren hoped they might actually make it to the mineshaft before whatever was coming up the waterfall reached them. The rumbling built, and she chanced a look back to see an avalanche boil up over the edge of the cascade. The running water of the river cracked over and froze in an instant, and a great white hand came glistening up out of the darkness. Crouched in the palm, next to a bloody hunk of skull and casque, was a white haired Eldish girl with a wand in her hand. ¡°Liv?¡± Beatrice shouted, over the groaning of the frozen river. ¡°Sorry,¡± the girl called back, as the icy hand and the avalanche carried her forward to them. ¡°Can¡¯t hear you.¡± She tapped her hand against her ear, and Wren saw there was dried blood all down the sides of her neck, already crusted and drying. ¡°What happened to the bat?¡± Wren shouted, and pointed back down the way Liv had come. ¡°The bat!¡± she repeated, shaping the words as slowly as she could. ¡°Killed it,¡± the girl said, and slapped the gruesome cask that was riding along with her. ¡°Hop on,¡± she told them. ¡°Is Matthew alive?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still breathing,¡± Beatrice said, though Wren wasn¡¯t certain Liv was actually able to understand. Between all of them, they hauled him onto the frozen, enormous hand, and then the ice began to crack and grind its way up into the mineshaft. As bizarre a mode of transport as it was, Wren was happy enough to collapse back against what she thought was a ring finger and enjoy the ride for a moment. ? There ended up not being enough water, apparently, for Liv to take them all the way out of the mines using her spell. Mana didn¡¯t seem to be the issue, from the way the white-haired girl was acting, though Wren noticed the veins on her hands, wrists and fingers were practically black they¡¯d turned so dark. The same discoloration was creeping in along the girl¡¯s temples now, as well, beneath her pale skin. Between the three of them, however, they got Matthew down the mountain and to the encampment, where Liv used her wand to break the ward. As soon as it was safe for the men inside to pass the circle of mana-stone dust, they lifted the wounded man up and carried him away. Beatrice followed, but Wren watched as Liv recast the ward around the camp. ¡°What do you want done with her, m¡¯lady?¡± one of the older guards asked, nodding in Wren¡¯s direction. The white haired girl frowned, but seemed to guess at the meaning easily enough. ¡°She helped us get Matthew out,¡± Liv said. ¡°Get her something to eat and drink, and bring her over to Mistress Trafford¡¯s tent. But watch her, Tobias.¡± It was a step up from being bound, Wren supposed, even if she would have preferred to have her bow and arrows back. Still, she¡¯d made the choice to put herself in this position, and there was nothing to do now but see it through to the end. She only hoped whatever good will she¡¯d won from the rescue mission would be enough that someone would listen to her. She ended up in a tent, where several cots had been set up. A middle aged woman used an assortment of enchanted instruments to close the wound on Matthew¡¯s arm, and then began examining Beatrice¡¯s head wound. It was a peaceful enough place to wait, and Wren got the impression that both of them would survive. The white-haired girl she¡¯d once pulled from the frozen river, however, didn¡¯t spend more than a moment in the tent, and only that to make certain her friends were still alive. Then, she was back out again, Wren presumed to organize the armed men who protected the camp. When Matthew woke the next morning, she watched as he took command. Over the night, the eruption had begun to recede. Wren couldn¡¯t feel it herself, but she could listen. Plans were made to leave a group of men to hunt the lower mountain slopes for any stray mana beasts that might be a danger, while the wounded would return to Whitehill. For her part, Wren was far more interested in Liv. As soon as Matthew was awake again, the white haired girl had claimed a tent for herself, and there she sat: legs crossed, arms at her sides, eyes closed. After a word from Beatrice, Wren was allowed to drag in a camp stool and watch over her. The blackened veins on her arms, hands, and face pulsed beneath her skin, almost crawling back and forth. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anyone survive mana-sickness that severe,¡± the chirurgeon remarked, stepping into the tent. ¡°And I¡¯ve never seen anyone do what this girl did beneath the mountain,¡± Wren said. ¡°Is there any way you can help her?¡± ¡°Not me,¡± the woman said, but Beatrice followed her into the tent, holding a giant hunk of unworked mana-stone. ¡°I may be able to.¡± Her head now bandaged, the swordswoman sat down across from Liv, placing the dull gray stone between them. Wren leaned forward to watch. 79. Aluthos鈥檕鈥橢a At the beginning, Liv hadn¡¯t even noticed the mana poisoning. The rush of power from drawing on the chaotic energy of the rift had been enough to see her through the fight against the enormous stone-bat, and then to deal with half a dozen mana-engorged subterranean beetles on her way up into the mines. She exhaled incantations, and inhaled mana, and by the time she¡¯d caught up to Matthew, Triss, and Wren, she¡¯d still felt brimming with magic. It was on the way down the mountain that she¡¯d first noticed the problem, when things had finally slowed down enough that Liv caught a glimpse of the blackened veins in her hands. Then, there¡¯d been too much that needed seeing to: making certain that Matthew and Triss were treated for their injuries, organizing the knight and guards, recreating the ward around the encampment. There were no further challenges from Sir Randel, now that Matthew had been brought back alive. That did a little to ease the building headache that had begun to pound behind Liv¡¯s temples: her entire body felt like an overstuffed sausage, once she was out of the shoals. Casting a new ward had helped to relieve the pressure a bit, but Liv had a pretty good idea of what the problem was: her body was so saturated with mana that, once she left the influence of the rift, the magic wanted to rush out of her and fill the relative emptiness in the surrounding area. At first, Liv was fairly certain that she could fix it. She waited until Matthew was awake, and then told him, ¡°I need to handle the mana in my body. Give me a few hours and don¡¯t let anyone interrupt.¡± She¡¯d set herself up in an empty tent and set to work. Liv figured that she could use the excess mana to heal her ears, along with the assortment of scrapes, bruises and cuts she¡¯d picked up along the way. By the time she¡¯d finished doing that, her body would be at a more reasonable level of mana saturation. The moment she stopped focusing on the world outside, and turned her attention within, Liv found that things were much worse than she¡¯d assumed. She was used to dealing with mana that was slow-moving, sedate, like a lake or a pond, or perhaps a broad, slow moving brook. Magic that had time to settle, whether it was into the bones of a mana-beast or into a cut and polished stone. The power of the rift was more like a destructive river in full flood, sweeping away trees and collapsing riverbanks in its fury. In this case, Liv¡¯s body was the riverbank, and more damage had already been done than she¡¯d anticipated. Much of the skin along her arms and hands was already wrong, in a way that she found difficult to articulate. Worse than that, she could feel the same twistedness inside her chest, from things she could only name because old Master Cushing had insisted on teaching her anatomy: lungs and kidney, liver and bone ¨C she grimaced when she realized it had even crept into the flesh of her bosom. It was terrifying, but Liv resolved to begin with the most vital areas first. She needed her lungs to survive. She needed a lot of things, but being unable to breathe would kill her before just about anything else, so the lungs it was. She took hold of the mana, calmed it and slowed it down, and began to smooth her way through the broken and ugly parts of her lungs. As she did, it became easier to breathe ¨C another thing she hadn¡¯t realized was going wrong until she¡¯d had time to think about it. Somewhere around the time she began working on her kidneys, Liv had the vaguest awareness that Wren was in the room with her, but opening her eyes or speaking would have demanded far too much concentration, and that focus was better spent on fixing everything wrong with her body. Hours went by, and Liv had no way of keeping count. She¡¯d finished her liver and moved onto her chest, because she had only two breasts and there were just so many bones. Two hundred and six in an adult: Master Cushing had made her memorize it. She¡¯d do those last, and at least it would be familiar. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anyone survive mana-sickness that severe,¡± Mistress Trafford¡¯s voice came to her. Liv¡¯s ears functioned again, though she hadn¡¯t moved to clean out all the clotted blood. Wren¡¯s voice came next and then, to Liv¡¯s surprise, Beatrice spoke. ¡°I may be able to,¡± Triss said, and Liv risked opening her eyes just a crack. The swordswoman¡¯s head was bandaged, but her eyes were more focused than they had been. She¡¯d carried in Master Grenfell¡¯s great rough hunk of mana-stone, and set it down between them. ¡°I have Aluth, Liv,¡± Beatrice said. ¡°I can help to drain away the excess mana, and store it in the stone.¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Liv gasped, and she was shocked at how hoarse she was. Her throat and mouth were dry, and a fit of coughing took her. She nearly lost control of the mana working through her clavicle as the fit bent her forward, and she hacked up great black gobs of whatever had been accumulating in her lungs. ¡°Drink this,¡± Mistress Trafford said, and put a flask to her lips. Liv gulped down watered-wine, and counted herself fortunate they¡¯d given her something without any mana in it, instead of broth. But of course, Mistress Trafford would have known that would only make things worse. Once she could talk again, Liv forced herself to explain. ¡°I haven¡¯t finished going through my bones yet,¡± she began, and then realized, from the confused expressions around her, that she would need to start over. Her father would have understood. ¡°Eld can use mana to heal,¡± she simplified. Whether humans could be taught the same was a matter for another time. ¡°I¡¯m working my way through everything wrong with my body, using the mana to set it right. I can¡¯t stop until my bones are done.¡± ¡°The skin on your arms and hands isn¡¯t looking good at all,¡± Trafford pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s the least important thing,¡± Liv said. ¡°You can always cut it off if I can¡¯t save it. Can¡¯t cut out my lungs.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Triss broke in. ¡°I trust you, Liv. If your father taught you what to do, you do it. I¡¯ll be right here waiting, and when you give me the word, I¡¯ll drain off whatever is left into the stone.¡± Instead of saying anything in response, Liv closed her eyes and dove back into her work. It was getting harder not because her bones were worse off than any other part of her body had been, but because she was exhausted and her mind was getting muddled. She¡¯d thought, originally, that she would just get to the skin last, and fix that too: but now she would be happy just to get through all of her bones without missing one, or messing something up worse. When the last bone was done ¨C and Liv couldn¡¯t have said how many bells it took if someone had put a knife to her throat and asked her ¨C she opened her eyes and practically begged for help. ¡°Now, Triss,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t think straight anymore. Just do it.¡± ¡°Aluthos¡¯o¡¯Ea,¡± Beatrice sang, her voice low and soft. Liv moaned in relief as the rusting pressure finally eased. Wisps of blue and gold mana floated up from her arms, her hands, every part of her body, and drifted into the mana-stone. The colors within lit the rock brighter and brighter, until it looked like someone had built a fire beneath a thin shell of rock. Liv closed her eyes, and knew nothing more. ? The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. When she woke, Liv was lying on a cot in the same tent, dressed in nothing but a clean shift and wrapped in thick woolen blankets. Her arms and hands ached, and she could feel they were tightly wrapped in bandages. Matthew was seated on a camp stool at the side of the cot. He was dressed in his jack of plate, again, over a clean linen shirt. Liv couldn¡¯t help but look at how the left sleeve had been cut and tied around the elbow, and no hand emerged. ¡°At least it¡¯s the left,¡± Matthew said. ¡°I can still fence.¡± Liv rolled her eyes. ¡°After all this, you still won¡¯t focus on your magic?¡± Matthew frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Liv. I know you and mother and father all thought I was just being stubborn, but ¨C the truth is, I¡¯m not a very good mage. It took me ages to make Ters do anything at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you never put the work in,¡± Liv chastised him. ¡°We all thought that would change when you went to Coral Bay.¡± ¡°I did, though,¡± Matthew said. ¡°At first. It just became very obvious to me, very quickly, that I didn¡¯t have the talent for it. I had a front row seat to see what you could do, and that made the difference very clear.¡± ¡°I had years of practice before you,¡± she protested. ¡°You did,¡± Matthew agreed. ¡°But every time Master Grenfell threw something new at you, Liv, you took to it like a hooked trout thrown back into the river. But I couldn¡¯t make anything work. You know I used to stay up at night, in my room, at the beginning? Just practicing?¡± She shook her head, and her hair shifted on the pillow that someone had been nice enough to provide. ¡°And when I compared it to how it felt to learn the sword,¡± Matthew said, ¡°I understood. You can work and work, but some people are born with something extra. Call it talent, or genius, I don¡¯t know. You can have it for one thing and not another. I¡¯ve got it for fencing. I was the only one at Coral Bay who could keep up with Triss while she was using her word. But I don¡¯t have it for magic. I could work at it for years ¨C and I have ¨C but I won¡¯t ever be anything more than a middling mage.¡± ¡°It takes me work, too, you know,¡± Liv said. ¡°I understand,¡± he said. ¡°I drill every morning with my sword. But Liv, if it hadn¡¯t been for Triss, and friends like Thurston Falkenrath, I¡¯d have never made it through my first year at college. I¡¯ve accepted what I can do, and what I can¡¯t. I¡¯m not sure that you can say the same.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re not about to give me grief for saving your lives,¡± Liv complained. ¡°You nearly killed yourself, didn¡¯t you?¡± Matthew pressed. ¡°Doing something reckless. Did you even stop to think about what would happen if you¡¯d lost to that thing? Or if you¡¯d died of mana-sickness?¡± ¡°You sound like your mother.¡± ¡°I have to keep reminding myself,¡± Matthew admitted, ¡°that you¡¯re not older than me anymore. Not really. It feels like you should be, but you aren¡¯t thirty-six. You¡¯re eighteen, really. That¡¯s the count, isn¡¯t it? Half?¡± ¡°As best we can tell,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°You¡¯re smarter than almost anyone I know, but you¡¯re also an idiot,¡± he went on. ¡°Because you aren¡¯t done growing up yet. I can¡¯t imagine what it''s like in the north - it must take those children even longer than you. I¡¯m not angry with you,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Not really. I was terrified we were going to lose you, Liv. And I just want you to think, next time, about what would happen to the people left behind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore,¡± Liv snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like one. Anyway, I knew what I was doing. You¡¯re the heir to this duchy, and your mother was terrified you wouldn¡¯t come back. So I made sure that you would.¡± ¡°She told you that?¡± Matthew asked. ¡°Made me sign those adoption papers before we left,¡± Liv told him. ¡°Just in case. I hope that doesn¡¯t make you angry.¡± Matthew was silent for a moment, chewing the idea over. ¡°No,¡± he said, finally. ¡°I don¡¯t think it does. I understand why. And to be honest, it eases the pressure on Triss and I a bit. You never want to be in the position there¡¯s only a single heir to a family. There¡¯s too much chance of something going wrong. To know you¡¯re off at Coral Bay, so that even if something terrible happened here, there¡¯d be someone to pick up the pieces? It¡¯s going to be a comfort, I think.¡± ¡°Now,¡± he said, ¡°rest up for a bit.¡± Mathew stood, and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°The eruption¡¯s passed; I¡¯ve got Triss, Emma, and a few of the men out hunting the edges of the shoal, while the rest pack up the camp. We¡¯ll be heading home soon.¡± ¡°I think I understand why so few of them leave the shoal,¡± Liv mumbled, closing her eyes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel good. Unless they¡¯re starving or hurt¡­¡± she turned over, and snuggled into her pillow. Let someone else pack the camp up: she¡¯d done enough. ? By the time the culling team was ready to head back for Whitehill, Liv was feeling almost like herself again. She had hardly any mana in her body, but for the moment at least she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to change that. Emma and Triss helped her dress, buckling on every part of her armor but the helm. That, she hung from Steria¡¯s saddle for the ride back. ¡°I can just fly,¡± Wren was saying, as Liv turned the mare¡¯s head and walked her over to the front of the expedition. She must have shot a bird or something and gotten a bit of fresh blood, Liv decided. ¡°We¡¯re grateful for everything you¡¯ve done to help us,¡± Matthew said. ¡°But until my mother and father decide what to do with you, I still consider you a prisoner. You¡¯ll get a chance to tell your story, but you¡¯ll be riding back with your hands bound and Piers leading your horse.¡± ¡°My horse, you mean,¡± Triss grouched. ¡°Though I don¡¯t mind riding double with you, Matthew.¡± She reached up, clasped his right hand with hers, and swung up to sit in front of him. Liv caught Wren¡¯s eye, and nodded. She knew the woman could slip any ropes around her wrists whenever she wanted to, by taking bat form, but it wasn¡¯t a fight worth having. In any event, she still wasn¡¯t certain how she felt about the huntress, either. ¡°Your arms look even worse than mine,¡± Emma said, nudging her horse over next to Liv¡¯s. ¡°Because you stayed in camp instead of coming back with me,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°I honestly think the whole way we handle this has to change.¡± With everyone in the saddle, they set the horses to a brisk walk south along the mine road. They couldn¡¯t go any faster, because Warin, the miner they¡¯d rescued, was being dragged along behind one of the horses on a litter. ¡°The problem is we don¡¯t have enough people,¡± Matthew said. ¡°Whitehill isn¡¯t a proper city, and anyone who does go off to Coral Bay doesn¡¯t tend to come back.¡± ¡°Maybe we need our own school then,¡± Triss said, from her perch on the saddle in front of him. ¡°Prince Benedict would never stand for it,¡± Matthew grumbled. ¡°The only reason the guild is allowed at all is because it¡¯s politically neutral. A college in Whitehill would be too much of an advantage.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not king yet though, is he?¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°And your grandfather seems to like your mother well enough.¡± Matthew shook his head. ¡°The king¡¯s been on his deathbed for years, it seems like. I don¡¯t think anyone expected him to hold out this long, but it can¡¯t last forever. We might not even know until after the coronation. Actually, Liv, you¡¯ll probably find out before we do. There¡¯s a lot of travel between Freeport and Coral Bay, by waystone.¡± ¡°No more politics,¡± Beatrice broke in. ¡°Now we¡¯ve all survived that, it¡¯s time for my wedding, and I won¡¯t let anyone ruin it. I want you to be a part of my procession, Liv. My father¡¯s bringing fabric for a dress, so the blue trim matches mine. Is there a decent seamstress in town?¡± Matthew groaned, but Liv laughed. ¡°I guess we¡¯re to be sisters now, of a sort,¡± she said. ¡°Duchess Julianne had a set of rooms fixed up for you to stay in until the ceremony, and I wouldn¡¯t recommend trying to sneak about, Matthew. She¡¯ll have her eye out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Matthew said. ¡°We¡¯ve been travelling around together for two years, staying at inns and camping trinity-knows-where.¡± ¡°The northern edge of the kingdom isn¡¯t Coral Bay, love,¡± Triss reminded him. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised people are a bit set in their ways here.¡± ¡°What does everyone get up to at this college, then?¡± Emma demanded. ¡°I thought you went there to learn magic, not lead some kind of life of debauchery.¡± She turned to Liv, her tone teasing. ¡°You¡¯d better not get up to no good while you¡¯re there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to learn magic,¡± Liv said. ¡°And they still have something to teach you?¡± Emma asked. ¡°After all that?¡± she waved her hand at the mountain behind them. ¡°Plenty,¡± Beatrice said. ¡°A word, at least, if she joins the guild for good. Enchanting, too, dueling, and a great deal more. You won¡¯t be idle, Liv ¨C there¡¯s no time for it.¡± ¡°I just wish I could have gone with more people I know,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ve never had many friends, you know. Really just you three. And none of you will be there.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Matthew assured her. ¡°You¡¯ll meet a few good people, I¡¯ve no doubt of it. If anyone should be worried, it¡¯s the professors. Aside from Master Jurian, I¡¯m not sure any of them have the slightest idea what¡¯s in store for them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Liv snapped at him, but she wasn¡¯t really angry. They were all alive, if not without their scars, and for today, that was enough. 80. Scars By the time the culling team had returned to Whitehill, the laughter had faded, replaced with a deep exhaustion. When Liv wasn¡¯t clutching the reins tightly to keep herself from itching at her bandaged arms, she found she was nodding off half-asleep. The guards who opened the west-gate gave them a cheer, but the men¡¯s voices faltered when they realized that Matthew was missing half an arm. Liv thought he bore up under their murmurs well, but she also knew the rumors would be running through the town by nightfall. What would they say? A crippled son to a crippled father ¨C Liv hoped it wouldn¡¯t be seen by the superstitious as some kind of curse on the duchy. They¡¯d been seen coming far off, of course, and that meant there was a great crowd gathered in the courtyard of Castle Whitehill. Duchess Julianne and Baron Henry were there, of course, along with Master Grenfell and Mayor Porter, who was looking quite a bit older now than when he¡¯d been sheriff during the last eruption. Emma¡¯s father, Master Forester, waited with her husband, Dustin, and their baby. Liv¡¯s mother and Gretta were there, as well as Archibald, Thora and Sophie. There were guards on the walls, stable boys waiting to care for the horses, and townsfolk who had taken shelter at the castle, rather than the temple. Liv could see the visible wave of relief sweep through the crowd as the party rode through the gate: faces craned to get a glimpse of who had returned, looking for someone in particular or counting the number of horses. And then, after that first reaction, the widening of the eyes: at the bandages around Triss¡¯ head, Liv and Emma¡¯s arms, at the stranger they¡¯d brought back with them and the wounded miner on a litter, and at Matthew¡¯s empty sleeve. As soon as she¡¯d slid down out of the saddle, Liv found herself caught up in her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m alright, Mama,¡± she said, giving a squeeze in return. ¡°Are you now? All wrapped up like that?¡± Gretta broke in, and Liv embraced the old woman next. ¡°I will be, anyway,¡± Liv said. ¡°After a few days. I¡¯m glad to see you both, but I need to talk to the Duchess for a moment. Wren!¡± she called. The huntress with the shock of purple-dyed hair dismounted from Triss¡¯ mare, and followed Liv over to where Julianne and Henry were speaking with their son in low voices. Liv could recognize that the duchess was putting on a brave face, but her eyes were wet. ¡°Liv,¡± Henry said, once she was within arm¡¯s reach, ¡°thank you for bringing our son home. I gather there¡¯s a good deal of story to be told, but Matthew says you went back for them after a collapse.¡± ¡°I think we all ended up a bit deeper than we should have,¡± Liv said. ¡°I know everyone¡¯s tired and hungry, and I could really use a bath. But there¡¯s something else needs to be dealt with, first. This is Wren. She helped me find Matthew and Triss, but you might remember this isn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s come to Whitehill.¡± Julianne and Henry frowned for a moment, and it was Master Grenfell who spoke up first. ¡°The hunter who pulled Liv from the river!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°I remember now, you helped carry her into the castle, as well. You look like you haven¡¯t aged a day. And then ¨C¡± ¡°She stole an icon from the Room of Curiosities,¡± Henry said, in the cold voice Liv recognized from whenever he¡¯d done his duty in judging a crime. ¡°I did,¡± Wren said. ¡°Or at least, I took something you considered to be yours. I could argue it was stolen from my people in the first place, and you had no right to it, but that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Why have you come, then?¡± Julianne asked. ¡°You understand the penalty for theft in Lucania can be so dear as to cost you your hand?¡± ¡°I suspect you¡¯re going to want this to be a private talk,¡± Wren said. ¡°I flew from Soltheris. It was attacked by the followers of Raktia, through the waystone. I say it was attacked, but ¨C I should say, we attacked,¡± the huntress admitted. ¡°But I just ¨C I saw people dying, people who had nothing to do with mine, who were just trying to live their lives. And it wasn¡¯t why I did this, it wasn¡¯t what I wanted.¡± Wren took a breath, and when she continued her words were more certain. ¡°It isn¡¯t right. It¡¯s not what we were promised. And I can¡¯t be a part of it. I can tell you things, things you¡¯re going to want to know.¡± ¡°You are correct about one thing,¡± Julianne said. ¡°This is not a conversation for a courtyard.¡± ¡°Guards,¡± Henry called. ¡°Take this woman to the old dungeons.¡± ¡°Not to the sheriff?¡± the guard asked. Liv was just as surprised: no one had used Castle Whitehill¡¯s old dungeons during her entire lifetime. ¡°There¡¯s not much point to that,¡± she said, unable to resist speaking up. ¡°Wren can turn into a bat. That means she can slip most any ropes or chains, fly out a window, or slip through iron bars meant to hold a person. For what it¡¯s worth, she risked her life and even bled to help us during the eruption. I¡¯m not excusing what she¡¯s done in the past, but she could have run at any time, and she didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Matthew?¡± Julianne turned to her son. ¡°She led us out of the depths, true enough,¡± he said. ¡°And once we were back to the encampment, she didn¡¯t even once try to flee. Even knowing the greeting she¡¯d likely get here.¡± ¡°Honestly, she helped me carry Matt when I couldn¡¯t have done it myself,¡± Triss said. ¡°Again, take it for what you will.¡± Henry and Julianne shared a grim look. ¡°Master Grenfell,¡± Henry said. ¡°Can you think of any means within your possession to hold this woman, and to prevent her escape?¡± ¡°One,¡± Liv¡¯s old teacher said. ¡°If Mistress Trafford were to give her a sleeping tonic, I could use a spell to trap her within dreams, so that she cannot wake until I permit it. But it¡¯ll do no good for her to be locked in a dungeon: I can do that just as well if we lay her on a bed.¡± Wren¡¯s face wrinkled in obvious distaste for the idea. ¡°I¡¯ll give you my word not to flee the castle. Would that be enough?¡± ¡°Helping our son is buying you the courtesy of our time,¡± Julianne said, shaking her head. ¡°But not our trust. That is quite another matter. We will speak tomorrow. Until then, you will permit Mistress Trafford and Master Grenfell to put you to sleep. You have my assurance that nothing will happen to you before you wake. Archibald,¡± she called out. ¡°Find a room for Mistress Wren.¡± The old footman frowned, but he walked close enough to be heard. ¡°With the party from Valegard expected, rooms are in short supply,¡± he protested. ¡°Put Triss in my room, then,¡± Liv offered. ¡°Until the wedding.¡± She suspected her friend wouldn¡¯t be spending a great deal of time there, in any case. ¡°As you wish, m¡¯lady,¡± Archibald agreed, inclining his head to Liv. ¡°Mistress Wren, this way please.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fetch Amelia and see to it,¡± Master Grenfell said, and set off across the courtyard. ¡°Now that¡¯s seen to,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Thora, why don¡¯t you take these young ladies down to the baths. Matthew, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to wait your turn.¡± ¡°Down to the baths? Not in your rooms?¡± Triss asked. ¡°Did Matthew really never tell you?¡± Liv asked, grabbing her by the arm. ¡°Castle Whitehill is built above a hot spring. Come along, you¡¯re going to love this.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ? Thora ended up pressing several of the laundry maids into service, and they lugged armfuls of dirty things out of the baths while Liv and Triss immersed themselves in the steaming water. ¡°It smells odd,¡± Triss said warily. She only lowered herself hesitantly, while Liv practically threw herself in and ducked her head. ¡°It¡¯s not going to make us smell like that, is it?¡± ¡°Who cares,¡± Liv said, running her wet hair back from her forehead with her fingers. She left a pile of bloody linen bandages up on the stones to be thrown away, and her arms were crossed with raw incisions where Mistress Trafford had carved away the skin which had been corrupted by her mana sickness. ¡°You can always wear perfume after.¡± Faint puffs of blood swirled in water when she lowered her arms, and the wounds stung. ¡°No one minds us getting blood in the water?¡± There was a wicked looking crust of blood on Triss¡¯ scalp, matting her hair. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. ¡°The springs flow out through a series of clay pipes and down to the river. It¡¯ll sweep the blood right away.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Triss said, and finally lowered herself all the way into the steaming water. Liv grinned when she heard the other woman groan in relief. ¡°There it is,¡± Liv said, finding herself a seat on the stone bench that ringed the bath. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even allowed in this room for most of my childhood,¡± she admitted. ¡°Mama used to wash me up in a wooden tub, heating the water in kettles over the fire. The first time I was allowed to come in here, I found out what I¡¯d been missing.¡± ¡°Is this why you all love the north so much?¡± Triss dipped her head underwater, and another puff of blood broke away from her scalp. Liv waited until she¡¯d come up again to answer. ¡°This is one thing,¡± she admitted. ¡°But you won¡¯t really understand until you¡¯ve come up into the mountains. The sky here is bigger than anywhere else I¡¯ve been, somehow. It¡¯s like you can reach up and touch the clouds, if you wanted to. And when you look down over the valley ¨C you¡¯ll never want to be anywhere else, Triss.¡± The swordswoman settled onto the bench next to Liv. ¡°Your voice changes when you talk about it. Matt¡¯s, too. I wonder if I¡¯ll sound like that, one day.¡± ¡°A bit afraid to come here?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I¡¯m a bit afraid to go to Coral Bay.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine there,¡± Triss assured her. ¡°They¡¯re going to keep you so busy you¡¯ll hardly have time to miss home. But after years of study, and then travelling the kingdom to cull rifts, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do with myself here. I can¡¯t just have a few babies and then make that the rest of my life. That¡¯s not who I am.¡± ¡°You joined the guild, didn¡¯t you?¡± Liv asked, and Triss nodded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to inherit anyway,¡± she said. ¡°Did they teach you that dream word? Cei, is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the professors¡¯ toy,¡± Triss told her. ¡°They don¡¯t teach that to students.¡± Thora, in the meanwhile, brought over bars of pale green soap for each of them, as well as Liv¡¯s aspen-wood comb. ¡°Master Grenfell knows it,¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°If he¡¯s gotten good enough with it to trap someone in their dreams, I expect he¡¯s good enough to teach you. I expect learning a new word will be good for something to do. And get Matthew to show you the Thorn-Killer¡¯s journal, in his grandfather¡¯s collection. Honestly, Triss, there¡¯s enough learning to do here I can¡¯t see how you¡¯d be idle.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s something, then,¡± Triss admitted, and began scrubbing herself. Liv picked up her own bar of soap, and decided to do her raw arms last. Triss must have seen something in her face, because when she spoke up it was in a gentle voice. ¡°Worried about the scars?¡± ¡°Not about whether I¡¯ll have any,¡± Liv said. ¡°That ship has sailed, as they say. More about how bad they¡¯ll be, and what people will think of them.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll think you¡¯re one tough woman,¡± Triss said, and laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liv mused. ¡°Or will they just think I¡¯m scarred up and ugly?¡± ¡°No one¡¯s going to look at you and think you¡¯re ugly,¡± Triss assured her. ¡°And any man who doesn¡¯t like your scars doesn¡¯t deserve you, anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sweet,¡± Liv said, and forced herself to smile. ¡°It¡¯s my job, now I¡¯m going to be your big sister,¡± Triss said, and giggled. ¡°I¡¯m actually older than you,¡± Liv complained, but secretly she enjoyed the thought. By the time Thora had their hair combed out, both women were scrubbed clean, and then there was a set each of clean clothes. They left the grime and blood of the culling in the baths, and went in search of something to eat. ? Duchess Julianne and Baron Henry had already begun crying the banns weeks before Matthew and Beatrice had arrived, which meant the only thing the wedding waited on was the arrival of Triss¡¯ family. Two days after the culling party had returned from Bald Peak, a rider set to watch the south pass brought word that the Crosbie party had reached the Sign of the Terrapin. They would stay the night, and then push on past Fairford to Whitehill in the morning. In the meanwhile, Liv¡¯s father had ridden down from the waystone, bringing further word of what had happened across the north. ¡°Every rift above the mountains, and most of those in them, as well,¡± Valtteri explained, between sips of mulled cider. Liv and he had joined Julianne, Henry, Matthew, Triss and both Mistress Trafford and Master Grenfell at the high table for supper the night he¡¯d reached the town. ¡°The Tomb threw out half a dozen of Antris¡¯ automatons, and I¡¯m told there was a whale the size of an island sinking fishing boats off the coast of Mountain Home.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where Inkeris lives, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv asked, and her father nodded. ¡°Are he and his family safe? What about Al''Fenthia? Is Airis well?¡± ¡°Word is still travelling,¡± Valtteri explained. ¡°We won¡¯t know everything for weeks, I¡¯d expect. I know people have died - especially at Soltheris. There was an attack there, by the cult.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ve heard,¡± Baron Henry remarked. ¡°How?¡± Liv¡¯s father asked. ¡°We¡¯d only just received word, when I left.¡± ¡°We¡¯re holding one of the people who assaulted the town here,¡± Julianne said. ¡°And I thought that you would wish to be present when we questioned her. Your father, as well, Beatrice.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll appreciate that,¡± Triss confirmed. She was helping Matthew to cut his meat, and everyone pretended not to notice. ¡°You thought correctly,¡± Valtteri confirmed. ¡°How did this person get so far south, so quickly? Did they come from the waystone?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°She flew. Her name is Wren, and she saved my life when I was just a child. She helped us at the rift, as well. She says that once she actually saw what was happening at Soltheris, she had second thoughts, and flew south.¡± ¡°Flew - so she¡¯s one of Raktia¡¯s spawn,¡± Liv¡¯s father grumbled. ¡°I owe her enough that I¡¯d at least like her to be heard,¡± Liv said. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s too much to ask.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Julianne agreed. ¡°And I think we¡¯re all very curious what she can tell us. Arnold Crosbie will be here by noon tomorrow, unless they have a problem with their horses. Master Grenfell, Mistress Trafford, I¡¯d like you to see that our guest is woken up in the morning, fed, and made presentable.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not to be alone,¡± Baron Henry added. ¡°I want two guards on her at all times.¡± ¡°After the mid-day meal is cleared, and the Crosbies have had a chance to settle in, we¡¯ll question her here in the great hall,¡± Julianne finished. Grenfell and Trafford exchanged a glance. ¡°It will be done, my lady,¡± the chirurgeon said. After they¡¯d eaten, Liv¡¯s father asked to see her arms. Since, as she¡¯d predicted, Triss spent most of her time with Matthew, Liv took him up to her sitting room. There, her father had her unwrap the bandages from her arms so that he could take a look. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to have been poisoned this badly,¡± Valtteri said, after turning her arms over in his hands to get a better look. ¡°You¡¯re practiced at handling the energy of a rift; an eruption shouldn¡¯t have been beyond your abilities. What happened?¡± Liv prepared herself to be yelled at. ¡°I needed more mana,¡± she said. ¡°So I pulled it in from the eruption.¡± Her father released her arms: all the wounds had scabbed over, by now. ¡°You can wrap those up again. That was a very dangerous thing to do, Livara.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve learned,¡± she admitted. ¡°Thora, bring me the ointment from Mistress Trafford. It¡¯s supposed to make the scars a little less obvious,¡± Liv explained. ¡°There is a reason we don¡¯t use mana from an eruption,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d be foolish enough to try, though perhaps I forget how young you still are. It¡¯s violent, frenetic, a practical storm of magical energy. You aren¡¯t ready to control it. You¡¯re lucky it didn¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°Does that mean some people can control it?¡± Liv asked him. Thora set to work on her arms with the ointment, and it felt cool and sticky. ¡°Perhaps someone like your grandfather,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°He¡¯s been around long enough that nothing he does surprises me. Please, promise me that you won¡¯t do that again.¡± Liv considered her words. ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t do it again, unless I have no other choice,¡± she said. ¡°But if it''s a choice between letting someone I care about die, and doing that again, you know what I¡¯ll do.¡± Her father leaned back in his chair. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s as good as I¡¯ll get from you. That college should keep you safe enough for a few years, at least.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m told,¡± Liv said. The next morning, she rose early and dressed, so that she could be present when Wren awoke. 81. The Turncloak Two of the castle guards stood at attention outside the door to the rooms where Wren had been placed. ¡°Master Grenfell hasn¡¯t arrived yet, m¡¯lady,¡± one of the men told her. ¡°I¡¯m told Mistress Trafford gave her a dose last night, but she hasn¡¯t come since.¡± Liv nodded, opened the door, and slipped inside the sitting room. The hearth was cold, and the door to the bed-chamber ajar. When she entered, she found a convenient chair next to the bed, and presumed it had been placed there for either Master Grenfell or Mistress Trafford to use. For a moment, she tried to picture exactly how the chirurgeon would have been getting new doses of a sleeping medicine down the throat of an unconscious woman, and then decided she would rather not dwell on it. The guards must have let the woman get undressed before lying down, because her hunting leathers were neatly folded, cleaned, and set to one side. Liv noticed a pile of nursing supplies. Of course, someone would have had to clean her over the past few days. The chirurgeon must have been getting broth into her, as well, so that she didn¡¯t begin to starve. Liv tucked her skirts beneath her, sat down in the chair at the side of the bed, and waited. Perhaps half a bell later, Master Grenfell arrived. ¡°You¡¯re up early this morning,¡± he commented, when he saw Liv. ¡°I wanted there to be at least one face she was familiar with,¡± Liv said. Grenfell grunted, approached the bed, and placed a hand on the huntress¡¯ forehead. ¡°Cedet Ceia,¡± he murmured, and then lifted his hand. ¡°She should wake shortly.¡± He glanced down at the wand Liv wore on her hip. ¡°Good that you are here, perhaps. In case she needs to be restrained.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be a problem,¡± Liv said. ¡°In fact, why don''t you step out, Master Grenfell. If it was me, I¡¯d want a moment to dress myself without a man in the room. And I thought I would take her down to the baths, to clean herself up.¡± Grenfell considered that. ¡°I will instruct the guards at the door to follow you both down to the baths,¡± he decided. ¡°And I will send word to your mother to have some food brought up to these rooms for the two of you. Kindness is not a fault, my dear, but be certain your trust is not misplaced.¡± Without another word, Liv¡¯s old teacher departed. It was perhaps another half bell before Wren¡¯s eyes fluttered open. Liv could tell the instant the older woman realized where she was, because she shot upright and backed into her pillows, clutching the blankets to her chest. ¡°There¡¯s no one else in the room,¡± Liv told her. She tried to keep her voice calm and even, using the same tone she took with Steria when the mare was upset. ¡°Your clothes have been cleaned, and they¡¯re ready for you. Once you¡¯ve dressed, I thought you might want to come down to the baths and get cleaned up.¡± ¡°I ¨C I would like that, yes,¡± Wren said. ¡°How long has it been?¡± ¡°This is the morning of the third day since we returned to Whitehill,¡± Liv told her. ¡°That explains how hungry I feel.¡± Wren threw the blankets aside and rolled out of the bed, walked across the carpets, and began to pull her leathers on, piece by piece. ¡°There¡¯ll be food brought up from the kitchen waiting for us once you¡¯re clean,¡± Liv said. ¡°You¡¯re my jailer, then?¡± Wren asked. Liv shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s two armed guards outside the door, and they¡¯ll come down to the baths with us. But I thought it would be good for you to wake up to someone you knew, even a little.¡± ¡°Thank you for that,¡± Wren said. It was peculiar, to march the woman through the halls and stairways of Castle Whitehill, two guards following them the entire way. On any other morning, with Triss or even Duchess Julianne, Liv would have slipped into the baths as well, and enjoyed a bit of quiet conversation as the heat soothed her muscles. Instead, she stood on the stone above the pool, her hand never far from her wand. ¡°You look like you¡¯re ready to kill me,¡± Wren commented, as she washed out her hair. Liv thought about it before she answered. ¡°I feel responsible,¡± she admitted. ¡°I spoke for you, and if you tried to get away now, or trinity forbid hurt someone, it would be my fault.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Wren said. ¡°I¡¯ve hurt enough people already.¡± Liv missed the arrival of the Crosbie party; by the time they reached the castle, she¡¯d escorted Wren back up to the rooms she¡¯d occupied for the past few days. Master Grenfell must have let Gretta and Liv¡¯s mother know that she¡¯d be eating with the prisoner, because the trenchers that had been placed in the sitting room were filled with entirely different foods. ¡°Mana-beast?¡± Wren asked, digging into her own food as if she was starving. A few days wasn¡¯t enough time for someone to die without food, but Liv imagined that wasn¡¯t how it felt. ¡°Someone must have raided a nest of quail eggs just inside the shoals,¡± Liv observed. They¡¯d been scrambled into a fluffy, white mass and then topped with shredded cheese. There were venison sausages, as well, and fresh baked bread for them both. Wren had a plate of spiced and chopped potatoes, as well as bacon; a pot of tea and a pitcher of ale had been provided for them to share. ¡°Can you eat mana-rich food?¡± she asked, out of curiosity. Wren shook her head, her mouth full, and then chewed and swallowed before responding in more detail. ¡°The blood, I could, but nothing else,¡± she said. ¡°It would make me sick. But we can drink blood from just about anything.¡± ¡°It may be a while before they call for us,¡± Liv told her. ¡°The plan was for you to speak in the great hall after the midday meal. That¡¯s a good bit of time to fill.¡± ¡°Were you planning to stay the whole while?¡± Wren asked. ¡°I was,¡± Liv confirmed. ¡°I wondered if you might like to talk about Varuna. I¡¯ve heard stories, of course, but I¡¯ve never actually been.¡± ¡°There¡¯s two Varunas,¡± Wren explained, in between bites. ¡°There¡¯s Calder¡¯s landing, which is like a boil of Lucania growing on the ass of the jungle. And then there¡¯s the real Varuna, away from the coast and the ships.¡± She sighed. ¡°I guess I haven¡¯t got anything better to do. What do you want to know?¡± ? By the time the guards knocked on the sitting room door, to let Liv know they were wanted downstairs, she¡¯d heard about where to get the best meal in Calder¡¯s Landing ¨C The Sign of the Dancing Lady, according to Wren ¨C why there was a purple streak in the huntress¡¯ hair, that you couldn¡¯t go into the badlands past the jungle without attracting the attention of a wyrm, and that there were water-filled caverns scattered all through the jungle. ¡°But you say they weren¡¯t always there?¡± Liv asked, as they descended the stairs. ¡°According to the stories, only after your trinity dropped a star on Godsgrave,¡± Wren answered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there to see it, of course, but they say the impact buckled the earth for miles and miles in every direction, and threw so much dust up into the sky that you couldn¡¯t see the sun for days. Old caves collapsed, new ones opened. Even the coast is different, now.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I want to see it, one day,¡± Liv decided. She thought back to her vision at the edge of the Bald Peak rift, and the endless expanse of green forest leading to jagged mountain peaks. Another two guards waited at the doors to the great hall. ¡°They¡¯re ready for you, m¡¯lady,¡± the older of the men told Liv. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, and led Wren into the hall. At the high table, Duchess Julianne waited with Baron Henry and Master Grenfell, but not Mistress Trafford. Instead, not only Matthew and Triss, but also Arnold Crosbie, who Liv hadn¡¯t seen in six years, sat with them. The Baron of Valegard had aged since last Liv had seen him: his short gray hair was thinner, and though his doublet made an effort to hide it, he¡¯d lost a bit of muscle. The new sheriff occupied one seat, though the man didn¡¯t seem inclined to speak. Finally, Liv¡¯s father sat to one side with the air of a gyrfalcon about to stoop down and seize its prey. ¡°Thank you for bringing her, Liv,¡± Julianne said, rising from her seat. ¡°Master Grenfell will be keeping our records today. For that purpose, would the prisoner please state her full name?¡± ¡°Wren Wind Dancer, daughter of Nighthawk, of the Red Shield Tribe,¡± Wren said. Somehow, she managed to stand straight and show not the slightest bit of fear or anxiety, and Liv envied her for it. ¡°My people call themselves the Children of Ractia, but I¡¯m told you know us as the Great Bats.¡± Arnold Crosbie frowned, and took a long pull from his mug of ale. ¡°I¡¯ve only just arrived,¡± he said. ¡°I understand that you came here of your own free will, Mistress Wind Dancer?¡± Julianne, in the meanwhile, had resumed her seat. ¡°From Soltheris,¡± Wren confirmed. ¡°I flew south looking for Liv, here. She was the only one I knew at all, on this continent.¡± ¡°Soltheris, where you fought and killed innocent people,¡± Valtteri broke in. ¡°In the service of the Cult of Ractia.¡± ¡°I ¨C¡± Wren looked down at the floor of the hall. ¡°I went to Soltheris.¡± ¡°And you have already admitted to stealing from this very castle,¡± Baron Henry said. ¡°Some twenty-four years ago. By your own word, then, you are a thief and a murderer. It is well within the duchess¡¯ rights to hang you and have done with it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it''s theft to take back something that was stolen from your people in turn,¡± Wren said. ¡°But I regret taking the statue all the same, because of what was done with it.¡± ¡°And what,¡± Master Grenfell asked, ¡°was done with it? Precisely?¡± Liv realized that she¡¯d put herself in a position where she wouldn¡¯t have a chair, standing next to Wren before the high table. She was certain that she could take a place up there, and no one would stop her: but that would also be saying something, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°The statue wasn¡¯t important,¡± Wren explained. ¡°The blood inside was. A vial of the goddess¡¯ blood, preserved since before her death at Godsgrave.¡± Glances were exchanged at the high table, but it was Liv¡¯s father who finally spoke. ¡°What was done with the blood, Wren?¡± ¡°My father and the blood-letters took it down into the rift, at the Shrine of the Great Mother,¡± Wren said. ¡°Our ancestors, you see - they took her body from Godsgrave, and brought it north. Buried it in a tomb at the bottom of the rift. It took us years to fight our way down, and then longer to wait for an eruption.¡± ¡°What did they do?¡± Master Grenfell asked, leaning forward. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you everything the blood-letters did,¡± Wren confessed, ¡°because I don¡¯t know. I mostly helped clear the mana-beasts, so we could keep the way open. My father was down there with them, when the eruption came, but he ¨C he wasn¡¯t the same, afterward.¡± ¡°After what?¡± Baron Crosbie demanded. ¡°After the Goddess returned,¡± Wren told them. ¡°Impossible,¡± Crosbie said. ¡°Dead is dead, even for gods. Tamiris slew Ractia, along with Asuris and Iravata, when he smote them from the sky itself.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t impossible,¡± Liv broke in. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°What do you mean, you¡¯ve seen it?¡± Crosbie asked. Liv looked to her father; when she caught his eye, he nodded. ¡°In a vision,¡± she said. ¡°My father took me to the edge of the rift, and ¨C it¡¯s an Elden coming of age ritual. I saw a few things, but - the last was far over the water. I saw green forests that seemed to go on forever, and birds in half a hundred colors, and then a smoking mountain. I saw you there,¡± she said, turning to Wren. ¡°With the purple in your hair, and there was another woman, on a carved throne.¡± ¡°What did she look like?¡± Wren asked. ¡°Dark hair,¡± Liv described, thinking back. ¡°Her face wasn¡¯t quite right. Neither human, nor Eld, but something else. I can¡¯t describe it - something about the eyes, maybe? She wore a red dress, and she was, umm,¡± Liv motioned to her hips and chest, ¡°generously proportioned. She could see me.¡± ¡°That,¡± Liv¡¯s father spoke up, ¡°should not have been possible. But continue, please, Livara.¡± ¡°It was like a pressure,¡± Liv said. ¡°Like someone was lying on top of me, and pressing me down. She asked me who taught me to do what I was doing, and she was speaking in V?dic. Very good V?dic, like someone who¡¯d studied it their entire life, maybe. And then it was gone.¡± ¡°How long ago was this?¡± Baron Crosbie demanded. ¡°Not long after we came back from Freeport,¡± Liv said. ¡°And you never thought to share this with the council?¡± Arnold said, turning now on Liv¡¯s father. ¡°By the Trinity, man!¡± ¡°Our people had already attempted to convince your council and king of the threat, to little effect,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°I told my own father and mother, and left it to them to decide what to do.¡± ¡°That sounds like her,¡± Wren interrupted. ¡°That weight that comes on you, I¡¯ve felt that too. When she first rose, and then whenever anyone makes her angry. It gets so bad you can¡¯t even stand, and you can hardly breathe.¡± ¡°Why did she attack Soltheris?¡± Liv¡¯s father asked. ¡°She said it was to evacuate all her worshippers in the north,¡± Wren said. ¡°She connected the two waystones.¡± ¡°You mean she activated one and then the other,¡± Grenfell said. Wren shook her head. ¡°No. She connected them, so that anyone stepping on one would be sent to the other, and she kept the connection open for the whole time I was there. She used mana from the ring to do it, and that¡¯s why there were so many eruptions. She said eruptions across the north would be a good distraction. But you¡¯ve got to understand, everything she does, it¡¯s for more than one reason, or it accomplishes more than one thing. And she doesn¡¯t share unless you need to know. So it could have all been a distraction for something else, as well.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t know what,¡± Valtteri guessed. Wren shook her head. ¡°It seems clear we¡¯re now dealing with an enemy force,¡± Baron Crosbie said. ¡°I don¡¯t see why we should do anything but execute this prisoner. After learning what we can from her, of course.¡± ¡°Wren came to help us at the rift,¡± Liv objected. ¡°She helped save your daughter¡¯s life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Triss said, speaking up for the first time. ¡°I¡¯d taken a pretty good knock on my head, and I don¡¯t know that I could have gotten Matthew out by myself.¡± ¡°And I might never have found them without Wren,¡± Liv said. ¡°Doing a good thing does not erase a bad thing,¡± Liv¡¯s father said. ¡°How many people did you kill at Soltheris, Wren Wind Dancer?¡± ¡°None.¡± Wren said. ¡°I was up on a roof, and I had an arrow nocked, but ¨C I just couldn¡¯t. So I flew away.¡± ¡°And what did you think would happen, when you came here?¡± Duchess Julianne asked. ¡°I hoped that someone would listen to me,¡± Wren said. ¡°About what I¡¯ve seen, and what¡¯s happening in Varuna. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to stop. She¡¯s got people from all over - Lucania, but there¡¯s an Eld from the north among her captains, too, and even one from the east. And she woke one of Antris¡¯ machines. You don¡¯t need all that if you don¡¯t plan on fighting someone. I can tell you a lot. Not everything, but a lot. And maybe someone can stop her, before she gets my entire family killed.¡± Julianne drummed her fingers against the table. ¡°We need to know everything she can tell us, are we agreed on that?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Arnold Crosbie said, after a moment. Baron Henry nodded, along with Master Grenfell. Finally, Liv¡¯s father inclined his head, as well. ¡°For theft, I sentence Wren Wind Dancer to the loss of her right hand,¡± Julianne said, and Liv could see the woman tremble out of the corner of her eye. ¡°But. I am willing to suspend the sentence, under the following condition. You will swear fealty to this house. So long as you keep your oath, the sentence will be held in abeyance. You will begin your service by sharing with Master Grenfell everything that you know about the Cult of Ractia. He will take extensive notes, and I expect the process to last for days.¡± ¡°And what about the attack on Soltheris?¡± Valtteri asked. Julianne shrugged. ¡°I have no authority in the lands of the Eld. I leave that decision to your people. Should she ever cross the mountains, she will be subject to your laws. Will I have your oath, Wren? I assure you that I will use you against this risen goddess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I expected,¡± Wren said. ¡°Someone will have to tell me the words. It isn¡¯t something we do in the jungle.¡± ¡°Approach the high table,¡± Henry said, ¡°and kneel.¡± Julianne rose, and stepped around the table, extending her hand so that Wren could take it. ¡°Repeat after me¡­¡± 82. A Wedding Liv had entirely forgotten that Triss had brought her fabric for a new dress, with blue trim to match the gown the bride would wear to the ceremony. The dressmaker¡¯s shop on The Hill had apparently been working through the eruption, however, or perhaps only in the days since. Liv couldn¡¯t be certain, but the end result was that she, Triss¡¯ mother, and the bride herself were all arranged to match before the procession departed for the temple of the trinity. Triss¡¯ mother was a wide woman with the unfortunate name of Agneta. ¡°My hips aren¡¯t what they used to be,¡± she told the two of them when she dropped a comb on the floor. ¡°Be a dear and get that for me, Livy.¡± ¡°Here you are, Lady Crosbie,¡± Liv said, fetching the comb. They had Thora, of course, to help them get ready, as well as a severe woman named Lovota, who was lady¡¯s maid to Triss¡¯ mother. Triss had apparently released her own maid from service the first chance she got, when she left Coral Bay. ¡°Which only means you¡¯ll have to hire someone new, Beatrice,¡± Agneta scolded her daughter. ¡°Out of eight children, my only girl, and half her life I was convinced she wanted to be a boy. I tell you, I despaired of this day ever coming!¡± Through all of this, Liv observed that her friend could only grit her teeth. Triss looked like a beaver-dam that was about to give way during the spring flood, and rather than see the morning ruined with an argument, Liv took it on herself to distract the older woman. ¡°You know, Lady Crosbie,¡± she ventured, ¡°the kitchen staff put a pot of tea on for us, and a few tarts, down the hall in the Old Baron¡¯s collection. It¡¯s going to be quite a while, between the procession and the ceremony, before the wedding feast begins. I¡¯m a bit worried Beatrice will faint, as I didn¡¯t see her eat much at breakfast.¡± ¡°I like this one,¡± Lady Crosbie said, and patted Liv on the cheek. ¡°Good thinking, Liv. Lovota, come along with me and let¡¯s bring a few plates back.¡± The moment the door to Liv¡¯s sitting room had closed behind them, Triss threw herself down on the cushioned bench and gave a muffled scream of frustration. ¡°I¡¯d forgotten how maddening she is!¡± ¡°Enjoy your moment of peace; I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve distracted them for long,¡± Liv said. ¡°Do you think I could just climb out the window?¡± Triss asked. ¡°Grab Matthew, and the two of us could just ride a horse over and get it done without all the nonsense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a nice idea,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°But I also think one day of nonsense isn¡¯t much, in the end. If you can stab monsters to death while half-dumb from a head wound, I think you can survive this.¡± ¡°So long as you don¡¯t abandon me,¡± Triss begged. ¡°She¡¯s on her best behavior because you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°This is her best behavior?¡± Liv exclaimed, but immediately had to put on a smile when the door opened, to reveal Lady Crosbie and her maid bringing in plates heaped with tarts. ? Eventually, the Crosbie half of the procession was dressed and assembled. Baron Arnold had brought three carriages north through the pass, and all of them were decorated with streaming lengths of ribbon in black and red silk. They must have come all the way from Lendh ka Dakruim, Liv thought, and wondered just how much Triss¡¯ parents had paid for them. If Triss really did have seven older brothers, only four had been permitted to come, while the others remained in Valegard. Their names had slipped right back out of Liv¡¯s mind the moment she¡¯d been introduced, save for one: a short, stocky fellow called Bliant. Between he and Lady Crosbie, Liv wondered whether horrid names were a family tradition. Triss was maneuvered into the first carriage, with her father and mother, and she clung to Liv¡¯s arm with such an iron grip that no one objected when the two of them sat together. The four brothers took the second carriage, while servants filled the third, and half a dozen knights in scarlet and black jack of plate rode alongside. The streets were crowded: a wedding was always a community event, but the marriage of the heir to the duchy was in effect a public holiday. From glances out the carriage window, Liv could see that the only shops open were those selling food or drink along the route of the procession. Market stalls had been brought over and set up, as well, as if an entire fair day had been transplanted to line the route between Castle Whitehill and the temple. Liv saw hot cider and mulled wine, fresh baked pies, smoked brisket, and dozens of other treats changing hands for a few coppers. She decided to make it a point to introduce Triss¡¯ family to Whitehill steak sauce. The inside of the temple was packed so tightly that only a narrow aisle up the center was clear: there were no seats, and everyone stood shoulder to shoulder. Osric Fletcher stood at the front by the altar, with Matthew and his father and mother waiting. They were all dressed in green and white, the colors of the Summerset heraldry, and even with his sleeve pinned up Matthew managed to look quite gallant. Once they¡¯d reached the altar, Liv took her place behind Triss, at the back, and let the ritual words wash over her as she glanced over the crowd. There were so many familiar faces: her father had come, she noticed, and stood with Master Grenfell and Mistress Trafford, but nearby Liv saw her mother and Gretta, as well, and even Archibald. She knew they¡¯d be hurrying back to the kitchens as soon as the ceremony was done, but for now Duchess Julianne had insisted everyone attend. There was Emma with her family, and Liv recognized many of the knights and castle guards she¡¯d known over the years. Master Gaunt the bookseller was there, and Mistress Joan who¡¯d cut and polished the mana-stone in the pommel of Liv¡¯s wand. Even an aged Big Whit, whose farm Liv had once scoured clean of a blood-monster, could be seen looming head and shoulders above his neighbors at the back of the crowd. ¡°...and today, we seek the blessing of the Lady of Changes on this couple,¡± Osric Fletcher continued. ¡°To take a partner in marriage is to look upon a vast and stormy sea in the distance, and to chart a course regardless. Time alters all of us. The youth that you see before you will fade, and beauty does not last. You will know times of trouble and sickness - but you will also know times of joy and love. None of us can see what Sitia holds in store for our future, but today you vow to share what comes, nonetheless.¡± The words were familiar: the same spoken for Emma¡¯s wedding, a few years before. Liv¡¯s eyes flicked back to her mother, and for a moment she wondered what her parents would have looked like, standing before the altar of the trinity, speaking their own vows. It wasn¡¯t the Elden way, Liv knew. To promise the entirety of a life to a single person. She wondered how anyone could. There was so much that could happen, so much that could change, that it seemed almost arrogant to declare that no matter what came, you¡¯d have only a single man or woman for the rest of your existence. She looked at Baron Henry, sitting in his wheeled chair, and Matthew, with his lost arm, and wondered whether Julianne ever regretted her own vows. By the time Liv had roused herself from her own thoughts, the priest was finishing. If Matthew and Triss had any misgivings, she couldn¡¯t see it from their faces: both were grinning wider than Liv had ever seen before. ? The feast felt as much like a farewell as a celebration. Liv would be leaving on the second day after the wedding, and Thora had already packed most of her things. The great hall of Castle Whitehill was loud and hot with the press of bodies: every one of Henry or Arnold¡¯s knights who could be present had brought their wives and children. The mayor was present, and the sheriff. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Liv was still given a place at the high table, and her father as an honored guest, but Master Grenfell and Mistress Trafford had been relocated to make room for Triss¡¯ parents and brothers. The wine flowed freely, and a corner had been cleared to make room for a wooden dais. There, a succession of musicians performed during the feast. Whitehill wasn¡¯t large enough for the castle to employ anyone on a permanent basis, so the same farmers and miners who played for coppers each market day had been invited to entertain the feast. For most of them, it was the only time they¡¯d ever spend among so many knights and higher nobles. Triss made certain to drag Liv out, once she¡¯d had a few cups of wine, to spin around together. It reminded her of the nights in Freeport they¡¯d spent at The Black Horse, drinking entirely too much in the company of Captain Athearn¡¯s sailors. This time, at least, there was no assassination attempt. Instead, the crowd steadily dwindled as the night went on, with guests slipping off alone or in pairs. When Matthew and Triss went, it was to a round of cheers and rude suggestions, which the bride took in stride, shouting back rejoiners just as ribald. Matthew finally managed to drag her out and close the door behind them, and once Liv managed to stop laughing, she found Duchess Julianne leaning over her shoulder. ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯re heading up Deer Peak bright and early,¡± she said, and Liv nodded. She thought she had a pretty good idea of the reason for an expedition, and once she had it on her mind, it was hard to get back into the spirit of the feast. Not long after, Liv made her own excuses and headed up to her rooms. ? They rode up the slopes after a quick breakfast, wrapped in cloaks to keep the brisk air of late-harvest at bay. Liv could have used a bit of magic, just to produce enough heat to keep herself comfortable, but she wasn¡¯t certain precisely what Julianne would be asking her to do. She¡¯d brought her wand, and she wore not only her guild ring, but also the set of gold bracelet and rings that she¡¯d won off Princess Milisant. They tied the horses to the branch of an aspen tree, right near the spot where Liv had practiced her magic by sliding down the mountain with Emma and Master Grenfell. ¡°Have a seat,¡± Julianne said. They both arranged their skirts beneath them, and settled on a patch of grass that had already lost its green color for the winter. ¡°You know that almost no one comes to a word of power like you did. We pass them down from parent to child, yes, but for nearly everyone imprinting is a deliberate thing.¡± ¡°I get the impression that¡¯s mostly the same in the north,¡± Liv said. ¡°But also that people with a lot of V?dic ancestry sometimes go through what I did. I think it¡¯s just because there¡¯s so many more generations removed, in the south.¡± ¡°Among humans, you mean,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how your father¡¯s people would do this. If you decide to remain in the guild, they¡¯ll do the same thing to teach you Aluth as what I do today.¡± ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Nothing except lean your head forward,¡± Julianne told her, ¡°and try to relax.¡± The older woman gripped Liv¡¯s head between both her hands, digging her fingers beneath the hair to make contact with the scalp. ¡°D¨­ Luc,¡± the duchess intoned. For a moment, Liv was afraid that it hadn¡¯t worked, because she felt nothing happening. Perhaps something about her Elden heritage made her different, as it had in so many other ways. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t be able to learn magic like humans could, and they would need her father¡¯s help. Would she even be able to go to college at all? Mana seared through Liv¡¯s head, and she screamed. Her world was burnt white, smoke filled her nose, and she couldn¡¯t move. Every muscle in her body tensed. Then, she felt nothing, as if her body was once again very far away, as it had been when she experienced her vision of Varuna. She was the rumbling of the clouds, a kind of building pressure that demanded release, escape, something. To lash out. When the moment finally came, Liv shot down to the earth below, always seeking, seeking, until she found a tall pine. Striking it was a relief: blasting the wood, leaving it smoking and blackened, left her limp and exhausted, the same feeling one got when lying down after a long, hard day. Over and over, Liv fell from the clouds: onto a beach of white sand, where she fused everything she struck into glass. At sea, where there was nothing but the roiling waves. Onto a city, where the tallest towers and steeples were adorned with wonderful iron spikes, to catch her as she fell. Finally, she came back to herself, and found that Julianne¡¯s fingers were gently massaging her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it hurts,¡± the duchess murmured. ¡°It is not a gentle word.¡± Liv moaned: her head ached, but Julianne¡¯s cool fingers felt good. ¡°Should I try it, then?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s why we came up here,¡± the duchess said. ¡°I think you¡¯ve more than enough knowledge of V?dic grammar to make an attempt. I don¡¯t want you to be disappointed, though. I doubt this word will come as easily as the first.¡± ¡°Lucet Co Derua,¡± Liv intoned, thrusting her wand out toward a half-dead aspen tree on the other side of the summit. She could feel the lightning gathering in the clouds above, bouncing between the tiniest bits of ice, but this time she was not restricted to simply building up pressure until it burst. A brilliant, purple-white bolt fell from the heavens, splitting the tree in two and leaving the halves of the trunk burning. ¡°Good,¡± Julianne said. ¡°Now perhaps you might use a bit of ice to put it out before we have a forest fire on our hands.¡± ? The next morning, after Thora had finished dressing her, Liv found Wren waiting in the hall outside her room, wearing her hunting leathers and armed with the bow, quiver and skinning knives that had been taken from her after the eruption. ¡°Come to say farewell?¡± Liv asked. Thora hurried past down the hall: the maid had plenty to do in organizing the transportation of all their things. Wren shook her head. ¡°The Duchess has given me my first task,¡± she said, motioning for Liv to continue down the hall toward the stairs. ¡°To keep you alive over the next four years.¡± ¡°So what, you¡¯re my bodyguard?¡± Liv asked. Wren nodded. ¡°With everything I¡¯ve told them, she said she doesn¡¯t trust there won¡¯t be more trouble in the near future. I think if she could¡¯ve found an excuse to send you with half a dozen guards, she would have.¡± When they reached the courtyard, where a single carriage waited, Liv was surprised to see a crowd nearly as large as the one at the wedding feast. Steria was tied to the back of the wagon with a lead, and the oddly wrapped package strapped to the roof could only be the gigantic casque she¡¯d taken from the bat beneath the mines. ¡°I¡¯ll be just a step behind you,¡± Wren murmured, then dropped back to match her words. The guards who¡¯d gone with Liv to the eruption were first: Piers and Tobias, of course, but also the knights, even Sir Randel, who¡¯d given her so much trouble. They said their farewells in turn, and Liv found herself embracing Emma and her father, and even taking a moment to tickle the baby¡¯s cheek. Archibald shook Liv¡¯s hand, while the newer maids and footmen simply wished her safe travels. Warin, the miner she¡¯d dragged down the mountain, had come to see her off, with a crutch under his arm. Mistress Trafford gave her an unexpected hug, while Master Grenfell presented Liv with a new copy of Blackwood¡¯s Bestiary. ¡°I ordered it in the spring,¡± he said. ¡°Can¡¯t send you along with just that ancient copy you had.¡± Liv thanked him, tucked the book under her arm, and then found herself caught up and squeezed by first Triss, then Matthew. ¡°Look out for yourself, and don¡¯t get in too much trouble,¡± Matthew told her. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Liv joked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep him busy here,¡± Triss said, grinning and elbowing Liv. They parted to make way for Baron Henry and Duchess Julianne. Liv shook the baron¡¯s hand, but Julianne caught her in another hug. ¡°Your rooms are waiting at the High Hall,¡± Julianne told her. ¡°I¡¯ve made certain you have a large enough suite for your things and your servants.¡± She winked at that, and Liv understood that Wren was to be passed off as some sort of maid or other. ¡°Make certain you write. And only practice what I taught you where you can be certain no one will find out.¡± Liv nodded, and then ended up in Gretta¡¯s arms. ¡°Goodbye, my dove,¡± the old cook said, and Liv could see that she was crying. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Liv assured her. ¡°It¡¯s only four years.¡± ¡°Aye, only four years,¡± Gretta said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, Livy. Now go say farewell to your parents.¡± Liv¡¯s mother and father were standing just before the carriage, with just a bit of distance between them. ¡°Try not to pick up any bad habits from the human professors,¡± Valtteri told her. ¡°I won¡¯t be travelling that far south, but when you¡¯ve finished, come and find us at Kelthelis.¡± Liv nodded, and then her father stepped aside. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you,¡± her mother said, and they each wrapped the other in an embrace. ¡°Make sure you eat well down there in the south. Gretta and I packed you a bit of food for the journey.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Liv knew that using the waystone she¡¯d hardly be on the road long enough to eat anything, but she smiled anyway. She put a foot on the running board, then turned back once, and waved. Then, before anyone could see that she was crying, Liv settled herself on the carriage bench and pulled the door closed. The driver urged the team of horses into motion, and the wagon rolled out of Castle Whitehill, then down into the streets of The Hill. Beyond lay the Aspen Valley, and the mine-road north to the Waystone. Liv watched out the windows the entire way, and both Thora and Wren gave her the gift of silence. She tried to set the image of the mountains in her mind, so that she¡¯d never forget them. 83. Coral Bay Liv came back to herself kneeling on a wide circle of white stone, her fingers just brushing the surface of an unfamiliar sigil. Arriving on a waystone never became less bizarre a sensation, even if she knew what to expect by now. She was back in the world, but it didn¡¯t feel quite the same - or rather, she didn¡¯t. There remained the vague, unreasoning urge to chase after the echoes of other voices, other fingers, somewhere in the places between one stone and another. Her moment of stillness was interrupted by a wave breaking over the waystone, sending a thin film of water swirling around her boots and soaking her skirts. Liv scrambled to her feet before another wave could come, and spun around to get her bearings. The coach she¡¯d brought was waiting for her in the center of the waystone, door open, and Steria was still attached to the back by a lead. The wrapped bulk of the stone-bat casque she¡¯d brought back from Bald Peak had weathered the ride from Whitehill just fine: it hadn¡¯t even slid out of place, and remained tied securely to the top of the carriage. Everything was as Liv had left it when she activated the waystone - it was only the world around that had altered. Rather than the cool mountain air of late harvest season, and the bite of coming snow, Coral Bay was bathed in warmth. Liv had heard her father¡¯s family refer to anything past the mountains as ¡®the southlands¡¯ - and even people who lived in Whitehill spoke that way, sometimes. She hadn¡¯t really understood when she was visiting Freeport, but here it felt like summer in the mountains. Even the ocean water was warmer than a mountain lake. The waystone was set into the sand of a long, white beach, and Liv guessed that whether it would be above or beneath the water would depend on the shifting tides. The bay here was nothing like the dark waters of Freeport: instead, the water went from nearly clear as glass in the shallows, to a vibrant color somewhere between blue and green. On the horizon, she could see a ring of breakers, marking the coral reef that sheltered the bay from the open ocean. ¡°Clear the way!¡± Someone shouted from behind her, and Liv looked down to see that the waystone had begun to glow with the red light that warned anyone standing on it of danger. Liv lifted her soaked skirts, waved to the driver, and scrambled out of the water onto the beach. There was a wooden walkway there, raised from the sand, which led directly from the road to the waystone. Now that she wasn¡¯t looking out at the ocean, Liv could see blocks upon blocks of houses, warehouses, inns, and shops. To the south, there was a forest of ship-masts, presumably the fishing fleet; and to the north, she could see a series of large stone buildings atop a bluff that overlooked the bay. The driver took the carriage over the wooden bridge to the road, and Liv followed, wringing out her wet skirts as she went. At the road, a carriage was just pulling away, loaded down with trunks and travelling bags. Gulls circled overhead on the warm breeze, and a boy with slouched shoulders was brushing sand from his travelling luggage. Liv kept one eye on her carriage, but the driver seemed to have the process of maneuvering it onto the road well in hand. Liv was surprised to see that the street was paved with white shells, rather than cobblestones, when she reached it. ¡°Are you alright, there?¡± Liv asked, pausing on her way past. The boy who glanced up at her looked to be about the same age as Liv, but his skin was as dark as the Elden merchant, Airis Ka Reimis, and his hair was black. His clothes were peculiar, as well: a long coat of silk brocade, tight around the torso but flaring at the legs, and patterned with checks and waves in a variety of warm yellows, oranges and reds. There was a sash about his waist, and some sort of wrapping on his head, sitting above his brows and not concealing the entirety of his dark hair. ¡°Well enough,¡± the boy answered, and even his accent was strange to Liv¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯m simply waiting for the next carriage to come from the college.¡± Liv grinned. ¡°You¡¯re here to study, as well?¡± The boy nodded. ¡°Yes, though I was not fortunate enough to bring my own driver.¡± ¡°You know,¡± Liv said, looking over to her carriage, ¡°there¡¯s only three of us riding inside. If you don¡¯t mind cramming your things wherever we can fit them, we could give you a ride up.¡± Another carriage was already rumbling up the wood bridge to the road, having come off the waystone, but the driver showed no signs of stopping. ¡°I would be incredibly grateful,¡± the young man in the odd clothing said. ¡°Please, allow me to introduce myself, before I accept your kindness. My name is Arjun Iyuz.¡± ¡°Liv Brodbeck.¡± She offered her hand before she could think better of which names she¡¯d given: the college was in Lucania, and it didn¡¯t feel like the Elden form would fit. Arjun hesitated, so Liv decided to help him out. ¡°You accept my hand in yours, and sort of bow over it. You lower your head like you¡¯re going to kiss my knuckles, but you don¡¯t actually do that unless we¡¯re courting or you want to be courting.¡± ¡°Thank you, again,¡± Arjun said, and did as she¡¯d explained. ¡°I can see already that I¡¯m going to have a lot to learn here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re from Lendh ka Dakruim, aren¡¯t you?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Let¡¯s see where we can fit your things.¡± ¡°Was it the clothing, the accent, or the complete lack of awareness on how to comport myself here?¡± the boy asked her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the name,¡± Liv said. ¡°That isn¡¯t even vaguely a Lucanian name. Help us get these things loaded, please,¡± she told the driver. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking Master Arjun with us up to the college.¡± ¡°As you say, m¡¯lady,¡± the man said, and scrambled down to begin dealing with Arjun¡¯s things. ¡°It was still a good guess,¡± the boy said, setting to the task with a willing back. ¡°I could have been Eldish, for instance.¡± ¡°No you aren¡¯t,¡± Liv said, and laughed. ¡°Only someone who¡¯d never met one of the Vakansa would say that.¡± She raised a hand and tapped her ear, right at the tip. ¡°I¡¯m half Elden, myself.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Arjun paused in lifting one of his trunks. ¡°My apologies, then, Mistress Brodbeck. I had no intention of offending.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think my father¡¯s people get all the way to Lendh ka Dakruim very often,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m not offended. Come along inside, and let me introduce you.¡± She opened the carriage door and took a seat next to Thora, leaving the seat next to Wren open. ¡°This is Arjun Iyuz, from Lendh ka Dakruim,¡± Liv said, as he climbed into the carriage. ¡°We¡¯re going to take him with us up to the college so he doesn¡¯t have to wait. Arjun, this is Thora, my maid, and Wren -¡± she paused, not quite certain what to say. ¡°Her bodyguard,¡± Wren supplied, looking the boy over with narrowed eyes. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Then I shall be certain to keep my hands where you can see them,¡± Arjun said. Wren grunted, pulled the carriage door closed, and said nothing more. A moment later, having loaded the carriage as best he could, the driver clambered back up into his seat, and they were off. Liv wanted to look out at the town as they rolled through the streets, but she also didn¡¯t want to be rude. With one lingering glance at the houses, which seemed to be walled with some kind of plaster, Liv turned back into the carriage. ¡°Do many people from Lendh ka Dakruim come here to study?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed that I don¡¯t know.¡± Arjun shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he answered. ¡°I would be rather the exception to the rule, I think. The way Lucania handles magic is very much at odds with how our jati work.¡± ¡°What made you decide to come, then?¡± Liv pressed. She felt the angle of the carriage change as it began to roll uphill, and she guessed they must be approaching the bluff where the college was located. ¡°I¡¯m not certain everyone who lives here understands just how exceptional the concept of the college is,¡± Arjun explained, choosing his words carefully. ¡°I cannot think of any other organization in the world dedicated to not only sharing knowledge of V?dic Grammar, but also actively trying to rediscover what has been lost - nevermind developing new ideas.¡± Liv smiled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like that in your home?¡± Arjun shook his head. ¡°No. My family are - I believe you would call us chirurgeons. We use spells that have been passed down from generation to generation, but there is a great deal of resistance to trying new ways of doing things. I have the misfortune to be arrogant enough to think I can do things better than my grandparents. So, I have come here, to learn. I notice, by the way, that your hands are bandaged.¡± Liv had to actively resist hiding her hands under her skirts. She¡¯d thought about leaving the bandages off today, for her arrival. Circulating mana nightly had nearly entirely healed the places where Mistress Trafford had cut away skin that had been corrupted by mana sickness, but the scars were still bright and new, and even tender in some places. The bandages did a good job of keeping them clean and covered in ointment. ¡°I had a bit of mana-poisoning recently,¡± Liv said vaguely. ¡°Perhaps you would allow me to examine them, later,¡± Arjun offered. ¡°I can¡¯t promise to do anything, of course, but I would like to attempt to repay your kindness.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Liv said. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± Wren broke in, pointing out the window. The College of V?dic Grammar consisted of four large buildings and a fifth that was quite a bit smaller, arranged around a central courtyard. They were all built from white limestone - though four looked to be of much more recent construction than the fifth, which was weathered from age. There was an old stone wall around the courtyard, though it did not look to have been maintained for some time, and no guards patrolled the parapets. The courtyard already held three carriages in various stages of being unloaded when their own driver pulled the team of horses to a stop. There were people everywhere, and no sooner had Liv opened the door to the carriage and stepped out than a young man with reddish-brown hair and a harried face hurried up to her. ¡°Name,¡± he said, holding an open book in his left hand and a polished stick of wood engraved with sigils of gold and silver in the right. ¡°Liv Brodbeck, from Whitehill,¡± she said. ¡°And this is Master Arjun Iyuz, from Lendh ka Dakruim. Thora and Wren, there, are my servants.¡± And how odd it felt for Liv to say that. ¡°Arjun, you¡¯re in the East Hall,¡± the young man said, after running his finger down a written list. ¡°Third floor, good luck getting all your things up there. Second door on the left once you get off the stairs. Brodbeck-¡± he flipped his page, read for a moment, frowned, and then flipped again. ¡°High Hall,¡± he said, finally. ¡°Over there.¡± He pointed at the most ornate of the buildings, trimmed in fine wood and with large paned windows to let in the light. ¡°Second floor.¡± ¡°Which door?¡± Liv asked. She had noticed that Arjun received an extra level of instruction that she hadn¡¯t. ¡°Right side,¡± the man said. ¡°There¡¯s only one. You¡¯ve got till next bell for your man to get the carriage unloaded and out of here.¡± ¡°And my horse?¡± Liv raised her hand to indicate Steria. ¡°There¡¯s a stable just outside the wall,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Liv smiled. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, Master-?¡± ¡°Maynard,¡± the russet-haired man said. ¡°And that¡¯s journeyman, by the way, not master. Only master mages get that around here, try to keep that in mind.¡± With that, he turned on his heel, and vanished back into the general hubbub. ¡°I¡¯ll start getting these up, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said, and hitched one of Liv¡¯s bags over her shoulder. The carriage driver, in the meanwhile, had descended from his perch and begun to unload the various trunks and bags. The wrapped casque atop the carriage, however, began to draw a crowd. ¡°What is that?¡± a young woman with black hair and an unfortunate nose asked, pointing up at the enormous package. ¡°That¡¯s a stone-bat casque,¡± Liv said. ¡°The largest I¡¯ve ever seen. I took it out of the eruption at Bald Peak after-¡± ¡°What are you planning to do with it?¡± a rail-thin older man asked, sweeping through the crowd toward her. ¡°I hadn¡¯t quite figured that part out, yet,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°The eruption only finished three days ago, and I didn¡¯t want to leave it in Whitehill.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to examine it, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± the man said, then offered Liv his hand. ¡°Master Norris, Professor of Enchanting.¡± Liv slipped her hand into his, and the older mage made a cursory bow over her knuckles - little more than a dip of his head. ¡°Liv Brodbeck,¡± she said. ¡°You actually sound like exactly the person I want to speak to. I can¡¯t imagine storing it in my rooms -¡± Norris waved his hand through the air dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ll have it brought around to the back. We have plenty of space in the workshops. You¡¯re Jurian¡¯s apprentice? He told us you¡¯d be coming this year.¡± ¡°Master Jurian, yes,¡± Liv confirmed, and couldn¡¯t help but touch her thumb to the guild ring, where it decorated one finger of her right hand. She hadn¡¯t seen the man in six years, since the conclave at Freeport, but she suspected that he was the sort of person who picked right back up where he¡¯d left off with someone, regardless of the amount of intervening time. ¡°Do you know if he¡¯s about?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be hiding in his office,¡± Norris said. ¡°You won¡¯t catch him dead in all this mess. Turstin! Genne! Get over here and unload this thing. Carefully, now - if you break it, I¡¯ll have you both repairing enchantments on the pipes for the next season.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you could break it if you tried,¡± Liv pointed out. A well-muscled young man and a woman with shoulders nearly as wide climbed up on the carriage and began the process of untying the casque. ¡°Don¡¯t challenge them,¡± Professor Norris said. ¡°The only thing my students are better at doing than building things, is breaking them. You come and see me after your entrance exams, Miss Brodbeck.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Liv promised. With Thora already off into the High hall with an armload of things, the driver and Arjun stacking bags and trunks, and the enchanting students taking down the casque, there seemed to be very little for her to do. Professor Norris was more concerned with supervising the transportation of his new treasure than with her, and Wren seemed to have decided she could best do her job by glaring at everyone who rushed by. Just as Liv had bent over and was about to grab one of her own bags from the pile and go looking for her rooms, she heard someone call her name from across the courtyard. The voice was almost familiar, but - Liv straightened and turned to see who it was, only to find herself swept up in a man¡¯s arms and spun around, her shoes leaving the courtyard entirely. Before she could say anything, a dark haired young man in a black and gold coat pressed his lips to hers in a very public kiss. For a moment, Liv was simply too shocked to do anything at all. Her mind couldn¡¯t catch up to what was happening, but something about the man¡¯s appearance tickled at the back of her mind. Black and gold, dark hair - She should slap him, push him aside, Liv knew, but there was something solid and wonderful about the strength of his arms, the way she was crushed into his chest. Something familiar and new, all at once. She was certain, all of a sudden, that she knew who this was, and for just a moment, Liv allowed herself to kiss him back. Her belly felt fluttery and warm, and she was certain that both her cheeks and the tips of her ears were flushing bright pink. ¡°Cade?¡± she gasped, the moment he released her. But the young man - boy, really - she¡¯d known at Freeport had been slight and smooth-faced, nothing at all like this broad-shouldered man who towered above her, who had casually lifted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing more than a pillow. ¡°Liv,¡± Cade Talbot said, grinning. He took her hands in his own, and she was suddenly embarrassed for the bandages, though he hadn¡¯t remarked on them. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again. Gods, it''s been so long. You¡¯re more beautiful than ever. I wasn¡¯t sure whether you¡¯d be coming today, or-¡± ¡°Get your hands off her,¡± Wren said, pressing the blade of a knife to Cade¡¯s throat. ¡°Or I¡¯ll slit your neck right now.¡± 84. High Hall ¡°Wren,¡± Liv said, ¡°put the knife down, please.¡± The huntress¡¯ gaze remained cold, and all around them students had stopped their comings and goings, their loadings and unloadings of luggage, to stare. Liv could already hear them whispering, and she had to fight the urge to hunch her shoulders under the weight of their attention. ¡°He asked to court me years ago,¡± Liv continued. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± That might have been an exaggeration: being hoisted up without warning and kissed in full view of the entire courtyard was actually not how she would have preferred to begin her time at Coral Bay, but letting her ¡®servant¡¯ slit Cade¡¯s throat would be even worse. With a grunt, Wren lowered the knife, stepped back, flipped it around by the handle and slid it into a sheath at her waist. Cade, who had been holding himself stiff and motionless, finally relaxed, though he turned to regard the dark-haired huntress warily. ¡°Your bodyguard?¡± he guessed. ¡°Yes,¡± Liv said. ¡°Cade, this is Wren. Wren, this is Cade Talbot. He didn¡¯t mean any harm, we just haven¡¯t seen each other in a while. I think we can excuse him for being a little forward.¡± Cade considered the situation for a moment, then smiled, and inclined his head to Wren. ¡°I consider this my own fault, and I apologize. Believe it or not, it actually makes me feel better to know that my intended has someone like you, Miss Wren, to keep her safe.¡± Wren laughed. ¡°That one doesn¡¯t need anyone to protect her,¡± she said. ¡°Not against anyone who comes at her from the front, in any case. Only knives in the back.¡± ¡°Yes, well,¡± Cade stumbled over his words for a moment, ¡°may I help you carry your things up to your rooms?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Liv said. ¡°I hardly even know where I¡¯m going.¡± Professor Norris, having at last noticed something happening that might demand his intercession, reluctantly detached himself from the transportation of the enormous casque Liv had brought, and approached. ¡°Is everything alright here?¡± he asked, pinning first Wren and then Cade with a stern gaze. ¡°Only a misunderstanding,¡± Cade assured him. ¡°See that¡¯s all it is,¡± Norris instructed, with a sharp nod. ¡°Now, move along and get your things sorted, Miss Brodbeck. There¡¯s more carriages coming. It¡¯s a big class this year, sixty-seven students expected.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor.¡± Liv picked out the trunk that contained her leather armor and hoisted it, gripping the handle with both hands. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, Arjun,¡± Liv called over to the boy from Lendh ka Dakruim, who¡¯d gotten his things piled up to one side and was now struggling to carry three bags at once. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll see you in classes.¡± ¡°Here, I¡¯ll show you where to go,¡± Cade interrupted, grabbing two of Liv¡¯s trunks. ¡°High Hall is over this way - it was originally Barnett-Falkenrath hall, but that was too much of a mouthful.¡± He set off across the courtyard, and Liv waved once to Arjun before hurrying after him. Wren took only one bag, and Liv noticed she left her right hand free in case she needed to draw that dagger again. Indeed, the arch above the doors to the hall still bore the names of two ducal families, carefully engraved into the white limestone. Up the steps and through the open doors ¨C someone had propped them with slivers of wood, because there was so much traffic ¨C Liv followed Cade into a great foyer, with a polished stone floor and a grand staircase that led to the upper stories. ¡°Second floor,¡± Liv called up to Cade, who was already taking the stairs two at a time. ¡°Right side, they said.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re with Sidonie Corbett and Edith Gage,¡± Cade called back, putting his back to the bannister so that a group of servants could pass him on their way down. ¡°We made certain of it once it was clear their third had washed out last year.¡± The first floor, from what Liv could tell at a glance, was for men, while the second was for women. The stairs continued up past her landing, though no one seemed to be headed in that direction at the moment. She was astounded, when they reached the top of the stairs, at just how much room was wasted in a building that was supposed to be for housing students. The second floor landing of High Hall opened into a great common room, with a hearth to each side of the stairs, though neither was lit at the moment. Liv wasn¡¯t certain she could imagine the need for two fireplaces in a single room at Coral Bay, given how warm it was outside, but the mantles were of finely cut and polished marble, so perhaps they were meant to be ornamental more than anything. The inner walls were hung with tapestries, while those that opened on the courtyard were set with large paned windows, and doors out onto what seemed to be a balcony. Opposite the balcony, behind and to the sides of the grand staircase, were more windows that looked out over the old wall around the campus, and provided a view of the town down the bluff, and the land beyond. The common room itself contained a long dining table - though not as long as the high table at Castle Whitehill - with four chairs along each side. Near the hearths were a variety of cushioned chairs and benches, along with low tables for tea. All of the furniture was made of oak, richly stained and polished, and the cushions were covered in sturdy brocade. Liv and Wren followed Cade to the right, immediately upon stepping off the staircase, to a closed wooden door set to the left of the hearth on that side of the common room. Cade set one trunk down on the floor and knocked firmly. ¡°Sidonie, Liv¡¯s here,¡± he called in. A moment later, the door opened to reveal an auburn haired young woman with pale, freckled skin and pink cheeks, as if she¡¯d dashed over. ¡°Sidonie¡¯s run down to the library,¡± she said, ¡°But she¡¯ll be back in a bit. Good morning, Cade.¡± She flashed a bright smile without even looking at Liv. ¡°Liv, this is Edith Gage,¡± Cade said, lifting up the trunk he¡¯d set down and squeezing past her through the doorway. ¡°From Chestnut Hollow.¡± ¡°A pleasure to meet you,¡± Liv said. She would have preferred to see Sidonie first, rather than a stranger, but if she was going to be living with Edith for some time, she wanted to make a good impression. She put on her best smile. ¡°Your maid¡¯s already got started in your room,¡± Edith said. ¡°Furthest room on the right, next to the bath-chamber.¡± Her eyes flicked down to Liv¡¯s bandaged hands, where they gripped the handle of her trunk. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°Just healing from a bit of mana-sickness,¡± Liv said, wondering if she might have been better off taking the bandages off before coming, after all. ¡°Nothing serious.¡± She followed Cade across a shared sitting room, where she could see the evidence of Sidonie¡¯s presence from the pile of books on one of three desks. Beyond the sitting room, Thora was indeed already bustling about the bed-chamber that would belong to Liv for as long as she stayed at Coral Bay. There was a four post bed, with freshly laundered sheets and gauzy curtains, and a vanity, along with a great wardrobe and trunk, all of oak. It appeared to be a corner room, for there were windows along two walls, and Thora had already opened them to let in the sea breeze. ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself about unpacking, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back with the rest of your things in a moment.¡± The maid hurried out through the sitting room. Liv set the trunk she¡¯d carried up down on the floor, opened it, and began laying out pieces of white leather armor on her bed. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ll need to find an armor stand in town,¡± she decided, casting about the room for a good place to put it. ¡°And a place to buy tallow.¡± Wren threw the bag she¡¯d carried down along one wall, then sat on the edge of the bed, from whence she glared at the girl hovering just outside the room. ¡°You brought armor?¡± Edith asked, from Liv¡¯s doorway. From her tone, she might as well have been asking whether Liv had brought a pile of manure. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve got some decent summer dresses, as well. You¡¯ll get more use out of them.¡± ¡°This is good work,¡± Cade said, picking up a pauldron and examining it. ¡°Enchanted?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°By the armorer at Kelthelis,¡± she explained. ¡°I¡¯ve never really seen Eldish work up close before,¡± Cade admitted. ¡°You¡¯re Eldish?¡± Edith asked. ¡°Half,¡± Liv said. Something about the girl was already getting on her nerves, and it took a moment to put her finger on it. Edith¡¯s tone reminded her of Mirabel and Griselda, during her lessons with Master Grenfell so long ago. ¡°People say Eldish men aren¡¯t really men at all,¡± Edith commented. ¡°That they¡¯re all impotent. That¡¯s why they have so few children.¡± ¡°The fact it¡¯s my father who is Elden would argue against that,¡± Liv shot back. ¡°It¡¯s just what people say,¡± Edith said, and shrugged. ¡°Enjoy getting unpacked. Will you join us for dinner, Cade?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll eat in the great hall this evening; the Archmagus always talks to the new students, so you should be there for it, Liv.¡± ¡°Maybe tomorrow, then.¡± Edith slipped back into the sitting room, and Liv took a deep breath. She noticed her hands were clenched into fists, and deliberately loosened them. ¡°You remember this?¡± Liv asked Cade, and walked over to the vanity, where Thora had set down her jewelry case. She opened it up, and pulled out the carcanet that Cade had sent her years before. ¡°I do,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never got to see you in it, though.¡± ¡°Maybe we can fix that tonight,¡± Liv said. ¡°I feel as if the first dinner here would be excuse enough to dress up.¡± ¡°Let me go see to your horse,¡± Cade offered, ¡°and make sure your driver gets off.¡± He leaned down to kiss Liv on her forehead, which was much less embarrassing ¨C but also less exciting ¨C than the kiss he¡¯d given her in the courtyard. Once he was out the door and tromping down the staircase, Liv lifted the carcanet to her neck and held it there for Wren to see. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked. ¡°I think it looks like a collar,¡± Wren said. ¡°You Lucanians are bizarre. If he wants you as a wife, he should go out and hunt you a jaguar.¡± ? The evening meal in the great hall was a crowded affair: Liv guessed there were nearly two hundred students, spread across sixteen long tables arranged with a central aisle leading up the hall. At the high table, Liv recognized not only Archmagus Loredan, but also Professor Norris, the enchanter, Master Jurian, who she had difficulty thinking of by a different title, and Professor Blackwood, who she¡¯d seen at the conclave in Freeport. In addition to those four, there was a gray-haired woman in a white dress, and a tall, thin, severe woman with dark hair. Liv could guess they were professors, but she wasn¡¯t certain of what. ¡°Professor Annora is the one in white,¡± Sidonie answered, when Liv asked. She¡¯d taken the seat on Liv¡¯s right, while Cade was on her left. Liv had managed to catch Arjun on the way in, as well, and he was across the table from her. Wren and Thora were at a separate meal for servants: Liv had made certain they knew where to go before coming down. She¡¯d changed into a fresh dress, taken the bandages off her hands, and put on the carcanet just as she¡¯d told Cade she would. The gold bracelet, rings and chains Liv had won from the princess had been left in her room, for now. ¡°And the tall woman?¡± Liv asked, pushing a bit of white fish around her plate. Nothing in her meal was infused with mana, which was going to be a problem if the night¡¯s menu represented the normal state of affairs. ¡°Professor Every,¡± Cade answered. ¡°She teaches guild history and law. Is the food alright?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Liv said. ¡°Only I need to have a certain amount of mana in my diet, or I have problems.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to want to eat at High Hall, then,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°You can talk to the cooks downstairs about special meals. I don¡¯t think the college can afford to feed enriched food to hundreds of students every meal.¡± ¡°Listen up!¡± Master Jurian bellowed, and Liv was immediately reminded of the conclave. Once the voices in the hall had subsided, Archmagus Loredan rose. ¡°I will not ask your attention for long,¡± he said, scanning the room with his eyes. For just a moment, Liv found herself the focus of the Archmage¡¯s attention before he moved on. ¡°Welcome, our new students. By this time next year, many of you will no longer be with us. There is a good reason for that. This college is a place where you earn your position. We do not evaluate you on your birth, your wealth, or your ancestors. For some of you, this will be an unpleasant change. For others, it will be a freedom to savor.¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning, all first year students will assemble in the courtyard at ninth bell for evaluations. I recommend that you wear clothing you can move in, as there will be combat evaluations,¡± Loredan said. ¡°Your results will determine what classes you are permitted - or required - to attend. I recommend you give your utmost effort.¡± ¡°Journeymen will assist the professors in your testing,¡± he continued. ¡°You should treat them with the same respect you would a professor. They have earned their place, while you have earned nothing at all. Now, enjoy your meal, and get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± Once the archmagus had resumed his seat, the buzz of conversation filled the hall once again. ¡°What are you all doing while we¡¯re being tested?¡± Liv asked Cade and Sidonie. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll be helping to give the grammar evaluations,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°And I¡¯ll be assisting Professor Blackwood,¡± Cade answered. ¡°Anyone who hasn¡¯t made journeyman by their third year has probably washed out.¡± ¡°Or is only here to find themselves a husband,¡± Sidonie said, with a shake of her head. ¡°Like Edith.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to be trying very hard,¡± Cade told her, in between sips of ale. ¡°She could have had Wymond by now, if she wanted him.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t she?¡± Sidonie muttered, but otherwise let the observation pass. ¡°Arjun, is it? How did you meet Liv?¡± ¡°Miss Brodbeck was kind enough to give me a ride up from the waystone,¡± the dark-haired boy said. ¡°Which reminds me - may I examine your hands, Liv? I see you have your bandages off.¡± ¡°Of course. But they really are almost healed,¡± Liv said. She pushed her plate aside and reached her hands out across the table. Arjun grasped them in his own, leaning over to examine the mostly-healed cuts left from Mistress Trafford¡¯s incisions. ¡°I¡¯m best with bone,¡± he mused. ¡°But I think - Cailet Co Aen¡¯Thelia,¡± he intoned. A soothing warmth, like the feeling of sinking into the hot springs beneath Castle Whitehill, flowed up Liv¡¯s fingers, through her hands, and into her arms. The cuts healed in a moment, leaving only scars that were raw and red; and then those, too, faded, as if weeks or months had passed in only the space of heartbeats. Finally, only pale white lines were left, a few shades darker than the surrounding skin. When Arjun released her hands, Liv held them up in front of her to get a better look. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, unable to keep from smiling. ¡°I had honestly gotten used to the idea my arms would look a whole lot worse than this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be Professor Annora¡¯s new prize student,¡± Sidonie teased Arjun. ¡°Just wait until she gets a hold of you, she¡¯ll never let you out of the infirmary.¡± ¡°It makes me feel a lot better about whatever we¡¯re going into tomorrow,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°I hope they don¡¯t make us do a lot of fencing.¡± Cade coughed, and took another drink of his ale. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on that.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to give you details ahead of time,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°But I think it''s safe to say that I enjoyed some of the examinations more than others.¡± ¡°You should turn in early, though,¡± Cade said. ¡°The archmagus was speaking truthfully about that. Examinations are exhausting. Can I walk you both back to High Hall?¡± He stood. ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± Liv said. ¡°And thank you for making certain that Steria got stabled, earlier.¡± She gathered her skirts, swung her legs over the bench, and accepted Cade¡¯s hand when he offered it. Arjun walked with them out into the courtyard before turning aside and making for the East Hall with a promise to see her in the morning. Cade and Sidonie walked Liv up to the common room on the second floor. ¡°Once move in is done, boys aren¡¯t supposed to go past the common room,¡± Sidonie told Liv, then opened the door to their suite and headed in. Liv hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t think that girl ¨C Edith likes me very much,¡± she told Cade, keeping her voice low. ¡°If she gives you any trouble, let me know,¡± Cade said. ¡°In fact, if anyone gives you trouble, tell me. I¡¯m on the first floor, to the left, if you need to find me. I¡¯m sorry if I took you by surprise with that kiss, earlier.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already forgotten about it,¡± Liv lied. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She was glad to see that Edith wasn¡¯t in the sitting room, and proceeded straight through to her bedchamber, where Thora was waiting. ¡°Do you know where Wren is?¡± Liv asked her. ¡°She said something about scouting the town,¡± Thora answered. ¡°And not to expect her until late.¡± Liv frowned. ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t get into trouble.¡± But there was nothing she could do about the huntress right then, so she let Thora help her get undressed, and comb out her hair. Try as she might to go to sleep once the maid had left the room, Liv found that she couldn¡¯t help but look out the windows, searching for the dark silhouette of mountains against a sea of stars. 85. The Cedar Closet As soon as she¡¯d grabbed a few slices of bread and cheese from the servants¡¯ mess at the back of High Hall, Wren headed out. There were just too many people she didn¡¯t know, all crowded around one long table and gossiping about the lords and ladies they served. She almost felt badly about leaving Thora in the nest of vipers - the maid seemed nice enough, and she¡¯d spoken up more than once to defend the ¡®eldish witch¡¯ she worked for. Still, these were Thora¡¯s people, and Wren had no doubt she¡¯d be just fine. The setting sun had painted the bay beneath the bluff in streaks of sparkling gold, and Wren couldn¡¯t help but take a moment to admire the sight as she crossed the courtyard to the college gate. It wasn¡¯t the jungles of Varuna, but it was a pretty enough picture in its own way. If Wren was going to be spending years here, she was going to have to find things to love about the place, or she¡¯d go mad. And was she really planning to do that? She¡¯d delivered her message, her warning, and it had been heard. Wren had no doubt that Liv¡¯s father would take her words back to the Eld in the north, and Duchess Julianne was no fool. That meant Wren had done what she could, didn¡¯t it? After all, no one could actually expect her to go and fight a goddess. The road which led down the bluff from the college campus took her past the stables, as well as a practice yard, where an oval of beaten earth was surrounded by raised seating in the form of wooden benches, making a sort of gallery for an audience. Wren figured the two facilities must have been built after the college had expanded beyond the initial walls, and wondered why no one had bothered to knock down the old fortifications, rather than simply let them crumble in their own time. Just past the stables and practice yard, the town began, with twin rows of shops, inns, taverns, and even theaters lining the road down the bluff, as if the main body of Coral Bay had stretched out its arm to seize the college and held it extended. Wren passed The Crab and Gull on the right, and shortly after The White Dolphin on the left, both with tables and benches set out under cloth awnings in the warmth of the evening. The smell of frying fish, potatoes, and spices wafted out into the street to draw in patrons. Above the streets, lamps of glowing mana-stone hung every thirty feet, casting circles of pale blue light. Wren marked a bakery, though the window-shelves were bare at the end of the day, as well as a cobbler, a book seller, an herbalist whose windows displayed dried plants both culinary and medicinal, a candle-maker who advertised half a dozen scents, and even a very expensive looking shop for young ladies under a sign that read ¡®The Cedar Closet.¡¯ One glance through the paned windows revealed a mix of jewelry, soaps and oils, pillows, furs and cushions, and even a few very nice dresses and bodices. ¡°Need something for your mistress?¡± a shopgirl sweeping the stoop asked Wren, after she had paused there. ¡°My mistress?¡± Wren asked. ¡°You¡¯re a servant of one of the young ladies up at the college, aren¡¯t you?¡± the girl asked her. Her hair was the dullest brown Wren had ever seen ¨C not that you could see much of it, under her linen cap. ¡°It¡¯s the first night, so none of them will be down yet, but sometimes they send a lady¡¯s maid to pick something up.¡± Wren shrugged. ¡°All of this is supported by the college, is it?¡± She waved her hand to indicate the long street of shops. ¡°Aye.¡± The girl paused to lean on her broom. ¡°Me Gran says it were different, back when it was just the Blackstone¡¯s up there. Fishing and trading, and never enough men to cull the rift. But since old Lamon the Last gave his estate over to the guild, we get a new crop of proper lords and ladies with their coin each harvest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more of a bodyguard than a maid,¡± Wren told the girl, and took a step closer. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you what. My mistress, as you call her, is just arrived, and likely needs quite a bit to fill out her rooms and wardrobe. I¡¯ll promise to bring her by, as soon as we can find the time, if you¡¯ll give me a bit of direction on where to find a few things.¡± ¡°As you can see, we¡¯re very busy,¡± the shop-girl joked. ¡°What¡¯re you looking for, then?¡± ¡°Two things,¡± Wren said. ¡°First, a butcher¡¯s shop, or something like it.¡± ¡°They all deliver to the college,¡± the girl said. ¡°There¡¯s not much point in you walking across town to haul food back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the meat I need,¡± Wren said, stepping closer so that she could lower her voice. ¡°It¡¯s the blood I want to buy. For enchanting, you see.¡± ¡°Never heard of anyone using blood in enchanting,¡± the shopgirl grumbled, looking a bit put off. ¡°But then, can¡¯t say as I know much about it at all. Still, your lady must be an odd one - no one else is ever around shopping for blood.¡± ¡°She¡¯s half Eldish,¡± Wren said. ¡°Lady Brodbeck, from Whitehill.¡± The shop girl''s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s the new duchy up north, ain¡¯t it? They say the duchess has an Eldish witch, and that she nearly killed the princess.¡± ¡°You know her, then,¡± Wren said. This was the first she¡¯d heard about Liv fighting a princess, but the story really couldn¡¯t have been about anyone else, and it sounded like exactly the sort of trouble she¡¯d get into. ¡°So you can see why I don¡¯t want to disappoint her.¡± ¡°Oh aye, I wouldn¡¯t either. Someone like that might just take your blood if you come back empty-handed. Tell you what, don¡¯t bother with the butcher,¡± the shopgirl said. ¡°Go down the fish markets when the catch comes in. They¡¯ll be filetting by the barrel, to sell down by the docks. Blood everywhere, the stink is awful. The butcher¡¯s not far from the docks though, if you do need him. They try to keep all the nasty smells away from the college. What was the second thing you wanted?¡± ¡°A place to buy an armor stand,¡± Wren said. ¡°My Lady¡¯s gear came in trunks, and there was only a limited amount of room.¡± ¡°Master Bennet, then,¡± the shopgirl said. ¡°Keep going down toward town and you¡¯ll find him soon enough. He makes blades and jack of plate and all for half the guild. He¡¯ll sell you one of his, no doubt.¡± ¡°Thank you, miss-?¡± Wren trailed off, and fished a silver coin from her purse. ¡°Isemay,¡± the shopgirl said, accepting the coin and tucking it away. ¡°Bring your scary lady down, we¡¯ll fix her right up with whatever she needs. We¡¯ve got some very frilly underthings of eastern silk, if she¡¯s the scandalous sort.¡± Isemay grinned, and Wren laughed in return. ¡°I¡¯m not sure my lady would even know what those are for,¡± she joked back. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell her all the same. Thank you, Isemay. I¡¯ll see you again.¡± Wren left the girl to her sweeping, and allowed her smile to slip away once she¡¯d turned back down the street. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. In Calder¡¯s Landing, Wren had made it a point to be friendly with everyone she could - from Taika at the Dancing Lady, to Geoffrey the butcher. Friends chatted with you, and told you news or gossip. They cut you a deal when you were short on coin, and they might even warn you if trouble was coming your way. Friends were more valuable than coins, and she was more than willing to spend what little she had left to begin making friends in Coral Bay. Isemay struck her as the sort of person to overhear a great deal of gossip, and that could be valuable. All it would take now would be bringing Liv down once, to show that Wren was the sort of person who could be relied on to keep her promises. Master Bennet was indeed easy enough to find, and he was happy to let Wren have one of his old armor stands for her lady, especially once she let slip that she served the Eldish witch in service to the duchess of the north. Whatever Liv and Julianne had done to get themselves a reputation in Lucania, Wren had no compunctions about milking their infamy for all it was worth. She didn¡¯t even have to put her own coins down. ¡°My journeymen will carry it up to the college,¡± Bennet promised. The man was nearly entirely hairless, and Wren wondered if he¡¯d burned off his eyebrows. ¡°High Hall, you said? We make deliveries there all the time. Just put your mark on the receipt, and your lady will settle up with the boys when they get there.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried someone will skip out on their bill?¡± Wren asked him. Bennet laughed out loud. ¡°College wouldn''t hear of it,¡± he assured her. ¡°They don¡¯t want any trouble with the town. Archmagus Loredan would throw anyone who tried out on their arse, and make good on it himself. Don¡¯t you worry for me, Miss Wren. My boys¡¯ll have it up in the morning, after they pick out a good one and polish it up.¡± ¡°In that case, you have my thanks,¡± Wren said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be by when we have knives to sharpen, or when m¡¯lady¡¯s horse throws a shoe.¡± Promising future business always made tradesmen warm up to her. She did find the fish-market, but it was the wrong time of day to buy anything there, so Wren sought out the butcher, instead. The line about her mistress needing blood for enchanting produced the expected mixture of fascination and disgust, and Wren walked out with a bottle of chicken¡¯s blood for only a few coppers. She ducked into an alley as soon as she could find one, uncorked the bottle, and tossed it back in a few quick gulps. The power of the blood surged through Wren¡¯s veins, and it felt so good that she couldn¡¯t help letting a shudder pass through her body. It had been too many days without a drink: first, she¡¯d been kept asleep by medicine and magic at Whitehill, and even after she¡¯d woke, Wren had been afraid to ask for blood from the kitchens there. With a last sigh of exaltation, Wren recorked the bottle, tucked it into her belt, and then took her bat form, then flapped up into the sky. She wasn¡¯t the only bat around, by any means: with the sun down, it was the right time of night for catching insects of all sorts. Thus, no one looked twice at one more dark winged creature fluttering about, even if she wasn¡¯t quite identical to the native species. Wren took a few loops above the town, so that she could get a sense of the place from above. You could tell the new construction from the old, even if the building materials were largely the same. It was clear to see that Isemay¡¯s story was accurate: the existence of the college had flooded the town with wealth. The entire stretch of shops leading up the bluff had been built within the past few decades, and the homes behind or above the shop fronts were much nicer than those down by the wharf. There was an old temple of the trinity, which was the largest building in the town itself. Wren fluttered down to the roof, which was covered in the same odd red clay tiles as the rest of the town, and turned back into her human form. There, she stretched herself out under the stars and the rising moon, took another sip of blood from her bottle, and watched the people in the streets below. She could leave. Now that she had blood, it would be simple enough, and Wren doubted that Liv would follow her. She¡¯d write Duchess Julianne in her next letter home, of course, but that would still give Wren a month or more of a head-start to run before anyone could catch her. The problem was that she had nowhere to go. Liv¡¯s father, Valtteri - he¡¯d made it clear enough that going north of the mountains into Eldish lands would mark her as a wanted criminal. Even if he had no proof she¡¯d killed anyone, being part of an attack on an Eldish town was enough. She couldn¡¯t go back to Varuna. Even if Wren sought out Calm Waters, and the other members of the tribe who¡¯d left, staying with them would only bring danger. Wren had no illusion that Ractia would forgive someone who¡¯d abandoned her. If she kept her head down with an ocean between them, perhaps the goddess would believe she¡¯d died during the raid on Soltheris, and forget about her. But the moment she went back to Varuna and word got around, that ruse would be up. She could head further east, to Lendh ka Dakruim. No one would know her there. Wren didn¡¯t speak the language, of course, but she could learn. She¡¯d have no one, and nothing but the dwindling coins in her purse, but she could always live as a hunter, selling furs and meat. Wren drummed her fingers against the roof-tiles, which were still warm from the day¡¯s sun. Going east, she would be alone. Maybe that would be better. She¡¯d certainly made her share of poor choices, and she¡¯d hate to think that she was putting Liv in danger by remaining here in Coral Bay. And there was the heart of the matter, wasn¡¯t it? The girl. Wren hadn¡¯t ever planned on saving a child¡¯s life when she went to Whitehill. In fact, it was a horrible idea - it meant that people had remembered her. But of everything Wren had done over the past twenty-five years, it was perhaps the only choice that she wasn¡¯t ashamed of. That cute little kid with the strange white hair, shivering in her arms, was now a young lady with more magic than Wren had ever seen anyone throw around before. The culling of the rift north of Whitehill had shown her that, and something else, as well. Liv helped people. It was her first instinct, when she saw someone in danger - whether it was the miner she¡¯d dragged down the mountain, the duchess¡¯ son and his new wife, or the boy they¡¯d found sitting by the side of the road here in Coral Bay, with his trunks all piled up and no carriage. She¡¯d even helped Wren, speaking up for her more than once. Most people who got power like that didn¡¯t use it to help others, in Wren¡¯s experience. She certainly hadn¡¯t, herself: her shapeshifting had helped her steal, and kill, and bring a dead goddess back to life, and who was better than that? Not anyone at Soltheris, or who¡¯d died in eruptions across the north. There was something innocent about the girl, something remaining of the child who¡¯d thrown herself across the ice and reached out a hand to save another person without a second thought of what it might cost her. Liv trusted too easily: Wren herself was evidence of that, and she had a bad feeling that it was going to cost her eventually. ¡°Comes down to that, I suppose,¡± Wren murmured out loud. ¡°I can head out, and leave her be; or I can stay and try to keep her safe.¡± Each choice would make her a different sort of person, wouldn¡¯t it? But only one would be a person she could be proud of, even a little bit. Wren took another sip from her bottle of chicken blood, corked it, and wedged it in between her waist and her belt. She rolled to her feet, dashed down the roof, and jumped out into the open air above the street. Before she reached the highest point of her leap, Wren had already shifted, and her wings caught a warm updraft that carried her higher, higher above the city. She¡¯d need to pick out a good landing place, at the college, somewhere her comings and goings wouldn¡¯t attract notice. If she was going to keep Liv safe, that would start with gathering as much information as she could about what was happening in the town. As she banked over a row of warehouses two streets back from the wharf, a glint of steel under moonlight caught Wren¡¯s eye. She¡¯d turned before she even realized she was doing it, and swooped down low over the deck of a ship. Unlike most of the ships docked at Coral Bay, it didn¡¯t look like a fishing vessel, but a merchant ship, and there was a line of men disembarking. That was strange enough: in Wren¡¯s experience at Calder¡¯s Landing, most ships made port during the day, when you could see. And why would passengers remain aboard until nightfall, save that they didn¡¯t want to attract notice? Wren saw swords on hips, helms, shields, and jacks of plate. Two dozen men, all armed, hurrying off a ship under cover of darkness and then hustling into the warehouse district. She followed them, made note of which warehouse they went to - it was the shabbiest one on Bay Street - and then turned about to wing her way back to the college. Perhaps Liv hadn¡¯t quite gone to sleep yet. 86. Examinations Liv jolted awake to the ringing of a great bell, far closer at hand than she was used to from living in Whitehill. While the temple bells had been audible from the castle, there was enough distance to make them easily drowned out by the noise of the kitchen, lessons with Master Grenfell, or practicing in the courtyard. There, it was the small horologues that had regimented her day, with soft, unobtrusive chimes. She groaned, rolling over onto her side and pulling the blankets around her ears. The noise was so loud that it was impossible to ignore, which meant the bells were very close - probably in the main hall of the college. After seven ringing strikes, the noise died away. For a moment, Liv wondered when she¡¯d gotten used to sleeping so late. The habit of rising early as a scullery maid had gone away, and she wasn¡¯t certain that was a good thing. The door to her bedchamber opened, and Thora bustled in. ¡°Time to rise, m¡¯lady,¡± she said, making her way over to the vanity to fetch the aspen wood comb they¡¯d brought from Whitehill. To Liv¡¯s surprise, Wren followed the maid in and then closed the door behind her. ¡°Your armor stand is being delivered today, along with an invoice to pay,¡± Wren said. ¡°Ordered it from the local blacksmith. We also need to take a trip down to a lady¡¯s store when you have a free hour or two, but that can wait. I found something interesting last night.¡± Liv yawned, threw her blankets off, and crawled out of bed. She stretched until she heard her back crack, then pulled off the shift she¡¯d slept in so that she could change into something fresh. ¡°Yes, Thora said you¡¯d gone out last night,¡± she recalled. ¡°Getting to know the town?¡± ¡°I needed to make certain I had a source of blood,¡± Wren said, finding herself a seat in one of the two chairs the room had come equipped with. Thora dropped the comb on the floor, and it made a clatter. ¡°Did you say blood?¡± the lady¡¯s maid asked. ¡°Chicken¡¯s blood,¡± Wren told her. ¡°I said my mistress, the Eldish witch, needed it for her enchantments.¡± Thora had just bent over to pick up the comb, but at that she immediately fumbled it again, as if it had been coated in grease. ¡°My father¡¯s family drink seal blood,¡± Liv remarked. ¡°They say it helps with the cold so far north. So it isn¡¯t that strange, Thora.¡± She finished pulling on a fresh shift and took a seat in front of the vanity. ¡°Let¡¯s get my hair done, please. Nothing that will get in the way if I need to be sparring or running around.¡± ¡°A braided bun, then,¡± Thora said. ¡°I wish your bodyguard wouldn¡¯t go making the rumors worse, however,¡± she complained. With the comb, she began at the bottom of Liv¡¯s long hair, working her way up to tease out any tangles from the night¡¯s rest. ¡°The other servants are already talking enough without it. The last thing you need is them passing on stories about how you sacrifice chickens for your witchery.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the important part,¡± Wren said, pulling out one of her smaller daggers, which she used to clean and trim her fingernails. ¡°I saw a crew of armed men getting off one of the ships at the wharf, and heading over to an old warehouse. Armed and armored, I should say.¡± ¡°That does seem a bit suspicious,¡± Liv said. ¡°If we were back home at Whitehill, I¡¯d go and tell Duchess Julianne, and let her figure out what to do. Or if I was at Kelthelis, my father.¡± ¡°Is there anyone you trust here, m¡¯lady?¡± Thora asked. ¡°Besides the people in this room,¡± Wren added. ¡°I trust Sidonie and Cade,¡± Liv said. ¡°I think we can trust Arjun, but I¡¯ve only known him for a day. And then there¡¯s Master - Professor, now - Jurian. He¡¯s protected me before. We can trust him. Wren, I¡¯ll find a chance to speak to him sometime today, once we¡¯re all finished with these examinations. I¡¯d like you to come with me, and tell him what you saw, if you could.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to be careful about how I do it,¡± Wren told her. ¡°Can¡¯t quite come out and say I was flying around as a bat last night.¡± Thora yanked on the comb, pulling Liv¡¯s hair. ¡°Ouch!¡± Liv said. ¡°Sorry, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora apologized. Once she¡¯d resumed, more gently, Liv continued thinking out loud. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to having a whole lot of people around to protect and support me,¡± she admitted. ¡°At Whitehill, there was an entire castle of guards to call on if I needed help. Even when I went up to Kelthelis, no matter I¡¯ve only been a few times, a word to my grandparents and a scouting party would have gone out to investigate. But here, we¡¯ve only got ourselves. We¡¯re going to have to change that,¡± she decided. ¡°What do you mean, m¡¯lady?¡± Thora asked - but Wren grinned. ¡°I mean that we need at least a few people we can rely on,¡± Liv said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it will be, next - a string of eruptions, monsters of blood. A princess spoiling for a fight - maybe this band of armed men in the night. But I think it would be foolish to assume there won¡¯t be a single crisis during our time here. And when something comes, I want to know who we can count on.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already started making a few friends in town,¡± Wren said. ¡°The kind of people I can talk to for a bit of gossip and rumor. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll fit in well at the servants¡¯ meals, though. That¡¯s going to have to be your maid¡¯s job.¡± ¡°Thora, just let us know about any gossip you think might be important,¡± Liv said. ¡°Anything that catches your ear. You don¡¯t have to say anything or do anything beyond that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. ¡°There. Your hair¡¯s sorted. Let¡¯s get you dressed for the morning meal.¡± ? Though she could probably get away with dressing like a noblewoman, Liv was still most comfortable in muted grays. She¡¯d asked Duchess Julianne to keep the signed adoption papers a secret, after all ¨C and since both Matthew and Triss had returned from the eruption, Liv expected the matter to stay private. Julianne would have her heirs soon enough, and she wouldn¡¯t need Liv. Lucanian society tended to style Liv a lady in her own right, the moment people found out about her father and grandparents. Nevermind that wasn¡¯t actually how Elden society worked; Liv wasn¡¯t going to bother to explain to everyone she met that she was hundreds of years away from sitting on a council of leaders for House Syv?, if it ever happened at all. As a result, Liv was the only one of the six young women who sat down to breakfast on the second floor of High Hall who stood out. Sidonie and Edith wore shades of blue and lilac, respectively, while the three girls Liv hadn¡¯t met yet dressed in a variety of pastel colors: yellow and pink and green. A lady¡¯s maid hovered behind each, to assist with serving. Wren stood out, as well, lurking by the grand staircase with her knives strapped over her hunting leathers. ¡°Why are you dressed like a merchant?¡± Edith asked, setting down a cup of tea. Liv took her seat, arranging her skirts carefully, and looked out over the spread prepared by the hall cooks for them. She realized that she hadn¡¯t gotten around to arranging for her own, mana-rich food, yet. ¡°I don¡¯t feel right dressing like a noblewoman,¡± Liv admitted. Thora filled her plate with eggs that had been scrambled with crab meat and cream, along with bacon, spiced potatoes, fresh bread with butter and fruit preserves spread across it, and slices of juicy orange. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°You¡¯ve a right to, though,¡± Sidonie pointed out. She still had a habit of speaking quietly, almost hesitantly, Liv observed, and she had a journal on the table next to her meal. ¡°Through your father, at least, don¡¯t you? Nevermind being promised to Cade.¡± ¡°Elden clothing is different,¡± Liv said. ¡°Especially in the far north. I think people would stop and stare if I wore a parka made from caribou hide here, not to mention I¡¯d pass out from the heat.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re the girl Cade Talbot¡¯s been on about,¡± one of the three ladies that Liv didn¡¯t recognize broke in. ¡°I¡¯m Florence Hading - my father¡¯s baron of Bexbury, in Courland.¡± Florence was dark haired and short, and shaped something like a pear, with wide hips but a small bosom. ¡°This is Helewise Boyle ¨C we call her Helly ¨C and Tephania Lane.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all,¡± Liv said, in between bites of her eggs. The two other girls gave her nods and waves. ¡°Tephania¡¯s a first year, like you,¡± Edith said. ¡°I expect we¡¯ll have at least one new roommate next year from one of you washing out.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Liv said, ¡°it won¡¯t be me. Tephania, perhaps you¡¯d like to walk down with me once we¡¯re finished here?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that very much,¡± the other girl said. Her hair was a blonde so pale it looked almost as if the color had been washed out. ¡°My family¡¯s not so far from Whitehill, you know? My father is one of Duke Falkenrath¡¯s knights.¡± ¡°We¡¯re neighbors, then,¡± Liv said, making an effort to smile. ¡°Wonderful.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯ve given up the staff for a wand,¡± Sidonie observed. ¡°What¡¯s it made of?¡± ¡°Bone from a stag,¡± Liv told her. ¡°Hunted it from the shoals of the Bald Peak Rift. Here, take a look.¡± She drew the wand from its leather sheath at her belt, and placed it on the table. ¡°Very nice,¡± Sidonie murmured, looking it over appreciatively. ¡°Were we supposed to bring wands?¡± Tephania asked, hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯ve never used one. I¡¯ve actually ¨C never cast a spell at all,¡± she admitted. ¡°But Duke Falkenrath¡¯s court mage said I had an ear for V?dic, and recommended I come.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need a wand,¡± Liv explained, accepting hers back. ¡°But it helps focus your mana, especially when you¡¯re first starting out. It prevents waste.¡± She pushed her plate aside, only half eaten. ¡°Crab not to your taste?¡± Edith asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Liv said. ¡°I need something of a special diet - my Elden heritage. And I haven¡¯t had time to talk to the cooks about it yet. I¡¯ll have to find time to do it today. Anyway, if you¡¯re done, Tephania, we could walk down? It¡¯s nearly ninth bell.¡± The blonde girl nodded, and hurried to stand up from her seat, nearly knocking her teacup over. For some reason, seeing how flustered the other girl was helped Liv to be calm herself. She took Tephania by the arm, and they walked downstairs together, trailed by Wren. In the foyer of the ground floor, the young men inclined their heads as the two girls passed, and made way for them. Liv looked for Cade, but didn¡¯t see him. Once they¡¯d reached the courtyard, however, she did spot Arjun, among the crowd of first year students who¡¯d eaten in the great hall. ¡°Arjun!¡± she called, maneuvering her way through the crowd. ¡°This is Tephania - she¡¯s a first year, like we are.¡± ¡°Tephania Lane,¡± the girl said, releasing Liv¡¯s arm to extend her hand. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Tephania,¡± the dark haired boy said. He took her hand and bent over it, only a little awkwardly, with a quick glance to Liv to make certain he was doing it correctly. ¡°Arjun Iyuz.¡± Before he could say anything further, the bells for the ninth hour rang out, cutting through any attempt at conversation. ¡°Alright, first years, listen up!¡± a young woman shouted, as soon as the tolling of the bells had died away. Someone had dragged a wooden crate over into the center of the courtyard, and she was standing on it for more height. ¡°You¡¯re going to take five written examinations this morning - in grammar, sigils, medicine, the history and regulations of the guild, and your knowledge of mana-beasts. That¡¯s going to happen in the great hall, as soon as breakfast is cleared and your tests laid out. Which is happening right now. After luncheon,¡± she continued, ¡°we¡¯ll be handing you over to the practice yard and Professor Jurian¡¯s crew of miscreants, for practicals.¡± ¡°Practicals?¡± Tephania murmured, next to Liv. ¡°Probably casting and sparring,¡± she whispered back. ¡°There¡¯s going to be half a dozen of your seniors watching you take your exams at all times,¡± the young woman on the crate said. ¡°So don¡¯t even try to look at someone else¡¯s work. You can¡¯t be a mage by riding someone else¡¯s coat-tails, and we¡¯ve got no tolerance for that sort of thing here. It¡¯s a one way ride back down the bluff to the waystone. If you have a question while you¡¯re working, just put your hand up and one of us will get to you. You¡¯ll all eat together today, so we can keep track of you. The results of your examinations determine what classes you¡¯re assigned to, so do your best. Any questions now?¡± ¡°Quills and ink will be provided?¡± a young man asked. ¡°They¡¯ll be waiting for you in there,¡± the woman said. When no one else spoke up, she waved them on toward the hall as if she was shooing a toddler. ¡°Get on inside, then. Let¡¯s go!¡± The hall where the entire school had eaten supper the evening before looked much different by daylight, Liv saw. It was less crowded, as well, without the professors and the older students and plates heaped with food. Places had been set with a stack of paper, inkpot, and quill, and a good bit of distance between each seat. She found herself a spot with Arjun to her left and Tephania to her right, and got to work. The grammar examination began by asking her to identify and define parts of speech, first using examples in the Lucanian tongue, and then later in V?dic. Liv sped through nouns and verbs, adjectives and pronouns, and on to the later parts of the test, where she was asked to conjugate the verb Aluth, then shift a variety of nouns through the dative, genitive, and locative cases. By the time she¡¯d composed an incantation from a bank of V?dic words that had been provided, Liv was surprised to realize she was finished with the first examination. She set her pages aside to dry, and found that Sidonie appeared at her elbow. ¡°I¡¯ll take those,¡± her friend murmured, and handed her the next sheaf of papers. Liv bent back to her work, identifying sigils. This, she felt, was a weak spot for her. Besides the work on designing her wand, Master Grenfell had always told her that enchanting would wait for college, and refused to go into the subject. She was able to make a few guesses that she was confident about when it came to which words of power were used in specific enchantments, such as the pipes that heated bathwater. The question on cold storage enchantments almost felt like she was cheating. When she was finished, a journeyman she didn¡¯t recognize took her work and handed her the medical examination. And so it went, as the bells marking the morning flew by. Liv wrote the names of bones next to a sketch of a human skeleton, and identified the symptoms of mana-sickness. She struggled through questions on the founding of the mages¡¯ guild: Master Grenfell had tended toward more practical knowledge, but she knew enough to recognize the name of the founder, Lamon Blackstone. The questions on the guild¡¯s culling responsibilities, and the workings of a conclave, were easier, with her own personal experience of each. The questions on mana-beasts felt familiar, as well, and Liv wrote about the use of casques, harvested meat, and even hide or fur easily. There were creatures she¡¯d never encountered herself, but they¡¯d all been in her old, dog-eared copy of Blackstone¡¯s Bestiary. When she finished that test, she was surprised twice over: first, to find Cade at her elbow to accept her work, and second, that everyone else in the room was still working. ¡°Come with me,¡± Cade murmured, and Liv stood up. She capped her inkpot, set her quill aside carefully, and then followed him out of the hall into the courtyard; along the way, he handed off the last of her work to a waiting journeyman. ¡°Am I really the first finished?¡± Liv asked, once they were out into the open air. Cade laughed. ¡°Liv, you finished with nearly an entire hour left before luncheon. That¡¯s why I took you out: no sense in you sitting there, kicking your heels while all the rest of them catch up.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Liv said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m certain more people will be done soon. What should I do until then?¡± ¡°If I were you,¡± Cade said, ¡°I would have your maid gather up that armor, and the jewelry you won from Princess Milisant. Do you have a sword? A fencing mask?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°It was never my strong suit,¡± she admitted. ¡°That¡¯s not the end of the world. You can borrow them down at the practice yard,¡± Cade said. ¡°Why is that student out of the hall?¡± The young woman who¡¯d lectured them before the examinations strode over, her face stormy. ¡°She¡¯s finished, so I took her out,¡± Cade said. ¡°Blood and shadows she is,¡± the woman said. ¡°They never start finishing for another half-bell. Who is this?¡± Liv extended a hand and introduced herself. ¡°Liv Brodbeck, from Whitehill.¡± ¡°Why are you wearing a guild ring, then?¡± the woman asked. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have that as a first year.¡± ¡°Master Jurian gave it to me,¡± Liv explained. ¡°It¡¯s true; she had it six years ago, at least, when we were at Freeport,¡± Cade broke in. ¡°Don¡¯t give her a hard time, Venetia. Professor Jurian knows about her; if you¡¯ve got questions, he can answer them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask him right now,¡± Venetia said, and strode away. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her,¡± Cade said. ¡°She¡¯s one of the Archmage¡¯s journeymen, and I think she¡¯s let it go to her head. Now, are you ready to fight? Because that¡¯s what you¡¯re going to be doing after you get something to eat.¡± 87. Blunted Blades In the end, Liv only picked at her food. A combination of nerves, and, though she didn¡¯t want to say it out loud, the fact that the food simply wasn¡¯t very appetizing caused her to finally give up and push her trencher away. ¡°I really need to talk to someone about getting mana-enriched food,¡± she said, as much to herself as to either Tephania or Arjun, who were sitting next to her. Cade had been rounded up, along with a whole crew of other older students, to help Professors Norris, Blackwood and Every go through all sixty-seven examinations. She did not envy him in the least. ¡°Leave it to someone rooming at High Hall to turn her precious nose up at the food,¡± a sandy-haired boy three seats down and across the table commented, and Liv frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it,¡± she said. Though, in all honesty, she could cook better: the roast chicken was overdone and dry, while the carrots were undercooked and hard. Liv tried not to think badly of the kitchen staff: cooking for so many people was something of a madhouse, as well she knew. ¡°I¡¯m half Elden. I need to get enough mana in my diet, or I start to have problems.¡± ¡°That explains the knife-ears,¡± a second boy commented, elbowing the first. This one had dark hair, and a thin fuzz on his upper lip that was trying to be a mustache. ¡°You come here to find yourself a real man? I heard Eldish men can¡¯t get it done.¡± He grinned. Next to Liv, Tephania gasped, but it was Arjun who spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s a rude thing to say to a woman. Didn¡¯t your parents teach you any manners, Pearson?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need an easterner telling me how to behave,¡± the dark haired boy said. Pearson, Liv reminded herself, and tucked his name away in her memory as someone to avoid. Liv extracted herself from the bench and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to the training yard, then,¡± she suggested. Arjun stood up, and after a moment of hesitation, Tephania followed. Together, they made their way out of the great hall and outside into the courtyard. ¡°Those boys are horrid,¡± Tephania said, as soon as they were in the fresh air. ¡°Pearson is two doors down from me,¡± Arjun said. ¡°He¡¯s part of a little crew that are all just as unpleasant.¡± Wren, who¡¯d been leaning against the wall of Blackstone Hall, pushed off the stone and strolled over to them. ¡°Thora¡¯s got your armor down at the training yard,¡± she told Liv. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°That depends on what they have us do, I suppose,¡± Liv said. She and the others followed Wren toward the old, crumbling walls that surrounded the inner campus. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Tephania said. ¡°I came here to learn magic; I can¡¯t cast any yet. And if they expect us to fight someone, I don¡¯t have a clue what to do.¡± ¡°If it involves magic, I¡¯m fairly confident,¡± Arjun said. ¡°Though, as far as fighting is concerned, I feel about the same as you.¡± The practice yard was a large circle of well-beaten earth, surrounded by wooden benches raised in tiers on scaffolding. It reminded Liv of the fencing club in Freeport where she¡¯d gone to watch Matthew and Triss spar - though, in hindsight, she realized what they¡¯d actually been doing was flirting. In their own, strange way. There was a crew of about ten older students lounging about in the stands, while Thora sat off to one side with a small group of servants, all of whom were watching over the gear of their lords or ladies. As soon as she caught sight of Liv, Thora sprang up and came over with the bag she¡¯d packed the armor in. ¡°I brought the gold bracelet and rings, also, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t certain if you would want it, but I thought it would be better to have it and not need it, than the other way around.¡± ¡°Keep it aside for now,¡± Liv said. ¡°But help me get the armor on, please.¡± Arjun took a seat with only passing interest, and Wren found a place to lounge next to him, but Tephania watched with wide eyes. Thora began with the cuirass and backplate of white leather; she¡¯d gotten quite good at strapping everything on, over the past few years. For the most part, Liv simply stood there and let the maid work. She did have to unbuckle the leather belt she wore over her dress, so that she could strap the wand back on over the armor. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you have armor,¡± Tephania said. Hesitantly, she reached into the bag and lifted out a pauldron. She traced a finger over a scrape that marred the surface. ¡°It¡¯s been used, too, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°In the eruption at Bald Peak rift, less than a week ago,¡± Liv said. ¡°And when I go to visit my father.¡± ¡°You fought on a culling team, first year?¡± An absolutely massive young man ambled over from the crowd of waiting students. ¡°I have,¡± Liv said. Thora set to work attaching her pauldrons, accepting the left one from Tephania when the blonde girl handed it over. ¡°You know Matthew Summerset and Beatrice Crosbie? With them.¡± The young man nodded, and Liv couldn¡¯t help but stare at the way his neck moved. It was like someone had attached his head to his torso using a tree trunk. ¡°They were here when I was a first year,¡± he said, and then extended his meaty hand. ¡°Name¡¯s Gamel. Be watching to see what you can do. What¡¯s your name, girl?¡± ¡°Liv,¡± she said, and noticed the main crowd of first year students coming down the road, led by that Journeyman who seemed to have it out for her, Venetia. ¡°How¡¯s this going to work?¡± ¡°Master Jurian¡¯ll explain all that, don¡¯t worry,¡± Gamel said. ¡°Here he comes now, the crazy bastard.¡± He nodded up the road, and when Liv followed his gaze, she saw Jurian coming down with a gray haired professor that she recognized as Annora. The fact the college¡¯s senior healer was going to be attending this part of the examinations personally did not fill Liv with enthusiasm. As the crowd of first years milled about the stands, some taking seats, others calling out to their servants to help them prepare, Jurian strode out into the center of the training ground, planted his staff, and raised his voice. ¡°Listen up!¡± The ambient noise of dozens of conversations quieted, and when Jurian was satisfied, he continued. ¡°Feel free to continue suiting up if you¡¯ve brought armor, but do it quietly. I won¡¯t repeat myself. This morning, you took your written examinations, and we¡¯ve got all the older students sorting through them now to see what classes you need. I hate sorting through papers. Fortunately, I don¡¯t have to. Instead, with my assistants here¨C¡± he waved to the crew of older students who¡¯d been hanging around before Liv arrived ¨C ¡°I get to watch you lot thump each other on the head until someone falls down.¡± Tephania seemed to shrink at the professor¡¯s words, and Liv felt a twinge of pity for her. She was fully armored save for the leather helm, now, and waved Thora off. No need to put the thing on until it was time to fight. ¡°They leave it to me to explain this because I have a loud voice,¡± Jurian said. ¡°There are three levels of classes here, in every subject. Who can tell me what those are?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Liv raised her hand. ¡°Beasts, enchanting, grammar and spellcraft, guild law and history, healing, and combat,¡± she said, confidently. Master Grenfell had made no secret of that: in fact, he and Duchess Julianne had designed her lessons to prepare her for all of it. ¡°Good,¡± Jurian said. ¡°If we put you in Remedial Grammar, it means we think you need to start from the beginning. Basic Guild Law and History, that means you¡¯re familiar with about as much as we expect most students to arrive knowing. If you want to be an Apprentice of the guild, you need to finish or test out of every basic course. When you can complete an advanced course in five out of six subjects, you can ask to test for journeyman. By that point, you should know what professor you want to study with.¡± He paced back and forth as he talked, scanning over the crowd of students and glaring at anyone who looked distracted. ¡°All of that assumes you¡¯re going to join the guild, of course; if you¡¯re just some noble brat here to learn a little magic, you can take your classes and then move on.¡± Liv blinked: she wasn¡¯t used to hearing someone talk with such open disrespect about the aristocracy. ¡°Now my course works a little differently,¡± Jurian said. ¡°I teach armed combat, magical combat, and tactics, but I only take the top twenty of the school in each of my two advanced classes. Journeymen don¡¯t count, you don¡¯t need to think about that now. That¡¯s forty openings to learn from me personally, and they¡¯re already filled with second and third year students. I save two spots, and only two, for the top incoming students.¡± ¡°For the rest of you, what you¡¯re competing for are basic combat spots with my assistants. There are thirty of those open, and sixty-seven of you. That means everyone who doesn¡¯t make the cut goes into remedial.¡± A blonde boy in jack of plate raised his hand. ¡°If someone doesn¡¯t make the top two, how do they get into the advanced classes?¡± he asked. His accent was refined, and Liv pegged him immediately as a noble, not from one of the merchant guilds. ¡°You challenge for a spot,¡± Jurian said. ¡°You can make three challenges a month, and my students are required to accept. Beat one of them, and you¡¯re in the advanced class.¡± ¡°They make this far too complicated,¡± Wren muttered. ¡°It¡¯s because they have so many students,¡± Liv told her. ¡°None of the professors have time to teach two hundred people, so they have to split things up.¡± ¡°My ten assistants here,¡± Jurian said, ¡°will each run a sparring match at a time. Pairs are drawn randomly. You go until someone submits, someone can¡¯t continue, or your senior student calls it. We begin without magic. There are practice weapons, masks, and padded doublets in the chests.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do this,¡± Tephania murmured to Liv. ¡°Then just submit immediately,¡± she suggested. ¡°You¡¯ve never been trained to fight?¡± The blonde girl shook her head. ¡°Then it¡¯s better for you to start from the beginning in a remedial class anyway,¡± Liv explained. ¡°Apprentice Brodbeck!¡± Gamel called, from down on the dirt. ¡°Grab a mask and a weapon and get over here!¡± ¡°How is she an apprentice already?¡± one of the boys from luncheon complained ¨C the one who¡¯s name Liv hadn¡¯t caught. She ignored him, tucked her leather helm under her arm, and walked over to the chests of equipment. First, she found herself a rapier with no edge, and a leather tip on the end. Then, she rummaged around for a leather fencing mask. It hadn¡¯t been made to fit her specifically, so she doubted it would be comfortable, and Liv tried not to think about how many other people¡¯s sweat must have soaked into it over the years. Then, she strode over to Gamel. Liv set her helm and sword down to pull the mask on, and tied the leather cords which held it in place tightly behind her bun. Her first opponent was an overweight boy who couldn¡¯t even hold his sword right. ¡°Hubert Carver,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°From the Drover¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°Hold it like this,¡± Liv told him, once she¡¯d settled on her helm. It took a bit of doing to make it fit with a mask it hadn¡¯t been designed for, but she made it work. She showed Hubert how to adjust his grip. ¡°You¡¯ve done this before,¡± he said, and shook his head. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯ll be over soon, then.¡± Liv extended her blade in front of her, settled into third guard, and waited. ¡°Begin!¡± Gamel called. Liv lunged forward, beat Hubert¡¯s practice sword aside, and took him in the chest. The leather tip of her sword stuck in his padded doublet, and the blade bent in a curve from the force of her thrust. ¡°Brodbeck¡¯s match,¡± Gamel declared, after the single hit. It must have been obvious both to him, and to anyone watching, that she had training while the drover boy didn¡¯t. ¡°Carver, put your things back and take a seat. Brodbeck, stay up here.¡± If Liv understood correctly, she¡¯d just all but guaranteed herself a spot in the basic combat course. Sixty-seven first years, which meant only thirty-three would win their initial matches. She wondered how they¡¯d handle the odd person out. As she waited for her next opponent, she looked around the yard. Things were going quickly: she saw Tephania walk out to face Pearson and immediately concede. ¡°I¡¯m fighting the Eldish princess, am I?¡± Liv recognized the sandy-haired boy from lunch, though she didn¡¯t know his name. Rather than a rapier, he was carrying a practice mace, made of wood rather than steel, and with the round ball at the head covered in leather. In his other hand, he carried a buckler. ¡°I have a name, and I¡¯m not a princess,¡± she shot back. But in truth, she was more worried about that mace than his mouth. They were old-fashioned weapons, from a time when heavier armor was common. Liv didn¡¯t have experience fighting against them. ¡°Mine¡¯s Jasper Teller,¡± the boy said. ¡°So you know who beat you.¡± ¡°Enough jawing,¡± Gamel said. ¡°Fight!¡± Again, Liv lunged immediately - she didn¡¯t want to take a shot from that mace if she didn¡¯t have to. Unfortunately, Teller was well trained and practiced: he interposed his buckler, and her practice sword skidded off to the side. With his right hand, he swung the mace at her head. Liv leapt back, silently thanking Piers, Matthew, and everyone else who¡¯d ever drilled her on footwork. She was faster than Teller, she could already tell: but he was bigger and stronger. Who was she fooling? Everyone here was bigger and stronger than she was. She circled to the right, and Teller followed. Over the next three exchanges, Liv was repeatedly rebuffed by the rusted buckler. She was absolutely certain that Matthew or Triss would have no problem with this fight, but she¡¯d never put nearly as much work into learning weapons as they had. If she could use her magic, the match would already be over, she was certain. Finally, Liv decided that she was going to have to take a hit. She feinted to draw out the buckler, then lunged in, stabbing the tip of her sword into Teller¡¯s fencing doublet, directly above his heart. The padded mace came around again, and Liv threw up her left arm, taking the hit on her leather vambrace instead of her helm. Despite the armor and the padding on the practice weapon, she cried out, dropped her rapier, and grabbed her arm out of reflex. ¡°Brodbeck wins!¡± Gamel declared. ¡°Teller, you¡¯re dead. Brodbeck, you¡¯ve got a broken arm. If this were a real fight, anyway. Shake it off while I get your next opponent.¡± Liv unstrapped the vambrace, leaving her rapier on the ground, and rubbed at her forearm. She could already tell it was going to have a nasty bruise, but she could circulate her mana that evening to speed up the healing process. Thirty four people - that meant seventeen would make it through the second round of matches, unless someone was too injured to continue. Call it four more wins for her to get into the advanced class. When she saw the blonde boy who¡¯d asked a question earlier come over, Liv strapped her vambrace back on. ¡°Liv Brodbeck,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°I know who you are,¡± he said, in a hard voice. ¡°Merek Sherard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the princess¡¯ cousin, then?¡± Liv asked, heart sinking. ¡°Second cousin,¡± he clarified. ¡°I don¡¯t care that you embarrassed her, so much; she¡¯s a spoiled brat. But you embarrassed our house, and no one gets to do that without consequences.¡± At least he used a rapier, Liv thought to herself. She fell into first guard, and when Gamel called the match on, she managed to get off a parry that prevented Merek¡¯s sword from taking her in the face. It was a bit frightening, even with her mask on: what if he¡¯d gotten her in the eye? Even with a padded tip, he could have really hurt her. When her opponent retreated, she lunged back in return. Faster than Liv could track, Merek slid inside her guard, got his hand on her wrist, and twisted her arm around somehow, with his other hand on the outside of her elbow. She tried to yank her sword away, but he used his leverage to extend her right arm out behind her. ¡°Sherard!¡± Gamel shouted, and Liv felt a flash of disappointment. No advanced weapons class for her. She hadn¡¯t really expected to make the cut, but it would have been nice. At least she was confident about her spellcraft, and she¡¯d have a chance to catch her breath before it was time to show off her magic. Then, instead of releasing her, Merek Sherard struck the outside of her extended elbow with the heel of his palm, like a hammer. With an audible crack, Liv¡¯s right arm broke, and she screamed. 88. Rosamund Lowry Liv fell to her knees, cradling her broken arm against her chest. Her elbow felt at once unnaturally loose, and in agonizing pain. At a glance, her arm even looked fundamentally wrong, bent at an unnatural angle. A distant, removed part of her mind catalogued the probable injuries. She could almost hear Master Cushing''s voice, droning through the list: dislocated elbow, probably fractures, torn ligaments¡­ Wren tackled Merek Sherard to the ground while Gamel was still gaping in horror. The dark-haired huntress rolled on top of the boy, using her weight to keep him down while she held the blade of a hunting knife to his throat. Around them on the training ground, matches were just starting to come to a halt as the other students noticed what had happened. ¡°Healer!¡± Gamel shouted. ¡°I need a healer!¡± ¡°Get off of me!¡± Merek spat at Wren, trying to twist out from underneath her. Gamel reached out a hand, took a hold of the huntress¡¯ shoulder, and yanked her back, giving the boy room to scramble away. Liv was dimly aware of people rushing toward them, but her attention was fixated entirely on the person who¡¯d hurt her. ¡°You rusting bastard,¡± Liv gasped, struggling back to her feet. All she¡¯d wanted was to come to Coral Bay and learn. She¡¯d dressed to be ignored, used a Lucanian name, tried to be pleasant to everyone she met. She¡¯d done her best in every examination, even this one, which she knew wouldn¡¯t be her best. And now this idiot, who Liv had never even met before, wanted to ruin everything. Well, she wasn¡¯t going to let him. Frost cracked across the packed earth of the training field, spidering out from Liv without any conscious thought, even before she could begin an incantation. A wave of cold air exploded out from her, and she could see puffs of frosted breath coming from the mouths of the people around when they exhaled. With her left hand, Liv drew her wand and rotated the handle. Adamant ice coalesced along the edges of the bone wand, extending its length until she held a frozen blade in her hand. Wren was struggling with Gamel, who was easily twice her size, and Merek had only just gotten to his feet. Both practice swords were forgotten in the dust. Liv extended her blade and lunged forward ¨C Vertical panes of shining blue magic, striated with veins of gold, slammed into place all around her. They weren¡¯t quite as clear as a glass window, but neither were they solid, and Liv could see that all four of them had been separated into boxes constructed from raw mana. ¡°What in the name of the trinity is going on here,¡± Master Jurian shouted, slamming his staff against the ground as he stormed over to the melee. Each of the four cubes of magical force pulled apart, creating distance between the people trapped inside, and Jurian stood in the center. ¡°She tried to kill me just now!¡± Merek Sherard accused. ¡°Look, you can still see the sword in her hand!¡± ¡°Silence.¡± Jurian waved his hand, and a thick bar of blue magic appeared in Merek¡¯s open mouth, like the bit between a horse¡¯s teeth. ¡°Journeyman Gamel, explain. Now.¡± Gamel took a breath, but his eyes flicked over to Wren warily as he spoke. ¡°I had just called the match; Sherard had disarmed Brodbeck, and caught her in an armbar. Then he deliberately finished the move with a break. That woman ¨C¡± he motioned to Wren ¨C "tackled him with a knife to his throat, and I called for a healer while trying to get her off.¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± Jurian said, rounding on Wren. ¡°My bodyguard,¡± Liv said, through gritted teeth. She didn¡¯t even want to look at her elbow. Jurian nodded, then turned to Merek. The magical bit in his mouth faded out of existence, and he gasped for air. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me,¡± the blonde nobleman said. ¡°Do you know who I am? They tried to kill me!¡± ¡°Did you break her arm, boy?¡± Jurian demanded. ¡°She hadn¡¯t submitted, so I kept fighting,¡± Merek whined. ¡°If she can¡¯t take the pain, she shouldn¡¯t be on the field.¡± ¡°This journeyman called the match,¡± Jurian said, thrusting a finger at Gamel. ¡°Your opponent was defeated. And you kept fighting. Why?¡± ¡°...I didn¡¯t hear him,¡± Merek claimed, lamely. ¡°That¡¯s a pile of rusting shit!¡± Liv shouted. ¡°Did you hear me when I said these were sparring matches, or are your ears completely useless?¡± Jurian shouted. His voice carried easily across the field, and he spun in place to look over the crowd of students, all of whom were now silent, watching the chaos. ¡°Yes, Professor,¡± Merek said. ¡°Yes, your ears are completely useless, or yes you heard me?¡± Jurian pressed him. ¡°I heard you, Master Jurian.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re only an idiot.¡± Merek opened his mouth to protest, but the professor didn¡¯t let him get a word out. ¡°Because if you¡¯re not an idiot, the alternative is that you deliberately broke a fellow student¡¯s arm. And if that¡¯s the case, Sherard, I¡¯ll have you drummed out of this college before sunset.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Merek protested. ¡°It was an accident. And my uncle¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a pile of rust who your family is,¡± Jurian shouted. ¡°Gamel, get him out of here. The Archmagus can deal with him. Sherard, you just failed both your combat examinations. If you¡¯re still here tomorrow, you¡¯re in remedial classes until you can learn what an appropriate level of force is. Get out of my sight.¡± The magical cubes around Gamel and Merek Sherard vanished, and the big journeyman roughly grabbed the blonde boy by his shoulder and pulled him off the field. Sherard only looked back once, directly at Liv, with hateful eyes. ¡°Bodyguard,¡± Jurian said, turning to Wren. ¡°You were doing your job, and I don¡¯t find you at fault for any of this. While your charge is in my training yard, her safety is my responsibility. If anything, I should thank you for not slitting that idiot¡¯s throat immediately. Remarkable show of restraint, and it makes my life easier. See me after the examinations.¡± The walls around Wren faded out of existence, leaving only Liv. When Jurian turned to her, she thought that she could see the faintest trace of a smile on his lips. ¡°Are you left handed, or right handed, Apprentice Brodbeck?¡± ¡°Right handed,¡± Liv gasped. Somehow, her arm was only hurting more as time went on, not less. The cube around her disappeared. ¡°I want you all to look at this,¡± Jurian declared. ¡°Her strong arm is ruined, but does she give up? No! She¡¯s still ready to fight.¡± He waved at the blade of ice extending from Liv¡¯s wand. ¡°You don¡¯t need that, apprentice. Put it away and let the healers see you. Everyone else, back to your matches! If you don¡¯t finish by evening meal, you won¡¯t eat tonight!¡± Liv used the waste heat she¡¯d been automatically holding onto to melt away the sword. Now that it was clear she wasn¡¯t in danger, the rage that had kept her upright faded, and she felt wrung out. She staggered, and Wren was there to lean on, with an arm around Liv¡¯s waist. ¡°Come along,¡± Jurian murmured, moving in on her other side. ¡°Let¡¯s get you off the field.¡± Despite the fact there were ten matches happening on the field ¨C actually, she realized, nine, with Gamel gone ¨C Liv still felt like everyone was watching her. She did her best to stay upright and walk by herself, even if she would have rathered someone carry her. Her father, perhaps. ¡°Come over here and sit down,¡± Professor Annora said. She was waiting by the bleachers, a thin wand of pale wood already in her hand. To Liv¡¯s surprise, Arjun had made his way over to them, as well. ¡°Who¡¯s this, then?¡± the professor asked. Once Liv was seated, she began to run her fingers along the injured arm, probing and feeling for breaks. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Arjun Iyuz,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°My jati teaches both Cost and Cail, Professor. I thought I might be able to help.¡± ¡°That you may,¡± Annora murmured, then turned to address Jurian. ¡°She''s done for the day. I want to take her to the infirmary; once we¡¯ve got her set right, she needs to be in a plaster cast for at least two weeks.¡± Jurian frowned, but before he could speak, Liv interrupted. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Just pop it back in and wrap me up. I want to do the magical examination.¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Professor Annora said. ¡°I won¡¯t have an injured student putting herself in more danger. You¡¯ll just have to work your way up from the remedial class. It isn¡¯t the end of the world.¡± Wren barked out a short laugh. ¡°She¡¯s tougher than you think. Let her fight.¡± ¡°I thought you were her bodyguard,¡± Annora scolded, turning to Wren with a frown. ¡°I am,¡± Wren said. ¡°And if the big boy hadn¡¯t pulled me off, I would¡¯ve already killed the one who did this to her. But she can still fight. I¡¯ve seen her do it.¡± ¡°This is what I came for,¡± Liv said, turning to beg Master Jurian. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t do this. Let me show you what I¡¯ve learned.¡± ¡°Jurian¨C¡± Annora began, but he interrupted her. ¡°Brodbeck is my personal apprentice,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m approving her request to continue. Fix her up as best you can while we finish the armed matches, but she stays.¡± ¡°I want my objections noted with the Archmagus,¡± Annora grumbled. ¡°Fine. But it¡¯s my training yard, and my decision.¡± Jurian began to walk away, then paused, and turned back to Liv. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret giving you this chance.¡± He disappeared into the crowd. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll change your mind when you see how much this is going to hurt,¡± Annora chided Liv. ¡°Alright boy - Arjun? Show me what you know. Help me pop the bones back into the joint.¡± Liv screamed again, when they moved the bones. Wren helped hold her down, though three people seemed a bit ridiculous, for how small Liv was, and she couldn¡¯t help but giggle at it. Then, they set to work on the fractures and ligaments. ¡°Is that willow?¡± Arjun asked, watching the professor move her wand over Liv¡¯s arm. Annora nodded. ¡°It resonates with healing words,¡± she explained. ¡°You know the bark has pain-killing properties, of course.¡± Arjun nodded. ¡°With the right enchantments, those properties can be layered onto any spell cast using the wand. She should be starting to feel it right about now. Good for bringing a fever down, too.¡± And indeed, Liv was able to breathe a bit easier. Whether it was having the bones back in place, or the effect of the wand, the pain was no longer quite so overwhelming. While Annora and Arjun wrapped a wooden splint tight to her arm with strips of clean linen, she watched the last match of the armed examination. It came down to a boy Liv didn¡¯t recognize against a strikingly beautiful girl with very short dark hair - even shorter than many of the boys. She moved like a prowling cat, clad in tight breeches and a linen shirt, with a kind of dangerous grace that Liv found absolutely fascinating. She clearly knew how to fight ¨C in a few quick moves, the girl disarmed her opponent, broke down his leg, and bore him to the ground, pinning him helplessly. ¡°Winner,¡± Jurian declared, ¡°Lady Rosamund Lowry. Congratulations.¡± He offered the girl his hand. Rosamund accepted, and got back to her feet with a grin, then strolled back over to the stands. Liv felt her eyes drawn to the way the girl¡¯s hips rolled, and actually felt a bit jealous. Worse, Rosamund noticed her looking, grinned, and gave Liv a wink. She blushed and looked away. Once the final two students were both seated, Jurian addressed the assembled students again. ¡°The magical examinations work somewhat differently,¡± he explained. ¡°Half of you aren¡¯t ready to duel yet, and half of those don¡¯t even have a word of power. The students who can duel won¡¯t have enough mana to get through more than one fight today. Therefore, we will not have a finalized ranking before dinner.¡± There was a chorus of groans from the students in the stands. ¡°Only those who voluntarily put themselves forward will duel today,¡± Jurian continued, pacing back and forth. ¡°Everyone who chooses not to duel, will be placed in the remedial class. Everyone who steps forward will be guaranteed a place in the basic magical combat course. As before, there are a small number of spots reserved in my advanced course, and those are the spots you are competing for. Now, volunteers!¡± Liv yanked her arm out of the professor¡¯s grasp, and stood up. ¡°Good enough,¡± she said, and walked out onto the packed earth of the training yard before anyone could stop her. She did her best to ignore the murmuring of the other students, but some of the voices carried too loudly for her to ignore. ¡°She¡¯s mad,¡± one of the girls said. Liv turned around when she reached Master Jurian, and stood there, facing the stands, waiting for someone else to step forward. She drew her wand in her left hand again, and only then realized that her set of bracelet and rings was still packed away in Thora¡¯s care. No matter; she could get through one duel without that. ¡°Are there no other volunteers?¡± Master Jurian asked the students. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting a girl who¡¯s already got a broken arm,¡± Jasper Teller called out. ¡°Are you certain it isn¡¯t because I¡¯ve already beat you once?¡± Liv shouted back. Still, no one in the crowd moved to stand, and it was with a feeling of desperation that Liv wondered what would happen if they all refused to fight her. ¡°Rust it,¡± a woman¡¯s voice broke over the training field. Liv was surprised by the tenor of it: low and a bit hoarse. ¡°If she¡¯s got the stones to fight, I¡¯ll give her a match.¡± Rosamund Lowry stood up and walked quickly across the field to join Liv and Jurian. She carried neither a wand, nor a staff. ¡°Have you both dueled before?¡± Professor Jurian asked, and each girl nodded in turn. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°My name is Master Jurian, Professor of Combat at this college, and I will be overseeing this duel. Duelists, present any object that is enchanted, or any mana-stone you are carrying, for inspection.¡± Liv held out her left arm. ¡°I bring an enchanted wand made from the bone of a mana-beast,¡± she declared. ¡°Set with a mana stone in the pommel. I have another in my guild ring. My armor keeps my body warm, and helps to stop open wounds from bleeding.¡± ¡°I bring nothing,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°Those items are acceptable,¡± Jurian declared. ¡°This duel will proceed to first blood, surrender, unconsciousness, or my count of ten without response. If either party leaves the circle, they will be considered to have surrendered. When I call the duel as ended, you will both cease casting immediately. We will have no more incidents like the one before, is that clear?¡± Both girls nodded. ¡°Back to back.¡± At Jurian¡¯s command, Liv turned around, and pressed her body against Rosamund¡¯s. She could feel the other girl was a few inches taller than her, and Liv caught a faint whiff of soap that smelled like woodsmoke. ¡°Fifteen paces!¡± Jurian declared, and Liv began to walk. At the count of fifteen, she turned around, and waited calmly while the professor conjured the dueling circle of blue light to surround them. Across the training yard, Liv locked eyes with Rosamund Lowry. ¡°Begin!¡± Master Jurian shouted. ¡°Cemet Ceua o''Mae!¡± Rosamund called, her invocation confident. Just in front of her, the ground swelled up and rolled forward in a great wave of earth, spraying dirt in every direction, which surged toward Liv. Liv clicked the third button on her wand and drew it in a horizontal line in front of her. The movement was just a little awkward, with her left hand, but a wall of adamant ice sprang up in front of her just the same, clear enough for her to see through. By the time the roiling crest of earth broke on her barrier, Liv was already chanting. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Encve Manim ¡¯o¡¯Kveis,¡± she finished, and five soldiers of ice budded from the surface of the wall that faced Rosamund. Three carried swords, while the final two wielded spears sharpened of Liv¡¯s intent. As one, the five frost soldiers charged across the yard, weapons raised. ¡°Cemet Aiveh Thigva,¡± Rosamund called. She started to back away, then looked behind and saw that she had no room against the blue light of the dueling circle. A great ditch in the earth fell out from under the feet of two of Liv¡¯s charging soldiers, the pair at the front, and they tumbled down into the collapsing ground. Liv paused the other three at the edge of the trench. Ranged attacks, it would have to be, then. Rather than drop the wall, Liv decided to continue using it. ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Dvo Scelim¡¯o¡¯Kveis!¡± At her command, two shards of ice formed from the wall, hung parallel to the ground for a moment, extended like the spears of a rank of soldiers, then shot forward. Liv aimed for Rosamund¡¯s legs, rather than her torso, because she didn¡¯t want to accidentally kill the other girl. She was surprised to find herself grinning, in spite of the pain she still felt from her arm. Rosamund Lowry threw herself to the side, rolling across the ground, and yelled out: ¡°I yield! I¡¯m out of mana.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but sigh, disappointed the duel was over so quickly. She used the waste heat from her spells to melt the wall of ice away, and then turned to glance at the crowd. She was surprised to see that the students were absolutely silent, many of them staring at her with wide eyes. Thora leapt to her feet and began to clap enthusiastically. 89. The Crab and Gull Liv looked to the stands, where Thora, Wren, Arjun and Tephania were waiting for her. Despite Professor Annora¡¯s healing magic, her arm still throbbed painfully, and she could feel it swelling all around her elbow. It would be very nice to sit down, and even better to be back in her room on the second floor of High Hall, so she could crawl into bed and sleep. Instead, she walked across the practice field, to the edge of the trench Rosamund had used to defend herself. At the bottom, deep enough that a tall man wouldn¡¯t be able to reach out, Liv¡¯s trapped soldiers were already melting, now that she had no need of them. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she called across the gap, to where her opponent was just getting up off the ground. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Rosamund said with a grin. She used her trousers to wipe the dirt off her hands. ¡°Never seen anyone fight like that before, though, and I thought I was pretty good. You sure you¡¯re a first year?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Liv assured her. ¡°I¡¯ve almost certainly already had more training than anyone else here, though. And you did do well!¡± She offered a grin. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that trick with the ground just surging right at me. If I hadn¡¯t had a wall ready to go from my wand, I don¡¯t know what I would have done. Try to jump it, maybe?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose,¡± Master Jurian broke in, walking up to the two of them, ¡°that you have enough mana to fill in that trench, Miss Lowry?¡± Rosamund shook her head and looked down at her feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m well and truly tapped out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have the boys fetch shovels, then,¡± Jurian decided. ¡°What if she used this?¡± Liv offered, flipping around her wand. ¡°There¡¯s four rings of mana in the pommel-stone. That should be enough for one spell, I would think.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t use it up during our duel?¡± Rosamund asked, wide eyed. Liv shook her head. ¡°Fuck me,¡± the other girl exclaimed, then laughed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll do it, if you really don¡¯t mind.¡± Liv extended the wand out over the trench using her left hand, and Rosamund stretched her own arm out to touch the stone with her fingers. A few muttered words later, the training ground was level as if it had never been disturbed, and Liv slid her wand back into the leather sheath on her hip. It was a bit awkward using the wrong hand, but she managed. ¡°Would you like to come sit with us?¡± she offered. ¡°Sure.¡± Rosamund shrugged, and followed Liv over to the stands. ¡°Tell me the truth - did you have another spell in you, or were you going to have to pull from the wand, next?¡± Liv hesitated, then decided it couldn¡¯t do any harm to answer. ¡°I was running a bit low before we started, actually. From setting up the contingent spells in my wand this morning. Usually I¡¯d have recovered all of that mana over breakfast and luncheon, but they aren¡¯t giving us mana-enriched food here. All I¡¯ve got is a bit of jerky I brought from home, and letting it come back naturally. Which I guess is a long way of saying I had maybe one spell left, plus what was already loaded into the wand, and the mana in the stones.¡± ¡°So you weren¡¯t anywhere near done.¡± Rosamund shook her head. Now they were close enough to the stands, Liv could make out some of what her fellow students were saying. ¡°She can¡¯t possibly be a first year - maybe it''s a test from the professors.¡± ¡°It''s because she¡¯s Eldish - look at those knife ears.¡± ¡°Whoever she is, she¡¯s a proper beast. I can¡¯t wait to fight her!¡± The last made Liv smile, but she ignored it all to introduce Rosamund to her friends. ¡°This is Arjun, he¡¯s from Lendh ka Dakruim. Tephania lives across the hall from me in High Hall, I met her at breakfast. Thora is my lady¡¯s maid, and Wren¡¯s my bodyguard.¡± The last felt like a lie, or at least as if she was leaving a lot out, but it was technically true. ¡°Rosamund Lowry,¡± the short-haired girl said, taking a seat beside Liv and slouching back casually. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to fall in with the fancy people from High Hall. A lady¡¯s maid and a bodyguard? Your father a duke or something?¡± ¡°Shhh,¡± Liv said. ¡°I want to watch the rest of the duels, so I know who I¡¯ll be going up against. Arjun, is it alright if I ice my elbow?¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± the dark-haired boy said. ¡°And it will bring down the swelling. As long as you¡¯ve got enough control not to freeze your arm off, go ahead.¡± Liv nodded, murmured an incantation under her breath, and used only the smallest trickle of mana to cover the linen bandages in a layer of frost. In the meanwhile, Master Jurian had called up the next two opponents. For the rest of the afternoon, Liv watched the matches from her perch in the stands. Out of all her new friends, only she and Rosamund had fought: both Arjun and Tephania refrained from volunteering. Even though Arjun could obviously use magic - he¡¯d helped Professor Annora heal Liv¡¯s arm, after all - he claimed that he had no idea how to fight with it. Tephania, on the other hand, had yet to cast a spell, and wouldn¡¯t be able to until she¡¯d imprinted a word from the guild. Perhaps a quarter of the first years fought, now that Liv was off the field. Most of them only had enough mana for one or two spells, and few of them had any mana-stone or enchanted objects. Nonetheless, she was excited to see the sheer variety of magic gathered in one location. One boy brought a practice rapier with him onto the field, and with a single word invocation, blurred into motion. Faster than Liv could keep track of by sight, he¡¯d thumped his opponent three times and then backed off again. A girl with strawberry-blonde hair, wearing a variety of silver bracelets, rings, and other ornaments, commanded the metal itself to change shape. Blades of silver hovered in the air in front of her, then flung forward at her unfortunate opponent. There was a boy who pulled spikes of stone up from the ground, and a raven-haired girl who seemed to enchant her opponent with a few words and a smile. The poor boy wandered over to her with all the eagerness of a puppy, then proclaimed his surrender in return for the chance to kiss her hand. When she walked off the field to applause, he shook himself and looked very confused. Liv had instructed Thora to bring a notebook, but her elbow was too stiff and painful for her to write in it herself. Instead, Tephania opened a small inkpot, and her quill scratched over the pages, recording every observation that Liv, Rosamund, or Wren made during the succession of matches. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to beat that girl except to strike first,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°What was her name?¡± ¡°Celestria Ward,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°She¡¯s on my floor. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t mind losing to her.¡± Liv blinked, but couldn¡¯t quite make sense of that. ¡°Overwhelming force,¡± Wren agreed. ¡°As soon as Jurian says the word.¡± The last match of the day was won by a boy whose magic was able to make his opponent so heavy that they collapsed to the ground, pressed into the earth and unable to move so much as a hand. Liv sighed, and shook her head. ¡°It would be easier to prepare if the matches were announced in advance and not random,¡± she complained. ¡°Sixteen of you stepping forward is actually quite good,¡± Master Jurian declared, taking possession of the empty field again and making it his stage. ¡°My compliments to everyone who had the courage to do so, even if you lost your first match. Tomorrow we will continue at the ninth bell, as soon as you¡¯ve all had a chance to eat something. There will only be four matches in the morning, and the winners will be provided a luncheon that will restore their mana for the afternoon. If no one wastes their time, we should have a class ranking by the end of the day tomorrow. In the meanwhile, the other professors and older students will be sorting out your class schedules. Anyone who is not dueling tomorrow is welcome to attend. There¡¯s something to be gained from watching, after all. For now, you¡¯re all dismissed. Apprentice Brodbeck, remain behind.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Meet you in the dining hall?¡± Arjun asked, standing up from the bench and stretching out his back. Liv shook her head. ¡°I need real food. Wren, did you find anything in town?¡± ¡°There¡¯s two inns with common rooms,¡± the huntress answered. ¡°The Crab and Gull, and the White Dolphin. They¡¯re both just a bit down the road, not even in the old part of town. Couldn¡¯t say which is better, though.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Liv stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t plan to be out long; even with the healing, my arm¡¯s not feeling good. But if I don¡¯t get something with some mana in it, it¡¯ll take longer for everything to heal. If anyone would like to wait for me, I¡¯d love it if you came along. We can pick whichever inn looks better.¡± Arjun nodded, and Rosamund grinned. ¡°Why not,¡± she said. Tephania however, looked uncertain. ¡°Maybe I should go back to our rooms,¡± she said, ¡°and let everyone else know where you are.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your choice,¡± Liv said. ¡°But you¡¯re welcome to come with us.¡± Then, she walked out across the packed earth of the training ground, with Thora and Wren trailing her. ¡°Two birds with one stone, I see,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Good. The bodyguard -¡± ¡°Wren,¡± the huntress said. Jurian nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind getting up early, come down before breakfast. I¡¯ll give you a few pointers.¡± ¡°Who says I need them?¡± Wren asked. ¡°If you really think you can keep up with me,¡± the mage told her, a twinkle in his eye, ¡°then we both get a nice bit of exercise out of it. Tell you what. The day you beat me, I¡¯ll make you an enchanted dagger.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal,¡± Wren told him. Liv thought that when she smiled, her teeth looked just a little bit too sharp, and she hoped that no one else would notice. ¡°Now, Liv,¡± Jurian began, turning back to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that happened. I knew you were probably going to get a hard time from some of the other students, but I didn¡¯t think it would go that far.¡± ¡°The deal Julianne made was supposed to prevent it,¡± Liv broke in, her anger at Merek Sherard coming back at full force. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in the room when the duchess and the prince hashed things out,¡± Jurian admitted. ¡°Though the Archmagus filled me in on the basics. I expect he¡¯s ripped that boy up one side and down the other, and I also expect he¡¯ll be wanting to speak with you tomorrow. If it were up to me, I¡¯d have already sent that idiot packing his things, but it isn¡¯t, and his family has given a great deal of coin to this school. To say nothing of the fact he¡¯s cousin to our next king.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t start in the same combat classes,¡± the professor continued. ¡°So I can keep him away from you here. At least until he begins challenging his way up. If you can keep ahead of him, that would be good. But if you do end up in the same course at one point, I¡¯ll take it over personally, whatever level it is, so that I can keep a close eye on him.¡± ¡°He broke my arm,¡± Liv pressed. ¡°He¡¯d better get more than a scolding.¡± ¡°At the end of the day, that¡¯s the Archmagus¡¯ decision.¡± ¡°The archmagus who is, what, his great-uncle?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Jurian admitted. ¡°But I think you¡¯ll see that doesn¡¯t get the boy as far as he¡¯s expecting. In the meantime, making a few good friends is the best way to protect yourself, and I see you¡¯ve already begun that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with bullies before,¡± Liv said. ¡°If he tries anything, I¡¯m not going to stand for it.¡± ¡°Make sure you let him strike the first blow, then,¡± Jurian recommended. ¡°So that everyone can see you¡¯re acting in your own defense. Now, did I hear you all talking about getting dinner? Are you sure you¡¯re up to it, with your arm?¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t get something with mana in it, my arm won¡¯t heal as quickly,¡± Liv explained. ¡°And I won¡¯t have the mana to fight tomorrow.¡± ¡°The struggles of having a high capacity,¡± Jurian observed, with a nod. ¡°A night¡¯s rest in such a low-mana area isn¡¯t enough for you. You want the Crab and Gull. And send one of your girls down to the wharf and find a place called Townsend¡¯s Dry Goods. They import mana-beast meat from all over the kingdom, as well as stocking the local seafood from the tidal rift. They¡¯ll make weekly deliveries to the High Hall kitchen, if you can pay for it.¡± ¡°I have a pension from the king, and one from Duchess Julianne,¡± Liv said. ¡°As well as my father¡¯s accounts, if I truly need them.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Jurian reached into his purse, and handed her three silvers. ¡°Dinner is on me, for you and your friends.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said. They found everyone waiting just outside the training yard, on the shoulder of the road which led down from the bluff and into Coral Bay itself. Liv found that she was only slightly surprised that Cade had joined them. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked, carefully pulling her into an embrace. ¡°Rumors are just starting to get around. Some boy broke your arm?¡± If she was back at Whitehill, Liv would have wanted her mother¡¯s arms, or her father¡¯s. Cade wasn¡¯t quite as comforting as her parents, but just the feeling of being held did help. She pressed her face into his chest for a long moment, and simply listened to his heart beat. When she spoke, her voice was half-muffled by his body. ¡°Merek Sherard,¡± Liv said. ¡°Broke my arm after the match was already called.¡± ¡°If the professor hadn¡¯t stopped me, I would have slit his throat,¡± Wren grumbled. ¡°He won¡¯t bother you again,¡± Cade promised, and his voice rumbled through his chest so that Liv could feel it. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself in trouble,¡± Liv warned him, pulling back so that she could meet his eyes. ¡°Master Jurian said Archmagus Loredan will decide what to do about it, and that he¡¯ll want to talk to me tomorrow. Anyway, I need food that I can actually live on. Come down to the Crab and Gull with us?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Cade said, and offered her his arm. Together, the crew of students trooped down the road, until Wren pointed out the inn that Master Jurian had recommended. There was an entire courtyard of tables and benches on the ocean-side of the bluff, looking out on the water, and a young woman approached them as soon as they walked over. ¡°Seven, m¡¯lord Talbot?¡± she asked, addressing Cade first. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said. In what felt like no time at all, Liv found herself pressed between Cade on one side and Rosamund on the other, with two steaming loaves of bread and a carafe of white wine on the table before them. ¡°You have mana-rich food?¡± she asked the serving girl. ¡°All mages, are you?¡± The girl grinned. ¡°And except Lord Cade, here for the first time. You can¡¯t go wrong with anything that comes out of the tidal rift. Let me make this easier: is there anyone here who doesn¡¯t want food with mana in it?¡± Thora raised her hand, and Wren followed suit. ¡°Got it. How about I fill your table up with one of every dish, and you can share around and figure out what you like?¡± the girl suggested. ¡°That sounds absolutely wonderful,¡± Liv said, and was embarrassed to hear her own belly rumble. Her elbow was throbbing again, so she chilled her bandages, which had thawed somewhat, while they waited for food to begin arriving. Cade had already met Wren, Thora and Arjun, but Liv made certain to introduce him to Rosamund and Tephania, who had decided to come along in the end. ¡°I feel like my entire day was spent grading examinations,¡± he complained, slipping an arm around Liv¡¯s shoulder so that she could lean into him comfortably. She was surprised how easy it was to touch him, and how comfortable. Best of all, no one at Coral Bay seemed to care. She thought back to what Matthew and Triss had told her, and started to understand how they¡¯d balked at the strictness in Whitehill. ¡°Can you tell us how we did, then?¡± Rosamund asked with a grin. ¡°This one¡¯s trouble, isn¡¯t she?¡± Cade teased. ¡°You¡¯ll find out tomorrow. Sorting classes is a nightmare, but it''s mostly handled by the professors.¡± ¡°Are you teaching anything?¡± Arjun asked him. ¡°You¡¯re a third year, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, but not actually a journeyman,¡± Cade admitted. ¡°I¡¯m my father¡¯s only heir, so I can¡¯t join the guild, even if I wanted to. I help Master Blackwood out, however.¡± Before he could say more, the serving girl returned, with another two young men to help her carry platters. They began piling the table with so much food that Liv wondered how they¡¯d possibly be able to eat it all, even with seven people. There were fresh oysters from the tidal rift, battered with ale and fried in oil; a great king crab, slathered in melted butter and sprinkled with flakes of peppers from Varuna; mussels braised with caramelized onions, cream, garlic, and bacon; pepper encrusted tuna that had been seared and left raw in the center; a thick, creamy lobster bisque; and clams stuffed with spiced breading. On top of the bread, there were roasted potatoes on the side, and fresh greens, as well as an entire roasted chicken for Thora and Wren. Lit by hanging oil lamps and the light of the sun setting over the bay, they dug into the feast. For a short while, the smiles on her friends¡¯ faces, the laughter and conversation around the table, and Cade¡¯s solid presence next to her was enough for Liv to ignore the throbbing of her arm. 90. A Night鈥檚 Rest By the fourth time she¡¯d iced over her bandages, Liv could no longer deny that it was time for her to call it an evening. Another two bottles of wine had been ordered and then consumed, and a dessert consisting of three kinds of berry tarts had been soundly demolished by the table. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how casually you do that,¡± Rosamund said, from Liv¡¯s left. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯re going to freeze your arm off or something? It¡¯s such delicate work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of practice,¡± Liv told her. ¡°A lot of practice, and a lot of training.¡± Rosamund huffed. ¡°I had to beg my brother to teach me anything at all.¡± Liv opened her mouth to ask why, but at that moment, Wren stood up from the table, her eyes fixed on something over Liv¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Stop right there,¡± the dark-haired huntress called out. ¡°Who are you, and what¡¯s your business?¡± That stopped all conversation, and Liv turned about on the bench to get a look. It took a moment for her to recognize who she was seeing: six years had streaked his beard with gray, added a few scars, and somehow weathered his face even more. ¡°Captain Athearn!¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. It¡¯s alright, Wren, he¡¯s a friend.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a seaport, isn¡¯t it, m¡¯lady?¡± the captain asked, doffing his hat and bowing. ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t think it''s entirely a coincidence that you happen to walk up to this particular inn just when I¡¯m here,¡± Liv pressed. ¡°Not entirely, no,¡± Coram Athearn admitted, and straightened. ¡°Lord Talbot, good to see you again.¡± ¡°Better that none of our party are bleeding out on the floor at the moment,¡± Cade said. ¡°But yes, I remember you, Captain. What brings you here?¡± ¡°Well, at the beginning of the summer, while I was anchored at Freeport to take on a load of passengers for Calder¡¯s Landing, imagine my surprise to receive a message from the duchess,¡± Athearn told them. ¡°She asked me to see if I could manage to be docked at Coral Bay for the arrival of the first years - you among them, Lady Brodbeck.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Liv asked, puzzled. ¡°Not that I¡¯m not happy to see you - but I don¡¯t understand. Did she need something delivered?¡± ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Athearn said. ¡°Only this. To let you know that the Annie Gallant will be coming by way of Coral Bay every few months. If at any point you find yourself in need of passage, or perhaps a crew of brawlers to clear your way of some trouble, send someone down to the docks when we¡¯re in port.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Liv reached out with her left hand, instead of her right, and allowed the sea captain to bend over it. ¡°The woman with the purple streak of hair is Wren, my bodyguard while I¡¯m here, and Thora there is my maid. I¡¯d likely send either of them if I needed you.¡± ¡°And of course I¡¯d recognize Lord Talbot, as well,¡± Athearn told her, releasing her hand. ¡°I see you¡¯ve already found a spot of trouble.¡± He nodded to her splinted and bandaged right arm. ¡°A student named Merek Sherard,¡± Liv said, and couldn¡¯t help but scowl. ¡°You¡¯d think it would be enough to get him kicked out of the college, but Master Jurian didn¡¯t think it would be.¡± Athearn scratched at his beard. ¡°What¡¯s the boy look like? I could have a few of the lads keep an eye out for him, if he comes into town.¡± ¡°Blond and insufferable,¡± Wren commented. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Liv said. ¡°At least not until we know what the Archmagus¡¯ decision is.¡± She could feel the tension in Cade¡¯s body, where he was pressed up against her on the bench, and she reached out for his hand. ¡°That goes for you, as well. Don¡¯t get yourself in trouble over him.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do anything that will get back to the school,¡± Cade said, which Liv noticed was not quite what she¡¯d asked. ¡°And now, Captain Athearn,¡± Liv said, ¡°It¡¯s been good to see you, but I¡¯m tired and need to see to this arm.¡± She fished the three silvers Master Jurian had given her out of her purse, then looked over the extent of the table and added four more. Cade stood, and helped her to her feet. Everyone else followed suit, and once the sea-captain had said his farewells, the party walked back up the road to the college walls. They weren¡¯t alone: there were clusters of students everywhere, including plenty of unchaperoned couples who would have caused scandal by their behavior in Whitehill. There was conversation, but Liv was so sleepy she couldn¡¯t keep track of any of it. Arjun and Rosamund had to turn aside first, as neither of them roomed in the High Hall. ¡°Don¡¯t take the splint off until you¡¯ve been down to the infirmary,¡± Arjun warned her, examining Liv¡¯s arm one last time in the light of the glowing mana-stones fixed around the perimeter of the central courtyard. He chanted an incantation, and Liv felt another wave of warmth rise up from her hand, past her elbow, and nearly to her shoulder. ¡°There. That should help you sleep, I think, even if I don¡¯t have a willow-bark wand like the professor.¡± ¡°I look forward to watching you annihilate someone tomorrow,¡± Rosamund said, and gave Liv a quick hug. Then, the two of them hurried across the courtyard, leaving Tephania, Wren, Thora and Cade to get her upstairs. Whether it was the food, the wine, the excitement of fighting, the pain of her wound, or simply the toll taken by all the healing she¡¯d received, Liv found she could hardly keep her eyes open. ¡°Come along, then,¡± Cade said, and scooped her up in his arms. Before Liv could object, Tephania held the door open, and he carried her up the stairs to the second floor. Perhaps she should have minded more, but she found that it actually felt quite nice to snuggle into his shoulder. ¡°Which room?¡± she heard him ask. ¡°What happened to her?¡± It was Edith¡¯s voice, with a shrill edge to it, but Liv didn¡¯t want to deal with her right then. Another door swung open, and then Liv was lowered down onto her bed. ¡°Off with you, now, Cade,¡± Sidonie¡¯s voice carried across the room. ¡°Thank you, but you shouldn¡¯t be up here. We¡¯ll put her to bed.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Liv,¡± Cade murmured, and she felt his lips pressed to her forehead. The feeling reminded her of their kiss on her first day at Coral Bay, and she sleepily reached an arm out, but he¡¯d already moved out of reach. The sound of his boots on the floor receded. ¡°Let¡¯s get you undressed, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said. I can¡¯t sleep, Liv reminded herself. Not yet. While the maid and Sidonie pulled her stockings off, she reached inside herself to take hold of the mana that she needed. There was enough, now, after dinner, and Liv began to push it down from her shoulder to that wrecked and painful elbow. There was quite a bit of work to do. She could tell where the successive waves of healing magic had been applied: it was as if a week or more of natural healing had taken place in only a few hours. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough. Liv never felt Thora and Sidonie tuck her into the blankets: she was lost to the world, entirely focused on healing her wounds. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ? It was the seventh bell that finally brought Liv awake, again. She blinked eyes clogged with grit and gunk, and went to raise her right hand to her face before realizing what she was doing. Thankfully, there was no sudden spike of pain. The swelling was nearly entirely gone, and all that Liv could feel from her elbow was a dull ache. She rolled out of bed, and found she was wearing only yesterday¡¯s dirty shift. Liv padded barefoot across the rug to her jewelry box, where she found that Thora had tucked away the set of bracelet and chained golden rings that had once belonged to the princess. Liv slipped it onto her left hand, and began to pull the mana out. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re awake,¡± Thora said, bustling in. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have had so much to drink last night, m¡¯lady. And that young man carrying you - people will talk, if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± She occupied herself with pulling out a new dress and bodice for the day. Liv glanced over, and shook her head. ¡°Not the gray,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no point in trying to keep my head low, now, anyway. The white and blue, please. And fetch me whatever jerky we have left from Whitehill.¡± Eight rings of mana was hardly enough for Liv to feel comfortable going into another day of dueling. ¡°You¡¯ve two notes, as well,¡± Thora told her. She took two folded pieces of paper out of her pocket and put them on the vanity. Liv carefully placed the jewelry back in the box, then opened the first letter with her left hand. ¡°The bill from the blacksmith. Fetch me the inkpot and quill,¡± Liv said. Once she¡¯d signed it, authorizing money to be transferred by the bankers¡¯ guild, she read the second note. ¡°And Archmagus Loredan wishes to speak to me in his office once I¡¯ve finished dueling for the day. I can¡¯t say that¡¯s a surprise. Where¡¯s Wren?¡± ¡°She left early,¡± Thora said. ¡°To go down to the training grounds and meet with Professor Jurian.¡± ¡°Blood and shadows,¡± Liv cursed. ¡°I was supposed to speak to him about those armed men she found the other night. I can¡¯t believe I forgot.¡± ¡°You did have quite an eventful day,¡± Thora pointed out. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too hard on yourself, m¡¯lady. Now, let¡¯s get your hair done.¡± By the time Liv was dressed - she didn¡¯t even bother waiting with her armor, this morning, and just wore it out the door - breakfast was already on the table in the common room on the second floor. The other girls were chatting while they ate, but Liv took a single look at the spread, then turned and headed for the staircase. ¡°Too good to eat with us, or just still drunk from last night?¡± Edith asked, and Liv made herself take three slow breaths before turning around. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to arrange the food I need with the kitchen yet,¡± Liv explained, ¡°so I¡¯m walking down to get something at the Crab and Gull.¡± ¡°I could walk with you, if you like?¡± Sidonie offered. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Liv said, waving her off. ¡°I need a lot of mana this morning. Tephania, I¡¯ll see you down at the training grounds?¡± The blonde girl nodded, and Liv went on her way. There was a table of boys eating on the first floor, in a dining room behind the grand staircase, and for a moment Liv considered going in to see whether Cade was there. In the end, rather than brave an entire crowd of men she didn¡¯t know, she just hurried out of the building with Thora at her heels. By the time she¡¯d gotten to the inn, there was less time to spare than Liv would have liked, but the most important thing was to not be going into a fight empty. She hadn¡¯t even had the mana to spare to load her wand up with spells using the future tense, and even after devouring a plate of eggs scrambled with crab meat and cheese, and a side of venison sausages from the north, Liv knew that she was going to have to cut corners. That meant she had to think things through carefully. ¡°I need speed,¡± she muttered. ¡°If I wind up against that Ward girl. And if the fast boy comes at me, I¡¯ve got to have something to stop him.¡± Eight rings from her jewelry, and Liv estimated she¡¯d recovered half that again between her meal and the jerky she¡¯d gnawed on during the walk down. That made twelve rings. She had one more in her guild ring, on her left hand, but the pommel of the wand had been exhausted so that Rosamund could fill in her trench after their match. It wasn''t much to work with. A single sphere of ice, to ward off the boy whose name she didn¡¯t know, and a single frozen shard, both cast using the future tense, would leave her with only four rings to spare. Enough for a single, modest spell on the fly. When Liv put her coins down to pay, she kept her purse out. ¡°Do you have any tarts made with berries grown inside the shoals of a rift?¡± she asked the server girl. Not the one from the evening before, unfortunately. ¡°Blueberries, blackberries, and mulberries. Would you like one?¡± ¡°Pack me half a dozen - in a cloth, perhaps?¡± Liv asked, adding coins to the pile. She couldn¡¯t possibly go on like this: whatever that dry goods merchant charged, it had to be cheaper than eating every meal at an inn. The Crab and Gull wasn¡¯t even a normal inn, not really: it clearly catered to the wealthy students at the college, and prices reflected that. Liv cast her contingent spells into the bone-wand before they left, so that at least the entire school wasn¡¯t watching what she did. If she could preserve some element of surprise, she would. Then, with Thora in tow, carrying a basket of tarts wrapped in cheesecloth, Liv headed back up the hill to the training grounds, and found herself a seat. With all the written examinations complete and, presumably, graded, the older students had been released to watch the dueling, as well. Liv guessed that it gave the other professors time to sort out the students¡¯ schedules, for the only ones she saw were Annora and Jurian. The Professor of Healing rounded on Liv and stormed up to her as soon as she was seated. ¡°Let me see that arm,¡± Annora said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Jurian let you compete yesterday, in your condition.¡± She unwrapped the bandages carefully, then began to probe Liv¡¯s arm with her fingers. ¡°What did you do?¡± the professor asked, looking up at Liv with a frown. ¡°Was that Arjun boy working on you?¡± ¡°Only a little, just before bed, to help me sleep,¡± Liv told her. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. From the state of your arm, any chirurgeon would think you¡¯d been hurt two weeks ago, and not yesterday.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been a fast healer,¡± Liv put her off. ¡°Master Cushing used to think it was my Elden blood.¡± She did her best to keep a carefully neutral expression while the professor stared her down. ¡°I know there are things the Eld can do that we can¡¯t,¡± Annora finally said. ¡°Anyone who¡¯s spent time in the north does, even if they¡¯re quite cagey about the specifics. I presume this has something to do with that.¡± ¡°You can presume whatever you like,¡± Liv told her. It was one thing to consider teaching Matthew and Triss how to avoid mana-poisoning in a rift, but she wasn¡¯t going to tell her father¡¯s secrets to a woman she¡¯d met only yesterday. ¡°I¡¯m putting the splint back on, and fresh bandages,¡± Annora said. ¡°No more healing without speaking to me. It exhausts the body¡¯s strength and resources. The splint stays on for another week, you understand?¡± Liv did her best to nod meekly, and by the time the professor finally let her alone, most of her friends had arrived. Sidonie sat with them, today, which nearly made up for Wren¡¯s absence. That concerned Liv a bit: she¡¯d expected to find the huntress here with Master Jurian when she arrived. ¡°Did you get the kind of food you needed?¡± Tephania asked, as she settled into the row just behind Liv. ¡°I would have gone with you if you¡¯d let me know you were leaving,¡± Cade commented, taking the spot next to her. ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Liv answered Tephania. ¡°And I brought a half dozen tarts to help me get through the day. And I thought about it, Cade,¡± she said, ¡°only I didn¡¯t want to brave an entire dining room of boys I don¡¯t know in order to find you.¡± ¡°I can understand that,¡± he said, with a sigh. ¡°They¡¯re like animals, the lot of them. Especially the first years.¡± ¡°Shh,¡± Rosamund broke in. ¡°Look, the professor¡¯s about to draw the first match.¡± Liv leaned forward, and dropped her left hand to her wand. She¡¯d worn the sheath on the opposite hip, this morning, to make drawing easier. ¡°We¡¯ll begin the morning matches with Celestria Ward,¡± Jurian said, and Liv held her breath. ¡°Against Harold Pearson.¡± She exhaled. ¡°Relieved?¡± Cade asked her. ¡°If I don¡¯t have to fight her first, all the better,¡± Liv said. ¡°It gives me more time to watch what she does, and try to think of solutions. In the end, however, the girl won the same way as she had before: a muttered incantation, and Pearson - the dark haired boy who¡¯d made snide comments about her the day before - stumbled over and tried to kiss Celestria. He was only too happy to concede the match, and didn¡¯t recover his wits until she¡¯d already left the field, at which point he began cursing like a sailor. Liv¡¯s name wasn¡¯t drawn until the third match of the morning, and she found herself facing the other student who¡¯d worried her: the boy whose magic allowed him to move at blinding speeds. She hadn¡¯t caught his name the day before, but now that she wasn¡¯t gritting her teeth at the pain of a dislocated elbow, it was a great deal easier to pay attention. ¡°Good luck,¡± Rosamund said, when Liv¡¯s name was called. ¡°You can do this,¡± Cade chimed in, giving Liv a kiss on the cheek before she strode out onto the training field. She felt her cheeks heat up, to have him do it in public, where everyone could see. She gripped her wand in her left hand, while the boy across from her held another practice rapier. ¡°Anson Fane,¡± Liv addressed him, once they were face to face. ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯m very curious about your word of power. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before.¡± The boy was whip thin, long and lean, with tawny hair that fell in a mop about his ears. ¡°You weren¡¯t too bad yourself, yesterday,¡± he said. ¡°But a few soldiers won¡¯t stop me, you know.¡± ¡°Oh, I know,¡± Liv told him, with a smile. She looked to Master Jurian. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± 91. The Bodyguard and the Professor Wren made her way down to the training yard while the eastern sky was only just beginning to lighten into a shade of pale, luminescent blue, rather than star-spangled black. She gnawed on a hunk of day old bread, taken from the kitchen of High Hall, and a slice of sharp, hard cheese. She had a wineskin full of chicken blood, as well, purchased from the butcher the evening before, once they¡¯d gotten Liv into bed. Jurian was waiting for her in the middle of the training yard, swinging his staff about in a series of practiced, precise movements. He stopped when she stepped out onto the packed earth. ¡°The bodyguard,¡± he said. ¡°Good morning, Wren. Decided I might be able to teach you something, after all?¡± ¡°No,¡± she said, once she¡¯d swallowed the last of the bread. ¡°I wanted to tell you about something I saw in the city. Liv was going to, but she was exhausted last night, and hardly thinking clearly.¡± ¡°A broken arm will do that,¡± Jurian said. ¡°We¡¯ll talk while we fight, then. There¡¯s blunted practice knives over in the chests, there.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Wren took a swig of blood from her wineskin, recorked it and set it down on the nearest wooden bench. She dug two daggers out of the first chest of practice weapons. They weren¡¯t as nice as hers, of course, and the balance wasn¡¯t what she was used to, but they would do. To describe them as ¡®blunted¡¯ was a misnomer: the mock steel blades looked like they¡¯d never held an edge in the first place. ¡°I saw a crew of armed men sneaking off a ship the night before last,¡± Wren said, ¡°into an old warehouse. Swords, helms, shields, armor.¡± She raised her hands in front of her, a dagger clasped in each. The right dagger, she held ready to stab, pointed downward from her clenched fist. The left, she held with the blade flat against the outer edge of her forearm, for blocking. ¡°There are plenty of armed men in town,¡± Jurian said, but she noticed that his brows were furrowed. ¡°Merchants hire them all the time, to guard warehouses, or when a king tide comes.¡± Without warning, he swung the butt of his staff up toward Wren in a rising strike aimed to take her in the gut. A woman with less experience might have tried to back out of range, but Wren knew that she needed to be in close, to counter Jurian¡¯s advantage in reach. She blocked with her left arm, taking the impact on the braced steel of the dagger blade, and stabbed at Jurian¡¯s chest with her right dagger. The other end of his staff came around quick as a snake, and she had to duck to keep it from taking her head off. ¡°I thought we were practicing!¡± Wren exclaimed, back-pedalling in spite of herself. Jurian simply smiled, and fell back into his ready stance. ¡°We are. But you aren¡¯t taking it seriously.¡± ¡°As seriously as you''re taking the men on the docks?¡± Wren shot back. She lunged forward, feinting with her right dagger and then stabbing with her left. Jurian¡¯s block left him open, just as she¡¯d planned, but her blunted blade skidded off a pane of shining blue magic, the size of a man¡¯s palm, that lasted just long enough to turn her attack aside. The man had never even spoken a word aloud. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to the archmagus about it,¡± Jurian promised. ¡°And if you can tell me which warehouse, I¡¯ll ask Professor Every to pull the property records, and see who owns it. Even better if you can get me the name of the ship, as well. Just because I can think of a dozen legitimate reasons for those men to be there, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll leave something to chance and risk it becoming a problem. Now, enough playing. I told you that I wanted you to take this seriously.¡± ¡°I am-¡± Wren broke off, and couldn¡¯t help but feel her eyes widen at the sight of a blade of shining blue magic extending from the top of Jurian¡¯s staff. ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± the professor said. ¡°You haven¡¯t even started to show me what a great bat of the jungle can do, Wren Wind Dancer of the Red Shield Tribe. Show me why children still cry in their beds at the stories of your people! Stop holding back!¡± He feinted a thrust, then swung the blade directly at her head as soon as Wren was off balance. Her arm was out of position, but in the barest fraction of a moment before the blow landed, Wren could tell the professor wouldn¡¯t pull his strike. She called on the fresh blood inside her, and transmuted her entire body: not into bat form, but stopping halfway. The blue blade swung through a glistening, viscous mass of blood, sending a spray out the other side, and Wren reverted back to her human semblance. ¡°You know what I am.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been to Varuna,¡± Jurian said, spinning the staff back into position. ¡°Thirty years ago, now, but I¡¯ve always had a good memory for faces. How¡¯s Taika, at the Dancing Lady?¡± ¡°Well enough, the last time I saw her.¡± Wren studied the man in front of her, trying to imagine his hair without the white in it, his face unlined. It took longer than she¡¯d have preferred, but a memory finally stirred. ¡°You were part of the group that went to Godsgrave, weren¡¯t you?¡± Jurian nodded. ¡°So you do remember.¡± ¡°I thought you were a pack of young idiots,¡± she said. ¡°Half drunk and boasting about what you were going to do.¡± ¡°You were right,¡± Jurian admitted. ¡°We were. And most of us didn¡¯t come back. I also know what you did at Whitehill.¡± ¡°Did Liv tell you?¡± Wren asked. She took the moment of conversation to see whether she could catch him off guard, and lunged forward, swinging with both knives in succession. ¡°Grenfell,¡± Jurian grunted, ¡°the last time I was there.¡± His staff was everywhere, turning aside her stabs, threatening with the magical blade. What he didn¡¯t block with the weapon, those small panes of blue light stopped from ever touching his body. ¡°This is my sentence,¡± Wren snarled, dropping low and spinning her leg out in an attempt to sweep Jurian off his feet. He leapt over her attack, but now he was panting, tiring, slowing down. Age had not been kind to him. ¡°The Duchess¡¯ judgement.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not throwing you in a cell,¡± Jurian gasped. He threw a palm forward, and half a dozen shards of hard blue light flew out at her. Wren collapsed into blood and let them pass through her, then reformed on the wind and shot up into the sky. When she came back down, it was with a dagger in each hand, but a square of magic six feet on each side caught her, angled so that she slid down it and tumbled off before she could get to the mage. ¡°What do you want, then?¡± Wren said, rolling into a crouch and bringing her daggers back up. ¡°I want you to be good enough to keep her safe.¡± Jurian planted the butt of his staff in the ground and leaned on it, trying to catch his breath. The blue blade at the top of his weapon faded from existence. ¡°Why do you care?¡± Wren asked him. When she was certain that no attack was coming, she straightened, walked over to the chest of practice weapons, and threw the blunted daggers in. ¡°Because she¡¯s the most talented student I¡¯ve seen walk into this college,¡± Jurian said. Wincing, he made his way over to the stands, where he picked up a wine flask. Not hers, Wren saw; he must have brought his own. ¡°Because she¡¯s a diplomatic incident waiting to happen, and we can¡¯t afford war with the Eld. But mostly because I remember how frightened she was when I first met her, and how lonely.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Wren scooped up her own flask, and took a drink of blood. She was going to have to clean her mouth out thoroughly before being seen in public: blood had a way of stinking up your breath. ¡°Do something about that boy who broke her arm, then,¡± she told the man. ¡°I¡¯ve done what I can,¡± Jurian said, sitting down with a groan. ¡°The rest is up to Archmagus Loredan.¡± ¡°Maybe I should have just slit his throat,¡± Wren grumbled. ¡°A body would force me to ask questions,¡± Jurian told her. ¡°Don¡¯t force me to ask questions.¡± Wren blinked. ¡°Are you giving me permission to rough him up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving you permission to do anything,¡± Jurian said. ¡°I¡¯m only saying that I won¡¯t ask questions if there isn¡¯t a reason to. Now, go get yourself some real breakfast. Your charge will be here to fight again soon enough.¡± ¡°Tomorrow, then?¡± Wren asked. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Jurian nodded, and Wren headed back up the hill to the central courtyard. ? Wren found Cade among the boys leaving High Hall after their breakfast. Notably, she did not see Merek Sherard anywhere, but she was certain that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Wren was a hunter: sooner or later, she always found her prey. ¡°Did Liv send you to find me?¡± Cade asked, hanging back from the crowd to speak with her. The other halls were emptying of students as well, all joining into a jostling, noisy mass on its way down the road to the training yard. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen her all morning,¡± Wren said. ¡°I came on my own.¡± ¡°I would have thought that a bodyguard would keep a closer eye on her,¡± Cade said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Especially after what happened yesterday.¡± ¡°I needed to take care of a few things without her,¡± Wren said. ¡°One of which is this. What¡¯s your plan, lover boy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t owe you anything,¡± Cade said, and made to brush past her, but Wren had a dagger out before he could. ¡°You like those blades a little too much,¡± he grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re going to get yourself in trouble. I¡¯m willing to overlook the first time, because you didn¡¯t know me; but if you come at me again, I will defend myself. I¡¯d prefer not to do that, because I don¡¯t think it would make Liv very happy.¡± Wren twirled the dagger in her hand. ¡°Then indulge me. What are you after? Political advantage - want to tie her down and use her? Isn¡¯t that how all you Lucanian nobles work?¡± ¡°Is it so hard to believe that I actually like her?¡± Cade demanded. ¡°Did she tell you how we met?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wren shook her head. ¡°Put the rusted dagger away, walk down with me, and I¡¯ll tell you, then,¡± Cade said. With a huff, Wren slid her hunting knife back into its sheath, and they set off down the hill after the rest of the students. ¡°My home hasn¡¯t been a warm one for a very long time,¡± Cade said. ¡°My mother died in childbirth when I was young, and my father is¡­ not a pleasant man. I used to find every excuse I could to get away from him. We were in Freeport for the great council, and I heard the house a few places down from us was occupied, for the first time I could remember. I went down to the beach and walked over out of curiosity, and I saw the most beautiful girl I could imagine. Have you ever seen someone, and felt like you¡¯d just taken a crossbow bolt through the chest?¡± Wren shrugged. ¡°Maybe once.¡± Definitely once, but it was a long time ago, and he didn¡¯t need to hear about it. That hadn¡¯t worked out well, anyway. ¡°The wind off the ocean had caught her hair,¡± Cade said, his voice softening. ¡°Tossed it out all around her. She was just a slip of a thing, pale as the moon, barefoot in the sand and staring out at the ocean as if she¡¯d never seen it before.¡± ¡°And that was it, was it?¡± Wren pushed. ¡°I could hardly even get the words out to introduce myself,¡± Cade said, with a smile. ¡°When I took her hand - it was like holding a bird. So delicate.¡± He shrugged. ¡°You asked what I want? I want her as my wife. I want to protect her.¡± Wren stopped walking; they were nearly at the training yard, which was now filling up with people. She could see Liv, sitting on one of the low benches, with the professor of healing examining her arm. ¡°Protect her then,¡± Wren said. ¡°Until I get back.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cade asked, with a frown. ¡°Nothing that will give anyone a reason to ask questions.¡± Wren turned and strode back up the bluff. ? When Wren found Merek Sherard, he was in the laundry room, stirring a great, steaming cauldron full of water, soap and cloth with a great staff. The entire place stunk of lye, mildew, and ¨C she wrinkled her nose. Human waste. ¡°Just put them in the pile,¡± the blonde boy grumbled, without even looking up. ¡°I¡¯ll get to it when this load is done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here about the laundry.¡± Wren planted herself across from him. ¡°The bodyguard.¡± Sherard raised his eyes, and recognized her immediately. ¡°Come on your mistress¡¯ behalf, have you? I presume she¡¯s enjoying my humiliation.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she even knows you¡¯re here,¡± Wren said. ¡°And if this is what the Archmage has decided to do with you, I think he¡¯s too soft by half. I¡¯m here to give you a warning.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that, then?¡± Sherard sneered. ¡°The Eldish bitch is going to send her father after me? Or is it the bastard duchess?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no control over what she does or doesn¡¯t do,¡± Wren said. ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you what I¡¯ll do. If you give her any more trouble, anything at all, you¡¯re going to wake up one night when I cut your balls off with this.¡± She drew one of her knives, held it up where he could see, and twirled it around to make certain he got the point. ¡°I¡¯m the king¡¯s great nephew,¡± Merek said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit whose nephew you are,¡± Wren told him. ¡°Liv might. She¡¯s also nicer than I am. But I won¡¯t ask her permission, first. I¡¯ll just do it. And your uncle can do whatever he wants, you¡¯ll still be short one set of balls. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much healing magic can do about that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t respond well to threats,¡± the blonde boy said. ¡°Can¡¯t control what you do, either,¡± Wren said. ¡°Only tell you what the consequences will be. Stay away from her.¡± With that, she spun on her heel and headed back down to the training ground. After all, she wanted to see Liv beat the snot out of a few young mages. She could hear the shouts and cheers as she approached; it had taken longer to find the boy than she¡¯d intended, and Wren hoped that she hadn¡¯t missed Liv¡¯s first duel. She shouldered her way through the crowd. Not only every student on the campus was present, she suspected, but also any servant who could get away from their duties, and by the look of it no few people from the town, as well. Finally, Wren managed to squeeze her way to the section of benches where Liv¡¯s friends were sitting. She dropped herself down next to Cade just as Liv was setting her back to a tall boy, out in the center of the yard. ¡°Took care of what you needed to?¡± the dark-haired boy asked, without taking his eyes from the girl with the bone wand gripped in her hand. ¡°Just a small errand,¡± Wren said. ¡°Took longer than I thought it would, but I¡¯m here now. Who¡¯s she fighting?¡± ¡°Anson Fane,¡± the girl who wore a set of spectacles over her eyes answered. Sidonie, Wren was pretty certain. ¡°What¡¯s his magic, then?¡± ¡°Vefta,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°To accelerate.¡± ¡°To what?¡± Wren frowned. ¡°Speed up. Look, here they go!¡± Sidonie pointed, and Wren saw the circle of blue light flare to life around the two duelists. The boy held a rapier in his hand, but instead of falling into a guard that Wren recognized, he looked like a runner ready to spring. At Jurian¡¯s word, the boy blurred into motion. Wren¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t track him, and she had no idea how anyone would be able to fight someone moving so fast. What good would a few daggers do against that? Her own best option would be to fly away, she figured, rather than stand and fight. But Liv had acted at the professor¡¯s word, as well. A sphere of solid ice surrounded her, and the boy - Fane - bounced off it with a cry of pain. ¡°You¡¯ve got to come out of there sooner or later,¡± he shouted, getting back to his feet. ¡°Or it''s a draw!¡± Crystals of ice exploded out from the sphere, shooting up and multiplying, as if they were living things, in a wave of motion that extended out in all directions. Fane blurred away from it, then fell to the ground again, clutching his boot and screaming. Wren squinted her eyes, looking at the bare earth inside the circle. It seemed to ¨C sparkle. Tiny shards of ice, formed into caltrops, glittered wickedly, spread across the entire surface of the dueling ring. With his boot soaked in blood, caltrops all around him, and the tide of crystals advancing, Anson Fane howled out his surrender. A moment later, the globe of ice around Liv melted, along with all the crystals. With not a hair out of place, the girl walked off the field, crossing paths with Professor Annora on her way to the wounded boy. 92. Celestria Ward Liv¡¯s friends welcomed her back to the stands with congratulations and, in the case of Rosamund and Cade, quick hugs. It didn¡¯t escape her notice that Wren had arrived, at some point during the duel, but Liv had greater priorities at the moment. ¡°Tarts, please,¡± she said to Thora, and accepted the package of desserts from the Crab and Gull, placing it in her lap so that she could unwrap the cheesecloth. The berry tarts were long since cold, but she took a big bite out of one anyway, and tasted a burst of flavor on her tongue from the mana-infused blueberries. ¡°How many more opponents does she have?¡± Tephania asked, in her quiet voice. ¡°This round winnows it down to four first years remaining,¡± Cade explained. ¡°Liv¡¯s next fight will determine whether she¡¯s in the last duel or not.¡± ¡°You better be,¡± Rosamund broke in, but she was smiling. ¡°You beat me, so you¡¯d better beat everyone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a third year, aren¡¯t you, Cade?¡± Arjun asked, and next to Liv, Cade nodded. ¡°How many duels did you win, when it was your turn?¡± ¡°None,¡± Cade said, in a hard voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t put myself forward.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Tephania asked. ¡°His word of power isn¡¯t well suited to sparring,¡± Liv said, answering for him, feeling a thrill at this shared secret with him. She reached over to take Cade¡¯s hand in her own, and gave a little squeeze, trying to comfort him silently. She remembered quite clearly the cages of livestock that his father had kept in Freeport, for training, and how complicated Cade¡¯s feelings were about his family¡¯s magic. Thankfully, no one pressed for more information. Sidonie must have known: she was in the same year as Cade, after all, and she was the one who changed the topic. ¡°Who are you most worried about, Liv?¡± Liv released Cade¡¯s hand to take a drink from her wineskin. In the training yard, the girl wearing all the silver bracelets was facing off against a boy that she didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Her word is interesting,¡± Liv said, motioning with the wineskin. ¡°I expect she can do a lot of the same things I can, but not everything. And she needs to carry around her supplies wherever she goes.¡± ¡°Less flexible,¡± Sidonie agreed, with a nod. ¡°But then again, are you wearing silver?¡± Liv winced. ¡°There¡¯s silver inlay in my wand,¡± she admitted. ¡°Rust it, and the guild ring. You think she could affect them?¡± As they watched, the blue circle of magic flared to light around the two competitors. The boy began chanting, but the girl with her silver was quicker and more confident. They all watched as the bracelets on her wrists and the rings on her fingers merged together into a blob of liquid silver, then flattened into a shield that hovered in the air in front of the girl. When the boy sent what seemed to be darts of shadow in her direction, the silver shield easily deflected them. ¡°I¡¯d rather plan as if she could, than assume that she can¡¯t and be wrong,¡± Sidonie remarked. Liv picked up a second tart and stuffed it into her mouth: she was going to need every ring of mana that she could get. ¡°Here,¡± Cade said, reaching into his purse. He withdrew a black, opalescent pearl, the size of an acorn, and put it into Liv¡¯s hand. She could immediately feel the mana thrumming within it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Liv asked, once she¡¯d swallowed. ¡°A mana-pearl from the tidal rift,¡± Cade explained. ¡°They come from oysters that live in the shoals. One of the more valuable things one can find during a king tide.¡± ¡°Are you certain you don¡¯t need it?¡± Liv asked him. Cade shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll refill it later.¡± Liv cupped the pearl in both hands, and allowed the mana to rise up out of it in golden-blue wisps of light, before sinking into her skin. ¡°Two rings?¡± she guessed. Cade nodded. In the training yard, the shield of molten silver had broken apart into three spikes, which shot forward at the boy who had commanded shadows. He flinched back, with a panicked cry, and shouted, ¡°I surrender!¡± ¡°He¡¯s gonna have to grow bigger balls than that if he wants to stick around here,¡± Rosamund remarked. At the girl¡¯s command, the silver returned to her, reformed into rings and bracelets, and became still. ¡°The victor is Arianell Seton,¡± Master Jurian declared, and the two students returned to their seats. ¡°We will have one more match, and then break for an early luncheon. All students who will be competing in the afternoon are invited to eat with the professors, at the high table.¡± Liv balled up the dirty cheesecloth her tarts had been wrapped in, and handed it to Thora. ¡°How is your arm feeling?¡± Arjun asked her. ¡°Better than yesterday,¡± Liv said. ¡°It isn¡¯t bad.¡± Arjun frowned. ¡°That was a particularly brutal injury. Even with all the healing you had, it must still be hurting quite a bit.¡± ¡°I suppose so?¡± Liv said, and shrugged. ¡°I broke a lot of bones as a child,¡± she explained, while the last two students were called before Master Jurian. ¡°No one realized that I needed different food until I was twelve years old. It meant my bones were fragile. If I fell down the stairs, I broke something. My hip, when I was seven. There were a lot of things I wasn¡¯t allowed to do. But when you¡¯re getting hurt all the time, you sort of get used to it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tephania asked. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t just lie in bed all day, even if it hurts,¡± Liv told her. ¡°So you learn to put it aside and get on with your life. This isn¡¯t the kind of pain that bothers me. It¡¯s just normal, everyday pain.¡± ¡°Everyday pain?¡± Arjun narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°There isn¡¯t supposed to be everyday pain. If something is hurting, that means there¡¯s a problem with your body, and it needs to be seen to.¡± ¡°Maybe for most people?¡± Liv said. ¡°But when you¡¯ve got it all the time - or close to all the time - you just have to ignore it, or you¡¯ll never do anything. ¡°That¡¯s awful, Liv,¡± Tephania said. Her eyes were so big that Liv wondered whether the girl was going to cry. ¡°Well, not anymore,¡± Liv hurried to assure her. ¡°Ever since I started getting the right food, my bones are much better. This is the first time I¡¯ve broken anything in years.¡± She almost said, ¡®unless you count my eardrums,¡¯ and then decided that Tephania didn¡¯t need to hear that. It would only upset her more. ¡°Liv,¡± Arjun said, in a tone she¡¯d learned to recognize from old Master Cushing, and later Mistress Trafford, ¡°is there anything hurting you right now? Besides your arm?¡± ¡°Well, I just came here after culling a rift,¡± Liv said. ¡°So I¡¯ve got a few scrapes and bruises. The skin on my arms is healed up now, and my ears.¡± She winced, hoping that Tephania wouldn¡¯t notice her slip up, and that Arjun wouldn¡¯t ask. ¡°I suppose my shoulders are a bit sore - probably from getting my arm twisted behind my back. But that¡¯s nothing.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Lean forward,¡± Cade said, rising. Liv wasn¡¯t certain why, but she followed his instructions, and then felt him squeeze in behind her and place his hands on her shoulder blades. ¡°What are you ¨C oh!¡± Cade¡¯s thumbs dug into knots in her muscles, places she hadn¡¯t even realized that she was stiff or sore. Liv closed her eyes, and let her head loll forward, limp. ¡°Sidonie, could you take notes on this match?¡± Wren asked. ¡°We¡¯ve lost her.¡± Liv just moaned, and then resolved to ignore them. ? Wren was absolutely correct: Liv didn¡¯t see a moment of the fourth match of the morning. By the time she joined the professors at the high table in the great hall, however, her back muscles felt more relaxed than they had in days. Maybe months. Liv was led to a seat between Mistress Annora and Master Norris; across the table, she recognized Celestria Ward, with her midnight-black hair pulled back in a bun. ¡°Your word is interesting,¡± Liv said, while platters heaped with seafood were brought to the table. ¡°May I ask what it is?¡± The dark haired girl pursed her lips, considering for a moment. ¡°You can ask after we fight,¡± she said. ¡°Or if we don¡¯t, when everything¡¯s over. But I¡¯m not telling you how to beat me before we even fight.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair enough,¡± Liv said. ¡°Here,¡± Professor Annora interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t want you using that arm at all, Miss Brodbeck.¡± The professor filled Liv¡¯s plate herself, with piles of steaming white fish in melted butter, and a small bowl of creamy lobster bisque. Liv tried a spoonful, and sighed when she felt a surge of warm mana spread out from her belly. ¡°Why aren¡¯t the other meals like this?¡± she asked. ¡°Because we can¡¯t afford to feed two hundred students mana-rich food at every meal,¡± Professor Norris said, from her other side. ¡°Economics, Apprentice. Like so much, it¡¯s about economics. The college pays for the professors to eat well, and the students to eat cheaply. If you want more ¨C and if you have a wealthy family ¨C you can make arrangements with merchants in town to provide food for special meals.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that unfair?¡± Liv pressed, in between bites of fish and spoonfuls of soup. ¡°It just puts the students who don¡¯t come from the nobility, or from merchant families, at even more of a disadvantage.¡± ¡°You realize you¡¯re wearing more enchanted items than just about anyone else in our class?¡± Celestria cut in, from across the table. ¡°Don¡¯t you live in High Hall? Even most of the nobles can¡¯t stay there.¡± Liv wanted to say that she¡¯d earned what she had, but that wasn¡¯t entirely true. While the bone for her wand was from a stag she¡¯d hunted herself, she¡¯d only been able to have it finished by spending a lot of coin. And her armor, she hadn¡¯t paid for at all: it had been made for her by her father¡¯s family armorer, Kaija. In all honesty, she owed most of what she had to either her father, or to Duchess Julianne ¨C or even to Master Jurian, who¡¯d arranged her admission to the college. ¡°It is a reality that some would prefer not to speak about,¡± Professor Norris said, ¡°but those of us who focus on enchanting cannot ignore. Crafting enchantments is expensive. A family could live for a year on what we might spend to create a single staff, suit of armor, or sword. That casque you brought in, Apprentice, is a good example. You could probably sell it for enough to buy a small home.¡± Across the table and two places down, Professor Jurian leaned in to join the conversation. ¡°The world is unfair,¡± he said. ¡°Even so, this college is one of the few places where it is possible to come from nothing, and make something of yourself. With wit, determination, and a lot of work.¡± The strawberry-blonde girl with all the silver bangles ¨C Arianell, Liv recalled ¨C chose that moment to break in. ¡°It¡¯s the natural order of things,¡± she said. ¡°Magic runs in families of quality. We are given these advantages so that we can protect the common folk from the danger of the rifts. There¡¯s no point in trying to train peasants into mages; they¡¯ll never be worth anything.¡± Liv¡¯s left hand tightened on her spoon. ¡°I was born a peasant,¡± she blurted out. ¡°One of the common folk. I grew up scrubbing out chamber pots and dirty dishes in the castle kitchen.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t, are you?¡± Arianell countered. ¡°We can all see it from your ears. One of your parents is Eldish, and that means you aren¡¯t a commoner at all. That¡¯s why you¡¯ve got Lord Talbot mooning over you. Someone like him would never lower himself to a mere kitchen wrench.¡± Liv was off the bench and half to her feet before she realized what she was doing, and before Professor Norris stopped her with a hand on her arm. ¡°Save it for the duels,¡± he told her. ¡°It¡¯s true, though,¡± Arianell continued. ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t be so angry if you didn¡¯t know it. At least be honest with yourself.¡± ¡°That is enough,¡± Professor Jurian said. ¡°You say there¡¯s no point in training commoners, girl? Know this. I grew up on the streets of Carinthia with absolutely nothing. When I came to this college, I could barely read. Well, starting tomorrow, I¡¯m going to be teaching you to fight. Why? Because I earned it. And if any noble brats think they can do better, I¡¯m more than willing to teach you a lesson on the practice grounds.¡± ¡°My apologies, Professor,¡± Arianell Seton said, wisely backing off. There was little in the way of conversation at that end of the table for the remainder of the meal. ? By the time the entire school had finished their meals and made it back down to the training yard, Liv felt she had enough mana to continue, so long as she wasn¡¯t wasteful in her casting. ¡°What¡¯s the count?¡± Sidonie asked. ¡°Nine rings,¡± Liv answered. ¡°Between the tarts, the pearl, and the meal. And I have one spell loaded in the wand, as well.¡± Cade sat down on the bench next to her, again, but that awful girl¡¯s words kept bouncing around Liv¡¯s thoughts. If he¡¯d first seen her scrubbing out a chamber pot, rather than on the beach at Freeport, would he have given her a second look? The first match after lunch was Arianell against the boy who¡¯d won while Cade was giving Liv a massage. Sidonie pouted a bit about her notes not being needed, but Liv was more concerned that the stuck-up girl would have more time to recover, while Liv was fighting her duel. And that would be against Celestria Ward, the girl who¡¯d somehow entranced every one of her opponents thus far. ¡°Thora could run and get a candle,¡± Liv mused, while Master Jurian inspected what the first two duelists brought to their match. ¡°I could stop up my ears.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t matter whether you hear her, or not: the word of power is still spoken.¡± ¡°Strike first and drop her,¡± Cade suggested. ¡°Go for her throat, so that she can¡¯t talk at all.¡± ¡°For once, I like the way lover-boy thinks,¡± Wren grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill her,¡± Liv said. ¡°No, I¡¯ve got a different idea.¡± The boy facing Arianell ¨C the only boy who¡¯d made it to the final four, Liv observed ¨C used a word of power that made him grow in bulk, until he was twice the size of a normal man, like a mana-beast. Then, he charged forward, clearly intending to grapple the raven-haired girl in front of him. Arianell surrounded herself in a spiked ring of silver, so that when the boy¡¯s massive arms closed around her, he only succeeded in impaling himself. When he let go, with a roar of pain, she forced her silver into a blade and put the tip under his chin. ¡°My turn, then,¡± Liv said, standing up and drawing her wand. ¡°You can do this,¡± Tephania urged her on. ¡°And without any further injuries, please,¡± Arjun remarked. ¡°The last kiss was good luck,¡± Liv told Cade, before she could second guess herself. This wasn¡¯t Whitehill, after all. No one here cared. ¡°Can I have another?¡± A moment with her eyes closed and their lips pressed together was almost enough to make her forget what had been said over luncheon, and then she was striding across the field, rolling her head from side to side. She felt loose, and ready. ¡°Neither of you are bringing new enchanted items to the duel, at this point, I presume?¡± Jurian asked them. Liv shook her head, and Celestria Ward did the same. ¡°Very well, then we can skip that part. You should know the rules by now. Backs together, and then fifteen paces.¡± Liv took extra long steps, having learned her lesson from the duel on the beach against the princess six years ago. ¡°Turn!¡± Jurian called, and she spun about, wand ready in her left hand. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Celet Manis!¡± Liv shouted, pointing her wand at the bare earth just in front of Celestria. At the same time, the dark-haired girl spoke her own invocation, and this time, Liv was close enough to hear it clearly. ¡°?¡¯ea Venet,¡± Ward said, and Liv felt herself surrounded by a great pressure, as if she¡¯d stepped across the threshold of a rift and into the shoals. She flinched, then focused on the girl across from her again. The duel. She had to finish the duel. Celestria was easy to focus on, it turned out. Her skin was clear and smooth, the arch of her jaw delicate, her neck and collarbone elegant above her bodice. Liv found herself most fascinated by the girls¡¯ lips, however. She wondered what it would be like to kiss them: would it feel like kissing Cade, or would it be different? Better, or worse? Before she could think about what she was doing, Liv had lowered her wand and taken a halting step forward. She just had to find out. A single kiss, and then they could finish the duel. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips in anticipation. Celestria Ward screamed as the soldier of ice Liv had conjured impaled her through the shoulder with a glistening, frozen spear. The pressure on Liv vanished, and she came back to herself as if from a dream. ¡°I surrender!¡± the girl cried. ¡°Apprentice Brodbeck is the victor,¡± Jurian declared, to great applause. ¡°Professor Annora, your skills are required.¡± The gray-haired healer had already rushed out onto the field by the time Liv felt she had enough control of herself to walk back to where her friends waited in the stands. She felt flushed and overheated, almost shivering with sensation. It was all she could do to get settled back in her seat, close her eyes, and try to shut out the world. 93. Arianell Seton It took a bit for Professor Annora to get Celestria off the field; Arjun ended up going to help, at the healer¡¯s request. Liv was only vaguely aware of what was happening. A few moments after the pressure of her opponent¡¯s word had eased, Liv was still feeling its effects. She couldn¡¯t stop fidgeting or sit still, and the only thing that seemed to bring even a slight bit of relief was snuggling up against Cade where he sat next to her. In fact, it was all too easy to let her mind wander to the idea of asking him to kiss her again. Liv felt like every inch of her skin was crying out to be touched. ¡°This is horrible,¡± she muttered, clenching her fists until her knuckles paled. ¡°I¡¯d rather she¡¯d burned me or something.¡± ¡°House Ward is not known for their military prowess,¡± Sidonie explained. ¡°In fact, from what I¡¯ve read, they¡¯ve got a long tradition of hiring mercenaries when their rift erupts, even before the guild was founded. But they are said to be incredibly dangerous to negotiate with. There¡¯s stories of someone walking into a meeting with their sworn enemy, only to come out begging for a marriage alliance.¡± ¡°How do I make it stop?¡± Liv asked, shivering. Maybe if Cade put his hand on her thigh, that would help. She nearly reached over to grab him and do it herself, but with great effort managed to resist the urge. ¡°It should fade, eventually,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°It¡¯s a physical response. The only other way would be to,¡± she coughed, ¡°treat the symptoms. So to speak.¡± ¡°I hate that word,¡± Liv muttered to herself, repeating it over and over again like a prayer. ¡°I¡¯m never fighting her again. I should have aimed for her head!¡± Now that the training field was clear ¨C save for a bit of blood soaked into the earth ¨C Master Jurian walked out again. ¡°Our final duel,¡± he announced, ¡°to determine the top ranked student of the new class, will be between Arianell Seton and Liv Brodbeck. Students, approach.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have enough mana left to fight,¡± Seton said, though she still rose and walked across the field toward the professor, the silver bracelets on her wrists softly jangling against each other. ¡°For the final match, mana will be provided,¡± Jurian said, extending a hand to his left. ¡°Courtesy of the Archmagus.¡± A murmur passed through the students, and the townsfolk who had come to watch, when Caspian Loredan emerged from the crowd, carrying a white pearl easily the size of a grown man¡¯s head. ¡°Take what you need, Miss Seton,¡± he said, extending his arms to hold the pearl out to her. The girl tossed back her strawberry-blonde hair and set a palm against the pearl. Wisps of golden-blue light began to rise up, then sunk into her skin. ¡°Apprentice Brodbeck,¡± the archmagus called, ¡°will you be able to proceed?¡± Gritting her teeth in frustration, Liv pushed herself up from the wooden bench. She drew her wand, shoved it in Cade¡¯s general direction, then slipped her guild ring off as well and handed it over. Then, she hurried across the yard. She thrust her left hand out, gripped the pearl, and began to pull in mana. Arianell Seton stepped away around the time Liv was half full, and the longer she stood with her hand pressed to the enormous pearl, the more whispers made their way through the crowd. When Liv finally removed her hand, she turned to the Archmagus and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough to fill me up.¡± Loredan nodded, but had to speak a bit louder to be heard over the crowd. ¡°How many rings would you say you¡¯re holding right now, Apprentice?¡± ¡°Twenty,¡± Liv answered. ¡°Not more than that.¡± ¡°Twenty?¡± Arianell broke in. ¡°And you aren¡¯t full?¡± ¡°What was your maximum, when you were last measured?¡± Master Jurian asked. ¡°Twenty-three,¡± Liv said. ¡°But that was before culling the Bald Peak Rift. I can feel that it¡¯s gone up since.¡± ¡°Twenty four rings is ridiculous!¡± Arianell exclaimed. ¡°How am I supposed to fight that? I can only hold eleven!¡± ¡°Eleven rings is an exceptional number for a first year student just entering the college,¡± Loredan assured her. Liv could hear the number ¡®twenty-four¡¯ being repeated in various flavors of astonishment, disbelief, and anger throughout the stands. ¡°It¡¯s an unfair advantage,¡± Seton protested. ¡°It¡¯s her Eldish blood, isn¡¯t it? Make her put some of that back in the pearl, so we¡¯re even.¡± ¡°Allow me to make something explicitly clear,¡± Archmagus Loredan proclaimed, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. ¡°This college is not concerned with what is fair. We are concerned with training the next generation of mages and nobility to combat the threats that come pouring out of rifts. The reward for exceptional talent is work. The reward for doing the work is more work. We will push you to achieve your potential, whatever that is. If you buckle at the first show of adversity, this is not the place for you.¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve never been the little dog in the fight,¡± Master Jurian broke in, ¡°get used to the idea. Because sooner or later, you will be. Better you learn to deal with it now than when you¡¯re in the shoals of a rift, with the lives of your companions depending on your actions. Seton, you can either submit now, or you can fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fight,¡± Arianell said, but she glared at Liv. ¡°Good.¡± Jurian nodded. ¡°Any new enchanted items since your last matches? Where¡¯s your wand, Brodbeck?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not using it,¡± Liv said. ¡°The sigils are inlaid with silver. No ring, either. Just my armor.¡± ¡°Very well. Put your backs to each other,¡± Jurian commanded. Archmagus Loredan, on the other hand, had returned to the edge of the training ground, where he stood next to Professor Annora. At fifteen paces, Liv spun, facing the girl with the blonde hair across an expanse of earth. A flickering blue ring sprung up around them both. There would be no triggered spells from her wand, this time. She would have to react to what the other girl was doing in the moment. Arianell Seton¡¯s first move, in her other matches, had been to begin by fashioning herself a shield, and then to attack only when she¡¯d weathered whatever her opponents threw at her. Liv grinned. The other girl was still only casting one spell at a time, and only using spells that did a single thing. It was time to show her what a real spell looked like. ¡°Begin!¡± Master Jurian shouted. ¡°Celent Aiveh Trei Belim,¡± Liv intoned. Without her wand to help focus her power, she lost a bit of mana - five rings depleted, instead of four. It wouldn¡¯t matter. While Arianell was forming her shield of silver, Liv allowed herself to be swallowed up by a sparkling rosebud of adamant ice, which lifted her off the ground. Vines snaked out across the practice yard, linking her to two additional buds, each angled to be out to the opposite side of her opponent. Liv breathed in the cold air inside her glittering bud: she¡¯d been careful to build it clear enough that her vision wasn¡¯t blocked. With a second incantation, the thorns growing from the massive vines shot at her opponent from all directions. Without even waiting to see whether the attack hit, Liv opened the other two buds, forming a soldier armed with a spear from one, and one holding a sword from the other. They charged down the petals, advancing on Arianell. The girl who controlled silver managed to split her shield and angle the two pieces of metal that resulted so that she protected herself from all of the thorns that fired at her. Then, she formed each shield into a pointed lance of metal and flung it at the soldiers that advanced on her. Unfortunately for Arianell, silver was softer than steel, and certainly softer than adamant ice. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Her weapons hit, warped under the force of the impact, and clattered off to either side uselessly. Arianell tried to dash forward, away from Liv¡¯s soldiers, and fell to the ground with frozen vines wrapped around her ankles. She called the silver back to her, formed it into a sword, and managed to set aside the first soldier¡¯s sword stroke with an elegant parry. That gave her a moment to hack at the vines holding her legs, and chips of ice flung in every direction. Before she could free herself, Arianell found herself with the tip of a frozen spear thrust toward her chest. ¡°I surrender!¡± the girl shrieked, desperately throwing her hands up to ward off the blow. Liv used the waste heat generated by her succession of spells to melt the soldiers, then the vines that held the other girl down, and finally her own bud. When she stepped out, it was to applause and cheers from her friends, and shocked murmuring from the other students. ¡°I believe Miss Brodbeck has demonstrated why, alone among your class, she arrived at the college already holding the rank of Apprentice,¡± Master Jurian said. ¡°Here is the top of your class. Match her, if you can.¡± Archmagus Loredan walked out to join the professor of combat in the middle of the training field. ¡°You will find your schedules have been delivered to your rooms,¡± he announced. ¡°Students, you are at liberty for the remainder of the day. Starting tomorrow, you are expected at your classes precisely on time. No excuses.¡± The crowd began to break up, and Liv made her way back over to the stands to reclaim her wand and ring from Cade. Sidonie was practically bouncing with excitement. ¡°You can do three of those at once, now?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s the spell we came up with for the duel, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Actually, I think I did five or six buds in the rift. But I couldn¡¯t imagine I would need more than three against her.¡± Rosamund laughed. ¡°All that, and you were holding back?¡± Tephania was silent, but her eyes were as wide as tea-cups. Cade, grinning, handed over her wand, and Liv slid it into the sheath on her hip. Then, with an answering smile, she held out her left hand, and allowed him to gently slide her guild ring onto her finger. The effect of Celestria Ward¡¯s spell must have been fading, because the feel of his skin meeting hers didn¡¯t drive her out of her mind. ¡°Livara,¡± Archmagus Loredan said, appearing out of the crowd as if he¡¯d been crafted from magic. ¡°You received my note this morning, I believe?¡± ¡°Yes, Archmagus,¡± Liv said, turning to face him. Cade dropped her hand and stood, and all of her friends followed his lead. ¡°Excellent. Why don¡¯t you walk with me to my office now, then?¡± Loredan offered. ¡°Of course.¡± Liv found Thora, at the back and with her eyes lowered. ¡°Thora, could you go into town for me? Find Townsend¡¯s Dry Goods, please, and arrange for shipments to High Hall? Wren, perhaps you could go with her, to make sure she¡¯s safe?¡± ¡°Of course, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said, making a curtsy. Liv realized she was on her best behavior because the archmagus was present. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t fall down and roll into the ocean by accident,¡± Wren said, and took Thora by the arm. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll see the rest of you for dinner?¡± Liv suggested to the others. ¡°We could meet in the courtyard at sixth bell,¡± Cade suggested, and after a general agreement was reached, Liv departed with Caspian Loredan. It was an odd experience to walk beside the man: students and townspeople alike scattered out of their path, clearing the way up the bluff and to the old walls that surrounded the college. They walked in silence until they reached Blackstone Hall, the same building where meals were served. Liv wondered whether the other housing halls had private dining space, like High Hall did, and decided they probably did not. The archmagus took her up to the second floor, and from there into an office that had probably once been the sitting room of a master bedroom, before the building was turned over to the use of the college. He sat at a large desk of dark, stained oak, and motioned for Liv to be seated in a facing chair. Every wall was lined with shelves upon shelves of books, Liv saw, save for a single hearth and mantle, which she couldn¡¯t imagine was used very often, given the weather of Coral Bay. ¡°I took the liberty of keeping your schedule here,¡± Loredan said, placing a piece of paper on the desk facing Liv. ¡°Since I knew you would be coming to speak to me, rather than returning immediately to your rooms. You will note that classes are arranged in alternating days. All students receive market days off, and the normal schedule is set aside for king tides or eruptions.¡± Liv leaned forward, scanning the lines of text that spelled out her new routine. First Days Morning 9th Bell - Basic Armed Combat - Journeyman Gamel - Training Yard 11th Bell - Advanced Healing - Professor Annora - Infirmary Evening 1st Bell - Advanced Grammar and Spellcraft - Archmagus Loredan - Blackstone Hall, Library Second Days Morning 9th Bell - Advanced Magical Combat - Professor Jurian - Training Yard 11th Bell - Advanced Beasts - Professor Blackwood - Blackstone Hall, Library (unless otherwise specified) Evening 1st Bell - Basic Enchanting - Journeyman Genne - Enchanting Workshop 3rd Bell - Basic Guild Law and History - Journeyman Barnabas - Blackstone Hall, Ballroom ¡°You will observe that you have been placed in four advanced classes, and not a single remedial class,¡± the Archmagus said. ¡°Technically, you should have completed all of those basic classes before earning the title of apprentice. I understand the reasoning behind Jurian¡¯s decision, and it is his right as a master, but it may earn you a bit of resentment from other students. I would recommend you test out of those basic courses as soon as you feel ready to do so, which brings me to my next point: let us set aside the fiction that you will be with us the next four years, Miss Brodbeck.¡± Liv blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had more than two decades of tutoring,¡± Loredan explained. ¡°You could test out of my advanced course tomorrow, if you wanted to, but I don¡¯t recommend you do that until you¡¯re ready to take on the role of a journeyman. I suspect you could test out of the magical combat course, as well, based on your performance this afternoon. You might remain with us for three years, or two, but it will not be four.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it like that,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°I know I have a lot to learn in enchanting ¨C¡± ¡°Which I have no doubt you will do. Your weak point is combat without the use of magic, but even there you have a certain amount of training, and we do not expect our students to be prodigies at everything. When you are ready to test out of all your basic classes, that is when you will need to make a final decision on whether to join the guild permanently,¡± the archmage continued. Liv nodded. ¡°Because I was a child when Master Jurian took me as his personal apprentice.¡± ¡°Correct. If you choose to take your place among us permanently, I will imprint you with your second word,¡± Loredan told her. ¡°Your course in guild history and law should help you to come to a decision in that regard. Now, if you have no questions regarding your schedule or my expectations, let us discuss Merek Sherard, and the incident that took place yesterday.¡± ¡°Master Jurian said you wouldn¡¯t send him home,¡± Liv said. She did her best to keep it from sounding like an accusation, but it was difficult. ¡°Not yet,¡± Caspian Loredan said. ¡°He claims that he did not hear the instruction to stop. I don¡¯t believe him, of course, but his family will raise a fuss if I don¡¯t give him a chance to shape up before sending him on his way. In addition to failing his combat examinations and being placed in remedial courses, I¡¯ve assigned him punishment duty in the infirmary. Since his actions caused an injury, he can make up for them by aiding our healers.¡± ¡°And the next time he does something, you¡¯ll kick him out of the college?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen,¡± Liv reminded him. ¡°Duchess Julianne specifically wanted Matthew and I to be safe here. You were there.¡± ¡°I recall,¡± the archmagus said. ¡°Though that negotiation was between the prince and House Summerset, not including House Sherard, technically.¡± ¡°Who are allied to the royal family by marriage,¡± Liv pressed on. ¡°Is there a reason I shouldn¡¯t write back to Duchess Julianne and tell her the agreement isn¡¯t being kept?¡± Loredan drummed his fingers on his desk. ¡°You are asking for reparations from House Sherard.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Liv said. ¡°I will convey the demand on your behalf,¡± the archmagus promised. ¡°And when I have a response, I will speak to you. Are you satisfied with this course of action?¡± ¡°So long as it''s something that hurts them to give,¡± Liv told him. ¡°They could send a shipment of spices to Whitehill, perhaps? They control the pass to Lendh ka Dakruim, don¡¯t they? I imagine that Triss and Duchess Julianne would enjoy a few bolts of silk.¡± ¡°Julianne¡¯s taught you well,¡± Loredan grumbled. ¡°Very well. Off with you, then. I will see you tomorrow after luncheon.¡± Liv stood, curtsied, and left the Archmagus¡¯ office. 94. Classes After a wonderful dinner at the Crab and Gull, during which Thora and Wren assured Liv that she no longer had to worry about meals at High Hall, she wanted nothing more than to immerse herself in the hot spring beneath Castle Whitehill and clean off the sweat and dirt of the day. Unfortunately, she would have to make do with the facilities provided at High Hall, instead. Liv had a feeling it would not be the last time she longed for the chance to soak for a bell in the delicious heat. There was a bath chamber on each side of the second floor, which meant that Liv shared hers with both Sidonie and Edith. The room was divided in half, with a garderobe and basin, both of marble and attached to enchanted pipes, on one side. Those, she¡¯d made use of already. On the other side of a doorless half-wall was a tiled floor that had been cunningly crafted to slope down into a drain at the center. On the wall, where the pipes were exposed, was a tap of the same kind she¡¯d seen at Freeport six years earlier. Liv expected there was a cistern on the roof, to collect rainwater, just like at Acton House, but she saw no iron tub. Instead, clay pipes ran across the ceiling in an arrangement she did not recognize. Somewhat doubtfully, she stripped off her dirty clothes, turned the tap, and waited to see what happened. A sheet of steaming water fell from the ceiling, as wide as a broad man¡¯s shoulders, and hit the tiled floor with a splash. Cautiously, Liv reached a hand out to touch the falling water, and found it nearly as hot as the springs beneath Whitehill. ¡°How is it, m¡¯lady?¡± Thora asked, from the other side of the half-wall. The maid had brought a basket of soaps, oils, brushes and a thick, fluffy cotton towel. ¡°It isn¡¯t the baths beneath the castle,¡± Liv said, stepping under the water. It plastered her hair back from her head instantly, and ran down her body. ¡°But it may be the next best thing. I do wish there was a place to sit down, though.¡± It was obnoxious to hold her splinted and bandaged arm out of the water, but she managed, with Thora¡¯s help. By the time Liv crawled into her bed, she was clean and comfortably warm, with the satisfying fullness of the mana from her evening meal in her belly. After fighting three duels over the course of a single day, she had no difficulty at all falling asleep. In the morning, after casting her spells into her wand, Liv ate at the second floor table with the other girls for only the second time. When a kitchen maid brought up a special plate for Liv, Edith narrowed her eyes, and Liv braced herself for more of the girl¡¯s sharp tongue. ¡°Oh, good,¡± Sidonie said, cutting the unpleasantness off before it could begin. ¡°You¡¯re got your proper food arranged. Those crab cakes look delicious.¡± ¡°They are,¡± Liv confirmed, after taking a bite. ¡°And they go well with the broken eggs. I can¡¯t even tell you how good it feels to finally not be running around with hardly any mana.¡± ¡°Your ¡®hardly any¡¯ is everyone else¡¯s full,¡± Sidonie teased her. ¡°Is that really because you''re half Eldish?¡± Helewise Boyle asked. Liv had hardly seen the girls from the other side of the floor, with the exception of Tephania, since the last time they¡¯d all sat down to a meal together. ¡°Helly!¡± Florence chided her, shaking her head so that her dark hair rustled about her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s rude to ask.¡± ¡°At least partly,¡± Liv confirmed, taking a sip of tea to wash down a slice of buttered bread. The wheat must have been grown on the very edges of a shoal somewhere, for it practically hummed with mana. ¡°Though not even all Eld would have as high a mana capacity as I do. My grandfather is the child of Celris, so the V?dic blood has a lot to do with it, as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the great-grandaughter of one of the old gods?¡± Tephania asked. Liv was starting to think that eyes-wide was the girl¡¯s natural state. The table stilled, with not even the clatter of forks and knives, while the rest of the girls waited for Liv¡¯s answer. ¡°It¡¯s... not that uncommon, among my father¡¯s people,¡± she explained. ¡°My grandmother is descended from D?ivi, the Lady of Time. And then Keri - he¡¯s the one who came south to address the great council a few years back - he¡¯s descended from B?lris.¡± ¡°I thought those were rumors,¡± Florence remarked. ¡°Not actually true.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been nearly as many generations for the Eld,¡± Liv said. ¡°Over a thousand years for humans, and no one knows who¡¯s descended from who anymore,¡± she said, with a shrug. ¡°But my grandfather remembers the war. He was a child, but he was there. It just doesn¡¯t feel like so long, when you can listen to him talk about it.¡± Edith rose from the table, pushing back her chair. ¡°I need to get ready if I¡¯m to be on time,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯d all better hurry up, as well.¡± She strode away from the table and back into her room. ¡°Did I say something to upset her?¡± Liv asked, quietly. ¡°Oh, honey,¡± Florence said. ¡°Your entire existence upsets her. She¡¯s been pining after your man for the past two years. I think she was hoping you¡¯d be some awful hag his father had found him, and that she could win Cade away and become the next Lady Talbot. But then you show up, and you¡¯re not only pretty as a picture, but you absolutely trounce your entire class in magical combat. And now you tell her you¡¯re descended from literally two dead gods? I think she¡¯s just realizing she hasn¡¯t a hope of ever competing.¡± ¡°Do you think I should go and talk to her?¡± Liv wondered. The idea of another girl wanting to be with Cade made her feel surprisingly irritable and jealous, but she tried not to show it. ¡°Just give her some space,¡± Sidonie advised. ¡°I¡¯ll find a moment to feel her out. She was correct about one thing, though, ladies. We need to get moving.¡± ? By ninth bell, Liv was waiting on the stands at the practice yard with at least sixty other students, including Tephania, Arjun and even Rosamund. Wren lingered off to one side, keeping an eye on the proceedings. When Master Jurian - she still had a difficult time thinking of him by the title of ¡®professor¡¯ - arrived, he came with several journeymen at his heels. ¡°We begin with conditioning!¡± Jurian declared. ¡°Remedial Class, you¡¯re with journeyman Johanna. Basic Class, follow Gamel. Advanced students, you know what to do. I expect you back here before anyone else and stretching.¡± ¡°Get moving!¡± Gamel bellowed, and one of the older girls who¡¯d helped oversee matches jogged toward the road. ¡°Follow me!¡± she called, and Liv guessed she must be Johanna. More journeymen fell in along the sides and rear of the pack of students as they set off, like shepherd dogs. This, at least, was familiar. After more than twenty years of running with Baron Henry¡¯s guards, Liv was confident she could more than keep up. She gathered her skirts in her left hand, so that she wouldn¡¯t trip over them, and followed the mob down the bluff. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing trousers?¡± Rosamund said. The two girls had fallen beside each other easily, while Arjun and Tephania had been left behind toward the rear of the pack, amongst the stragglers. ¡°It makes running a whole lot easier.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I don¡¯t own any,¡± Liv told her, in between measured breaths. ¡°Not at all?¡± Rosamund shot her an incredulous glance. ¡°How? You fence in a skirt, you ride in a skirt, everything?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Liv said. ¡°Girls don¡¯t wear trousers in the north. I can see it''s a bit different here.¡± In truth, half the girls around them had arrived without skirts, and Liv suspected the number would only increase as the days went on. Only a few of the first years, like Liv, seemed slightly scandalized by the sight. ¡°I forgot how far out in the country you grew up,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°Places like that are always twenty or thirty years behind the times.¡± As they kept on, Liv noticed a bat wheeling in the sky above, and she smiled at the thought that Wren would be close enough to help if she was needed. Master Jurian¡¯s journeyman ran them a good distance, down the street and then east out of town onto a trail that wound through stands of trees and grasses that Liv hardly recognized. There were pines and maples, but different from what she was used to in the mountains, and then stranger things beside. As they pressed on, fewer and fewer students were able to keep up, and once the journeymen turned them around, Liv found that she and Rosamund were running past students who had stopped along the side of the path to recover, sucking in great heaving breaths. ¡°They¡¯re going to have a rough year of it,¡± Rose huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they expected.¡± ¡°I always hated running,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°But now I¡¯m glad they made me do it.¡± Even for her, however, the last stretch back up the bluff was difficult. The journeymen yelled at them to sprint up the street into the training yard, where most of the students collapsed. Liv knew better, and it didn¡¯t surprise her to see that Rosamund did, as well. They fetched their wineskins from the stands, and walked in a circle around the training yard to cool off. ¡°Those of you that made it,¡± Jurian shouted, ¡°Good work. Go to your journeymen.¡± With that, finally, the classes separated, and Liv had to bid farewell to Rosamund, who joined the older students in the Advanced class with the professor. Liv, on the other hand, found herself with a group of students she didn¡¯t really know, all put through their paces in pairs so that journeyman Gamel could see what they knew. She couldn¡¯t use her right arm, so Liv made do with her left, but it put her entirely off balance and made her feel both awkward and useless. By the time the tenth bell rang, Gamel gathered them up in a loose circle around him. ¡°Most of you have a good foundation,¡± he said. ¡°No, you don¡¯t leave until I dismiss you, so settle down,¡± he scolded a boy with ginger hair. ¡°I see a few bad habits, and we¡¯ll be correcting them. I recommend you run on your own tomorrow, if you don¡¯t have a combat class. You need to get your endurance up, and taking days off isn¡¯t going to help. Ladies in skirts, I¡¯d also highly recommend you go into town and get something better suited to what we¡¯re doing. Alright, that¡¯s it. Get out of here. If you run, you might have time to clean up before your next class.¡± That advice, it turned out, was overly optimistic. By the time Liv dragged herself back up to High Hall and splashed water in her face, half the hour had already passed. Rather than try to change, she grabbed one of her blank books, a quill, and a pot of ink, and made her way down to the infirmary. This time, there were far fewer students, and Liv guessed the remedial and basic courses were meeting somewhere else. She was one of only two dozen students, including Arjun, to gather there. ¡°I recognize most of you from last year,¡± Professor Annora said, looking them over. ¡°And a few promising first years. Those of you who¡¯ve been here before know the drill: this is a practical course. You¡¯ll be treating students here at the infirmary under my guidance, and the supervision of my journeymen. We schedule our advanced classes just after the combat classes let out for a reason - it¡¯s the busiest time of the day. We¡¯ve got a broken finger to splint, four cases of heat exhaustion, and a sprained ankle from the run. Let¡¯s get to work.¡± This, too, was comfortable for Liv, though it brought back memories of her days in the Lower Banks with old Master Cushing. She ended up helping to set the broken finger, with Arjun. ¡°Cailet Co Costis,¡± Arjun murmured, once the bone had been straightened, and the poor injured girl, red faced and crying, gave an audible sigh of relief as the healing magic moved through her finger. ¡°Good,¡± Professor Annora said, with a nod, having paused to observe. The woman seemed to be everywhere at once, keen-eyed and quick to offer a word of praise or advice - or to halt a treatment she judged incorrect. When the influx of patients had been treated, and mostly sent on their way, she gathered her students around to quiz them on the ailments they¡¯d treated. Rather than a formal class, she asked and answered questions freely, and seemed happy to be diverted onto tangential questions. By the end, Liv was convinced she was going to enjoy her time in the infirmary. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be in the class long, though,¡± she observed to Arjun as they headed out. Wren, who¡¯d found herself a place to sit just outside the infirmary, stood and followed them. ¡°You¡¯re clearly better than anyone but the journeymen, and the professor¡¯s got her eye on you.¡± ¡°I need to get through both combat classes, though,¡± he worried. ¡°At least to the advanced courses, and I¡¯m in remedial now. I was never taught the first thing about fighting; that¡¯s for the warrior jati, not my family.¡± ¡°Maybe we can put in some extra work in our free time,¡± Liv proposed. ¡°I bet Rosamund would help us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re assuming that we¡¯ll have free time,¡± Arjun joked, and they parted ways for luncheon. After a meal of rabbit stew, Liv made her way to Blackstone Hall for her final class of the day. She had to ask for directions twice before she found the library, but once she stepped into the room, she couldn¡¯t help gasping. Like the great hall where most of the students ate their meals, the room extended up into the second story of the building, with balconies that ran around the second floor to look down on the open room, and a wooden staircase that led up. Every wall was covered, from floor to ceiling, in wooden bookcases that had been built in, rather than set up as freestanding pieces. In the center of the first floor were desks and chairs, and it was there that Archmagus Loredan waited for his students, standing in front of a massive piece of slate hung on a wooden stand. Once she¡¯d collected herself, Liv hurried over and found a seat. She hadn¡¯t made much use of her book and quill at the infirmary - in fact, she doubted she¡¯d bother bringing them again - but she set them out on her desk now while she waited for every student to take their seat. This class was smaller than Professor Annora¡¯s group: Liv counted only eighteen students, nearly all of whom looked older than her. The only other first year she recognized was Arianell Seton, the girl she¡¯d defeated in her last match. ¡°Welcome to Advanced Grammar and Spellcraft,¡± Archmagus Loredan greeted them, once everyone had settled. ¡°This is the only course that I teach here at the college, and we shall move quickly. I expect you all to keep up, and to make an appointment to see me immediately if you find you are having problems.¡± For a moment, he scanned the room, making eye contact with each student individually, and then giving a sharp nod when he was finished. ¡°You should all have a clear understanding of grammar by this point, including the basics of V?dic,¡± the archmagus continued. ¡°We will now begin to apply your prior knowledge to specific words of power - in this case, Aluth.¡± Caspian Loredan took up a piece of chalk in his left hand, and began laying out the conjugation of the mage guild¡¯s word of power on the slate. It looked regular, to Liv, but she found a blank page in her notebook, dipped her quill in ink, and set to copying the chart down, anyway. ¡°Everyone who joins the guild will be imprinted with this word, if you haven¡¯t been already,¡± the archmagus said. ¡°The practical exercises I will give you can be adapted to other words, if you do not intend to join the guild. We will focus on adaptation and improvisation. A word of power is only as capable as the mage who wields it, and you must be open to inspiration, ready to think creatively. Expect that I will be asking you to create incantations on the fly.¡± Liv grinned: the class already sounded exciting, to her. And she fully intended on learning the word of mana as soon as she could test out of her basic classes. ¡°I will also be teaching you,¡± the archmagus said, ¡°how to cast silently, without speaking your incantations aloud.¡± ¡°How is that even possible?¡± a boy Liv didn¡¯t recognize asked. ¡°The V?dic language is built into the very foundations of our world,¡± Loredan explained, turning aside from his slate. ¡°Some believe that it was actually used to create the world, and predates what we know as reality. Mana is both the power and the mechanism by which we word our will, and the combination of V?dic and our own intent tells mana what to do. But consider this: how is our intent communicated?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Liv called out. ¡°We speak the incantation, but our intent is only in our minds.¡± ¡°And yet, it is understood nonetheless,¡± the archmagus said. ¡°Does mana not permeate your mind, as well? Apprentice Brodbeck, have you been through the adulthood ritual of your people?¡± Liv felt her cheeks flush as the other students looked at her. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°A few years ago.¡± ¡°And did you need to speak an incantation for the mana of the world to show you distant people and places?¡± Loredan grinned. ¡°Yes, I have spent time in the north. What I am telling you is this: incantations are a crutch. They exist because most people do not have a mind that is disciplined enough to both shape their intent, and clearly communicate it to the mana that will act on their behalf, without a ritualized, formal structure to act as a sort of scaffolding for their thoughts. I will teach you to discard that requirement.¡± 95. An Assignment ¡°Observe,¡± Archmagus Caspian Loredan instructed, and Liv couldn¡¯t help but lean forward in her chair. ¡°Aluth¨­ ais¡¯veh Novis perae Mae,¡± he incanted, the words clear and forceful, carrying easily across the library. It was a spell that Liv had both seen and heard before, going as far back as the day she¡¯d met Master Jurian for the first time. A round shield of glowing blue light, striated with veins of pulsing gold, appeared in the air before the Archmagus, then winked out a second later. ¡°A mana-shield is traditionally one of the first spells we teach our students,¡± Loredan continued, pacing back and forth as he lectured. ¡°It is both useful, and safe. Unlike an attack spell, it is difficult to harm someone accidentally with a shield. At the same time, in the event of an emergency - an unexpected eruption, stray mana beast, or even bandits on the road - this spell might save an apprentice¡¯s life. Some of you can cast this already.¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but smile as she recalled Master Grenfell scolding Jurian for his choice to teach her an attack spell right away. The archmagus repeated his incantation, but at half the volume. Again, the shield flickered into existence, then was permitted to fade. For the third casting, Loredan whispered, and Liv strained to hear the words at all. On the fourth repetition, he moved his mouth only, but did not utter a sound. Still, the shield came. Finally, without the slightest motion, the spell was completed for a fifth time. ¡°That is the progression you will follow,¡± the archmagus told them. ¡°Begin by lowering the volume of your voice, while still focusing on your intent, and using your breath to resonate with your word of power. Practice lowering your voice each time you cast, until you can perform the spell with a whisper. Then, speak not at all, but allow your lips to move in the accustomed patterns. Finally, discard even that.¡± ¡°You will fail repeatedly,¡± he cautioned them. ¡°It is a frustrating, exhausting process. You are training your mind to discard the verbal incantation, while still focusing on the words internally. There will be days you wish to rip your hair out,¡± he admitted, with a laugh. Liv raised her hand. ¡°Do we need to wait until we¡¯ve imprinted Aluth, or are we permitted to practice this with another word of power?¡± she asked. ¡°Some of the people in this room will never imprint Aluth at all,¡± he answered. ¡°Those who have their own words, and must preserve their inheritance rights. If you can use Aluth, my very strong recommendation is that you use the shield spell for practice. In combat, you won¡¯t wish to be hampered by speaking that incantation aloud, in any event. Silent casting makes it orders of magnitude more useful.¡± ¡°If you come to us with your own word,¡± the archmagus continued, ¡°my advice is this: choose an incantation you are already very familiar with. Like any other skill, magic is a matter of repetition and practice. The more practice you¡¯ve had with a spell, the less difficult the process will be. It will not be easy - never that. Make no mistake. Silent casting is giving up flexibility for speed. In a crisis, that is often useful and sometimes necessary, but unless you are very dedicated, you will likely only ever learn a handful of spells well enough to cast them without an incantation.¡± ¡°Now, for those who have never cast the shield spell before, record this incantation,¡± Loredan said, and began to write on a clear piece of his slate. Liv copied down the words with only half her attention: with the rest, she began to consider and discard potential spells. She could practice an icewall. It was the closest spell she had to the kind of shield the archmagus had used in his demonstration. There were key differences, however, that left Liv doubtful it would be the best choice. For one thing, she didn¡¯t actually end up using the spell nearly as much as some others. It had limits a mana shield did not: once cast, it remained a permanent obstruction on the field of battle until it was either destroyed or melted. On top of that, Liv already had a contingent wall loaded into her wand on a regular basis. If she needed to cast one quickly, she could always use that. For a moment, she tried to picture where she would even practice. She doubted Master Jurian would appreciate having half a dozen walls, in various stages of melting away, blocking a whole section of his training yard. No, it seemed best to begin the process with a spell that wouldn¡¯t litter wherever she was practicing. Her elegant flowers and vines spellwork, while certainly the magic she was most proud of, didn¡¯t seem very suitable either. It would leave even more melting wreckage in its wake, after all, and part of its strength was in adaptability. Liv could cast one rosebud, three, or half a dozen, depending on needs of the moment, and she didn¡¯t want to give that up. The only two spells that wouldn¡¯t leave an extensive amount of frozen detritus around were her blade of ice, and frozen shards. Of the two, the sword was the most constant. Liv never conjured half a dozen of them - whatever trick her aunt had used to perform that particular feat, she didn¡¯t know it yet, and her father had put off every attempt to learn. If she was looking for a spell that would lose nothing by sacrificing adaptability, Liv knew she should choose the sword. And yet, her frozen shards spell was the first she had ever learned, and the one she consistently fell back on in a fight. She¡¯d used it to kill a stone-bat when she was only a child, and more recently during the eruption of the Bald Peak Rift. When formed of adamant ice and shaped into needles, the spell was an assault that could punch through a shield, or jack of plate, as easily as a crossbow bolt at point blank range. When the archmagus dismissed the class, Liv lingered behind. A few of the other students had questions, but she had nowhere else to be, so she waited them out. ¡°Yes, Apprentice?¡± Caspian Loredan asked, when all the others had left and she finally approached, her book tucked under her arm. ¡°I was wondering if you would give me your advice on choosing a spell to practice with,¡± Liv began. ¡°You had better come out into the courtyard, then,¡± the archmagus said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to trouble our staff with cleaning up puddles of water in the library. Walk with me, and tell me what you are thinking.¡± As they left the library, Wren peeled off from where she¡¯d been waiting, and fell into step behind them. ¡°You¡¯ve actually hit what I was thinking right on the head,¡± Liv said. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be practicing this a lot, I don¡¯t want to leave walls of ice all over campus. Mana shields dissipate, but ice remains until something melts it. So I thought I should choose something small, at first.¡± ¡°Your reasoning is sound thus far,¡± Loredan agreed. ¡°You are also in the position to know more spells than most of your contemporaries, and too many choices can be paralyzing. What have you narrowed it down to?¡± ¡°Either an ice blade, or my frozen shards,¡± Liv said. ¡°The blade is simpler, and I don¡¯t really ever have a cause to change it - but I also don¡¯t use it as much,¡± she admitted. ¡°The shards I use all the time, but I also modify them depending on the situation. A volley of them, for instance, rather than just one.¡± The archmagus led her out into the central courtyard of the campus, but did not stop there. Instead, he led her around the back of Blackstone Hall, to a smaller courtyard that had been set up with archery targets and other training paraphernalia. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°We often have occasion to practice combat spells before a student is ready to put them to use down with Professor Jurian,¡± Loredan explained. ¡°Show me both of the spells you are considering now, please.¡± ¡°Celet¡¯he Sekis,¡± Liv intoned, holding out her left hand rather than her right. She let the word of power vibrate through her body, carried along by her exhalation, and formed the blade of adamant ice, shunting the waste heat off into her hand, so that she wouldn¡¯t give herself frostbite. Then, she held the sword out for the archmagus to examine. ¡°Fascinating,¡± Caspian Loredan muttered, leaning in to look more closely. ¡°That is anything but normal ice. And does your word grant you immunity to cold, Apprentice?¡± ¡°Not as such,¡± Liv explained. ¡°But freezing anything means removing heat. It has to go somewhere, so I put it into my hand. And the ice is arranged differently - stronger. It will stand up to metal.¡± ¡°I never managed to get far enough north to spend much time with your father¡¯s family,¡± the archmagus admitted. ¡°But now I wish I had. I can see that your time has not been wasted. I daresay there isn¡¯t a fourth year student here who has mastered a word to the extent that you have. Show me the other, now.¡± Liv thrust the blade of ice into the ground, point first, and left it there. Then, she drew her wand, pointed it at one of the targets, and spoke: ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Trei Aim¨¡k Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae!¡± Three needle-thin shards of adamant ice manifested, hovered in the air before her for just long enough to be observed, and then shot off, impaling her target. The spell not only knocked an explosion of straw up into the air, but also continued on, with the shards finally shattering against the old stone wall that ringed the courtyard. ¡°You vary the number and shape of those, I presume?¡± the archmagus asked, and Liv nodded. ¡°I know that makes it more complicated,¡± she said. ¡°But it''s also the spell I use most in combat.¡± Liv almost continued on to say it was the first spell Master Jurian had ever taught her, and then thought better of it. ¡°The sword, on the other hand, I don¡¯t use very often at all. It¡¯s never to my advantage to get in close, because I¡¯m so small. I try to avoid it.¡± ¡°If you want my advice,¡± Archmagus Loredan said, after a moment¡¯s thought, ¡°it is this: the sword.¡± Liv frowned, and realized that wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d wanted to hear. ¡°Can I ask you to explain why?¡± she said. ¡°A few reasons. First, I don¡¯t want you making an already challenging task more difficult for yourself,¡± the archmagus advised. ¡°Once you¡¯ve succeeded in mastering your first silent spell, you will have a much better understanding of the process, the advantages, and drawbacks. At that point, you¡¯ll be ready to make a good choice for your second spell without any help from me.¡± ¡°I thought you said most people didn¡¯t ever learn more than two or three?¡± Liv pointed out. Loredan waved a hand as if slapping away a bug. ¡°Your Elden blood will give you the time,¡± he pointed out. ¡°The second reason is this: you need to shore up your vulnerabilities. You were disarmed and injured by a boy who is in no other way your equal. I know you don¡¯t like fighting up close, but you need to get good enough that you can survive when placed in that situation. Having an instant weapon to hand whenever you need it will go a long way. You¡¯ll use the modifier to form the blade more quickly, of course. Little point otherwise. I not only want to see you able to form one of those blades silently, Apprentice. Your goal is this: I want you to be able to instantly form a blade and parry in response to an attack. Consider that an assignment - one which I will hold you to accomplishing.¡± Wren chuckled, and Liv shot her a glare. ¡°You asked for his advice,¡± the huntress said, with a shrug. ¡°Can¡¯t complain at being given more work.¡± ¡°This is the bodyguard, I presume?¡± the archmagus said, rounding on Wren. ¡°You should probably let that purple grow out of your hair, if you don¡¯t want to tell everyone with half a brain where you come from,¡± he scolded her. ¡°You have your own part in this training. Get yourself a practice blade from Jurian - tell him I sent you. I want you to hone her reflexes until she can parry an attack from an assassin, with no warning.¡± ¡°Now that, I can do,¡± Wren agreed, her grin growing wide enough to practically split her face. Liv groaned. ¡°Off with you both now,¡± the archmagus said. ¡°Believe it or not, I do have other things to do with my afternoon.¡± ? ¡°Where are we going, exactly?¡± Wren asked, on their way down from the bluff and into town. ¡°I need the ingredients for a pie,¡± Liv said. ¡°Flour, sugar, salt and butter. And then a filling. Apples would be good, but I don¡¯t know if we can find them this far south. Berries would work, as well.¡± ¡°Follow me,¡± Wren said, took the next turn, and led her in the general direction of the docks. ¡°Why not just tell the kitchen to bake what you want? Not used to being a fancy lady, yet?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t mean anything if I did it that way,¡± Liv explained. ¡°Edith. I want to do something nice for her, to make peace. I¡¯ve got to live in the same place with her for at least the next year. If we¡¯re going to see each other every day, I¡¯d like us to at least be able to get along.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that giving her a pie as a present is going to make up for the fact she¡¯s jealous of you,¡± Wren said. ¡°It may not,¡± Liv conceded. ¡°But I need to try something, and I¡¯m not sure what else to do. It¡¯s not like I could tie Cade up in a bow and give him to her, even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Wren led her into a great square, a block back from the wharf, that reminded Liv of the market at Whitehill. There were open air stalls in every direction, with cloth awnings overhead to shield customers and shopkeepers alike from the sun. Liv had difficulty squaring the time of year with the weather, this far south: back in the mountains, she¡¯d have been bundled up in a warm cloak, and buying hot cider. None of the ingredients she was looking for were difficult to come by, and wrapped packages quickly began to pile up in Wren¡¯s arms: a small sack of flour, a square of sugar wrapped in cloth, and then a sack of apples, shipped south from orchards in the central lowlands of Lucania. ¡°Cinnamon from Lendh ka Dakruim,¡± Liv muttered, casting about. ¡°And then we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°You could probably have gotten everything but the apples from the kitchen at High Hall,¡± Wren pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t know their ingredients,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fine, but it isn¡¯t the same. There!¡± She spotted a stall selling spices and silks from the east, and it made her think of Arjun. She wondered if it might be possible to visit his home someday. Even after the trip to town and back, Liv and Wren managed to get down to the kitchen before the dinner rush had begun. ¡°Good afternoon,¡± she said, smiling in spite of herself at the familiar smells that permeated the room. There was a great hearth, a stone counter for chopping, and everything else that would be required, Liv saw. The kitchen staff jumped to attention, putting aside their work the moment she entered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt you or be a bother,¡± Liv said. ¡°Please, go back to what you were doing. If I could just talk to the cook for a moment?¡± To her surprise, rather than any of the women, a portly man with a neatly trimmed mustache made his way over. ¡°I hope that your meals have been satisfying, Lady Brodbeck,¡± he said, lowering his eyes instead of meeting her gaze. ¡°They¡¯ve been wonderful since the proper ingredients have arrived,¡± Liv assured him. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for being a bother about that; it¡¯s for my health, you see.¡± ¡°You are not the only one who requires special meals,¡± the chef admitted. ¡°It is our honor. My name is Lambert. How may my staff and I serve you?¡± ¡°I want to make a present to one of my roommates,¡± Liv explained. ¡°So I went down to the market and picked up ingredients for an apple pie.¡± ¡°I can have one of my girls get right on that,¡± Lambert assured her. ¡°You can leave the ingredients here, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°Oh, no,¡± Liv exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I meant that I need a bit of space to cook it myself, and I wondered if you had the room for me to do it here? I¡¯ll do my best to stay out of the way.¡± ¡°Cook it yourself?¡± Lambert repeated, as if the words had been in another language entirely. ¡°There¡¯s no need, m¡¯lady, we can do that for you. I promise it will be up to your standards.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it would be,¡± Liv said. ¡°But if it¡¯s my gift, I should be the one to make it.¡± She could tell that he was doubtful, from his expression. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry - I know my way around a kitchen. My mother is still the cook for Duchess Julianne at Castle Whitehill.¡± ¡°Your mother is - a cook?¡± If anything, Lambert only looked more astonished. Liv grinned. ¡°Before anyone knew I could do magic, I spent years as a scullion,¡± she told him. ¡°Just a place to work? Please? I¡¯ll even clean my own dishes after, if that would help.¡± 96. Time and Tide By the time Liv had the pie ready to bake, her hands and arms were thoroughly covered in flour. She¡¯d unlaced the left sleeve of her bodice and rolled back the linen shift underneath to her elbow; the bandages on her right arm would need to be changed, because there was no point in trying to clean them. She was certain that Professor Annora would have been apoplectic at the sight of her leaning into a heavy rolling pin to spread the crusts, but in truth, multiple rounds of magical healing, a full night of circulating mana, and her own natural, enhanced rate of healing had left the arm with little more than a bit of soreness and an occasional twinge. What Master Cushing had once attributed to her Elden blood, Liv now understood to be in fact a benefit of her V?dic descent. Despite how obvious it was the kitchen staff didn¡¯t know what to make of her, the routine of baking was something that Liv found calming and familiar. Once it was clear she knew what she was doing, Lambert and his kitchen maids let her alone at the stretch of granite counter they¡¯d ceded to her as sovereign territory. Upon reflection, her use of magic might have had just as much to do with that as her supposed noble status, or the shape of her ears. There were plenty of kitchen charms used on a daily basis: the Charm of the Whetstone, to keep knives sharp; the Spark Charm, to light the hearth each morning; the Boiling Pot Charm, and the Peeling Charm, and all the others. That was all low magic, and anyone could do it. When Liv put a hand to her pitcher of water and mumbled an incantation under her breath, lowering the temperature to precisely the degree of chill she wanted, even the most ignorant scullion could see that it was different - high magic. When the first crust was in her pie plate, Liv peeled and chopped the apples with her left hand, to be safe. She squeezed the juice from a lemon, which she¡¯d found far less expensive in Coral Bay than she was used to, and used it to toss the apple slices with cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg. She popped one of the apple slices into her mouth to check the seasoning, nodded, and chewed it while she rolled out the second crust, to make the top of the pie. She carefully rolled the edges, then used a knife to cut out ornamental shapes, little swirls, circles, and lines. Finally, she painted the top of the pie with milk using a kitchen brush, so that it would brown nicely, just as Mama and Gretta had taught her. ¡°When you first came down here,¡± Lambert said, appearing at her elbow, ¡°I admit I suspected this was some passing fancy of yours, m¡¯lady. But it is clear that you do actually know your way around a kitchen. I apologize for my assumption.¡± Liv shrugged. ¡°In all honesty, I suspect if any other girl in this house had come in my place, you would have been correct,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m something of an exception in any number of ways.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see it in the oven, then,¡± Lambert offered. ¡°No need for you to stay down here and watch it bake. Shall I have it sent up to the second floor after the main course?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Liv said. ¡°And thank you for letting me make use of your tools, and your space. Is there anything I can do as thanks?¡± Lambert shook his head. ¡°No, m¡¯lady. You¡¯d better head up and get changed, now.¡± As Liv turned to leave, one of the kitchen maids, a small mousy girl who made herself appear even smaller by curling her body in on itself, approached. ¡°Is it true, m¡¯lady? What you said earlier - that you¡¯re a cook¡¯s daughter?¡± Liv paused, having gathered up the bodice sleeve she¡¯d detached. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°My father is one of the Eld of the North, of the House of Syv?. When he visited Castle Whitehill, he loved my mother, however briefly. When I was born, the old Baron didn¡¯t put her out, and kept her on as cook. I grew up in a kitchen very like this one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Heather,¡± Lambert broke in. ¡°Back to work, now.¡± The girl scurried off, and Liv made her way upstairs. She got a few odd looks for the flour on her arms, including one from Merek Sherard, who had just stepped out into the first floor foyer as she made her way to the staircase. His eyes widened, his face paled, and he hurried back into the room from which he¡¯d just emerged, as if she were a mountain wolf about to crack his bones and suck out the marrow. The thought made Liv grin all the way to her bed chamber. ¡°What¡¯s all this, then?¡± Sidonie asked, as she came through their sitting room. The third year had three different books spread out around her, and a sheaf of paper, quill, and inkpot to go along with them. ¡°A surprise,¡± Liv said. ¡°You¡¯ll learn more at dinner. What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m preparing a treatise for Professor Norris,¡± Sidonie explained. ¡°I¡¯ve proposed that it should be possible to use Cei to create a kind of dream ward, and I¡¯m trying to work out the sigils and materials.¡± ¡°What, so that you won¡¯t have nightmares?¡± Liv asked. ¡°That could be part of it, I suppose,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°But really, to prevent someone else from interfering with your dreams. It¡¯s been something like thirty years since Professor Jurian and his team brought the word back, but they¡¯ve been very close about letting anyone other than masters imprint the word. I think they¡¯re a bit afraid of what could be done with it.¡± ¡°That makes a bit of sense,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen someone put into an enchanted slumber from which she could not wake.¡± ¡°To say nothing of spying,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°Imagine how much you could learn from watching someone¡¯s dreams. Their fears, their obsessions, their secrets... though I suspect you¡¯d also have to sift through a lot of uncomfortable erotic trash, around here.¡± Liv felt her cheeks and ears burning, and wondered if her body would ever stop betraying her every thought. Sidonie must have noticed, for she grinned. ¡°Everything¡¯s so different here,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°Matthew and Triss warned me, a bit, but no one really seemed to think anything of Cade kissing me. In Whitehill or even Freeport it would have been a scandal, and we¡¯d have a chaperone all the time. To say nothing of that Celestria Ward.¡± ¡°The college has been somewhat scandalous from the beginning,¡± Sidonie said, setting down her quill and shaking out her hands. ¡°Right from the decision to let commoners, merchants and nobles mix in the same lectures. Anyway, go get cleaned up, it¡¯s nearly sixth bell.¡± Change she did, and also endure a bit of exasperated scolding from Thora, who had the unenviable task of brushing out Liv¡¯s hair. Apparently the flour had gotten there, too, though Liv doubted anyone would have been able to notice the white on white. ¡°Where¡¯s Wren, then?¡± she asked, while the maid helped her into a fresh bodice. ¡°She said you¡¯re safe enough here in High Hall, and she was out to keep an eye on something,¡± Thora told her. ¡°She said you¡¯d know what she meant.¡± ¡°I do,¡± Liv confirmed. ¡°I hope she gets something to eat, at least.¡± She was a bit nervous all through dinner, and if someone had asked Liv what she¡¯d eaten for the main course, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to answer. Instead, she spent her time trying to be polite, kind, and cheerful to Edith at every turn. Finally, as the dishes were being cleared, Liv caught sight of Lambert at the top of the stairs. When he gave her a nod, she stood up. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Ladies,¡± Liv said, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a surprise for us all. I know that Tephania and I are the new girls here, and I just wanted to sort of thank you all for welcoming us in, and showing us around. I hope we can all be great friends. Master Lambert?¡± The cook strode over, carrying the pie plate in two baking mitts. ¡°Here you are, m¡¯lady,¡± he said, setting it down on the table. ¡°You had the cook bake a pie?¡± Florence asked, with a twinkle in her eye and a grin. ¡°How wonderful!¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± Liv said. ¡°Lady Brodbeck baked this herself,¡± Lambert explained. ¡°All I did was loan her the tools. She even brought her own ingredients.¡± He removed a knife from his apron and began cutting slices. ¡°That¡¯s why you had flour all over your arms when you came up, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sidonie asked, and Liv nodded. ¡°I hope you all enjoy it,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s my mother¡¯s recipe.¡± Once everyone had been served with a slice, Lambert departed back down the stairs. Sidonie and Tephania dug in immediately, and Liv was relieved to see their grins once they¡¯d had a taste. At their urging, even Edith finally took a bite, and Liv was pleased at the reaction. ¡°Alright, Brodbeck,¡± the perpetually sour girl said, once she¡¯d finished. ¡°Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. But you can¡¯t do this every night, or we¡¯ll all be plump as partridges!¡± ? Liv was still feeling pleased with the success of her stratagem the next morning when she arrived at the training yard for her advanced course in magical combat, Wren trailing behind her. Edith had been the only awkwardness on the second floor of High Hall, and if that could be set to rights with the occasional sweet, the year promised to be much more harmonious. As Master Jurian had promised, there were only twenty students, and of those Liv recognized no one but Arianell Seton, who she didn¡¯t want to speak to any more than strictly necessary. While the remedial and basic classes were left with their respective journeymen instructors, Jurian walked the advanced students down the bluff to the shore below, crafting them a staircase of shining blue light that sparked with gold veins in the morning sun. Liv judged she probably could have got down with a chute of ice, but climbing back would have been problematic. Once they were on the strand, Jurian pointed his staff out at the water. ¡°The Tidal Rift,¡± he said. ¡°One of only a handful of greater rifts in Lucania, and also one of the most peculiar. While eruptions are relatively rare - for a greater rift - we have to contend with king tides, as well.¡± ¡°For those with no nautical background,¡± he continued, ¡°a king tide comes when the sun, our world, and the moon align just so, perhaps twice a year, though not always. The name comes from the extreme variance between high and low tides at that time - the waystone goes from completely submerged and inaccessible, for instance, to bone dry in an expanse of sandbars that stretch to the horizon.¡± Liv raised her hand. ¡°Does the tide affect the extent of the shoals?¡± ¡°Not in the same way as an eruption,¡± Jurian answered. ¡°We don¡¯t have raw mana spilling out, but we do see mana beasts of enormous size carried in by the king tide, far out of the depths they would normally inhabit. And then, when the waters recede, much of the reef is exposed, including the V?dic ruins. You can think of it as something of a miniature eruption, which happens between once and twice each year. Those of you who are not first years will already know what this means.¡± ¡°All hands on deck,¡± one of the boys called out. ¡°Precisely. Another nautical term,¡± Jurian elaborated. ¡°Everyone will be assigned to roles based on competence. Those in advanced healing courses but unable to fight, for instance, will be manning the infirmary for casualties as they come in. Those in remedial combat courses will help as nurses, in the kitchens, or even just as runners carrying messages and supplies. Anyone in at least one basic combat course will act as a last line of defense for either the town or the campus. You, on the other hand, will be broken up into teams led by journeymen. You will be engaging mana-beasts directly, in shifts.¡± ¡°Regardless of whether you¡¯re a first year, second year, or even third year,¡± Jurian continued, ¡°the fact you¡¯re here in this course means it is most likely your first time on the actual front lines during a king tide, rather than simply assisting. I brought you down here so you can get an idea of what you¡¯ll be facing, and what will be needed. Find a seat, if you can.¡± Liv cast about: mostly, the strand consisted only of dunes of white sand, but there were also a few great pieces of driftwood, more tree than branch, and a few large boulders that thrust up out of the shore. She found herself a smooth section of sun-bleached wood, gathered her skirts beneath her, and tried to get comfortable. Wren stared down an unfortunate boy whose hair was already thinning, and took the spot next to her. ¡°The first thing to know, if you''re not already aware,¡± Jurian explained, pacing back and forth along the beach, ¡°is that if you¡¯ve brought armor, you can¡¯t wear it during a king tide. It¡¯s one thing if you¡¯re up at the school, or in town, but not down here.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you drowning,¡± Jurian said. ¡°No skirts, either, Apprentice Brodbeck. If you¡¯ve not already gone into town to get yourself a pair of trousers, I need all you ladies to do that. There¡¯s a few shops that know what we prefer for swimwear, and the older girls can tell you where to go. You want sailor¡¯s pants - light fabric, cut at the knee. Nothing that will drag you down if you have to swim.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy enough to be caught out when the tide turns,¡± he told them, ¡°especially if you¡¯re in the middle of a fight. Worse, there are tide pools out at the reef, and sometimes riptides that can pull you out into the bay. You want to carry nothing that can weigh you down, and you need to be able to swim. For which reason,¡± he said, ¡°we¡¯re going to meet down here every morning, starting at our next class. Dress for swimming lessons, because that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to be doing. I need to be confident that everyone here can tread water, and get back to shore if they need to. If you¡¯ve a word that will help with that, or with rescuing one of your classmates, we¡¯ll train that, as well.¡± ¡°I thought this was a combat class,¡± Arianell Seton broke in. She looked annoyed, and Liv could take a guess as to why: the girl¡¯s magic would be useless unless she brought along a decent supply of silver. Her word of power was not well suited to the kind of culling Master Jurian was talking about. ¡°She¡¯s a piece of work, isn¡¯t she?¡± Wren whispered, at Liv¡¯s side, and Liv hushed her so they wouldn¡¯t attract the professor¡¯s ire. ¡°So it is,¡± Jurian said, in answer to Arianell¡¯s question. ¡°But you already know how to fight, or you wouldn¡¯t be here. Outside of the training yard, preparation will save your life, and that¡¯s one of the most important things I intend to beat into your collective skulls. You have the advantage of knowing what ground you¡¯re going to be fighting on here, as well as the capabilities of your enemies. You¡¯d be fools to give that kind of edge up. Master Blackwood will teach you about the kinds of mana-beasts we get, while I make sure you¡¯re ready to deal with the terrain.¡± ¡°What about wands?¡± Liv asked. She could fight without it if she had to, but she¡¯d prefer not to handicap herself. ¡°With modifications,¡± Jurian said. ¡°See that you get yourself a leather thong attached to the handle, Brodbeck - and anyone else who uses one. You tie it to your wrist, so that you can¡¯t lose it if you find yourself in the water. This is the kind of fighting that uses daggers, not rapiers, so equip yourselves appropriately. The blacksmith in town can set you up with whatever you need if you use blades. Bankes, where are you?¡± A girl with tan skin and sun-bleached blonde hair raised her hand. ¡°Good,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Everyone make certain you introduce yourself to Cassandra. Cassie¡¯s word of power is Ved, and it allows her to control water. If you get in over your head, so to speak, she¡¯s your best friend.¡± He paused a moment, then glared at the assembled students. ¡°If I make a jest, I expect you to at least pretend that it¡¯s amusing,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Does anyone else think they possess a word that could be useful in saving your drowning classmates?¡± Liv hesitantly raised her hand. ¡°Maybe?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried it in the ocean, only a river.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll try it starting next class,¡± Jurian declared, ¡°and we¡¯ll find out. Good.¡± ¡°Why all the rush?¡± Arianell Seton asked. ¡°After all, you even said there aren¡¯t more than one or two of these a year, right? So we have time to get ready?¡± ¡°Time?¡± Jurian chuckled. ¡°Not as much as you might think. The archmagus has already charted the tides for the rest of the year, and he¡¯s hardly ever wrong. Our first king tide will come in seventeen days, and the second will arrive in about nine months. You have just over a fortnight to be ready, and by the gods old and new, I will whip you into shape by any means necessary.¡± 97. The Storm Eel ¡°These are the mana beasts you are most likely to encounter during a king tide,¡± Professor Blackwood explained, as Liv¡¯s class gathered around a series of large sheets that had been laid out near the enchanting workshops. Spread across the fabric were an incredible variety of dead sea life, with a single commonality: each creature had been altered by high concentrations of mana, causing it to grow to an exorbitant and unnatural size. Liv wasn¡¯t certain how long it had been since these particular specimens were caught, but the smell lay over the display like an invisible haze, and it was all she could do to keep from gagging. ¡°The Reef Crab,¡± Blackwood began, pointing with a driftwood staff, ¡°grows from the size of a grown man¡¯s hand, up to specimens as large as an adult boar, in excess of four hundred pounds. This is a mid-sized example. As they are infused with higher amounts of mana, the brown splotches on the shell become brighter and more luminescent, until they glow a baleful red. While the claws are dangerous, our chief concern is the toxicity. Anyone foolish enough to eat the meat of these creatures is in for a painful death, and even allowing the blood of the creature to come into contact with bare skin requires immediate treatment. The shells are approximately as dense as granite, so you either need a magical attack capable of crushing stone, or to target weak points, such as the eyes.¡± The class shifted uneasily, drifting along in the professor¡¯s wake to watch him shift the next carcass with the tip of his staff. ¡°The Storm Eel,¡± he continued, drawing their attention to a long, gray body with a belly in shades of pink and orange. ¡°Nocturnal, thankfully, so you can mostly avoid them unless you¡¯re on a night shift. This one has only just begun to grow from mana infusion, at around eight feet in length. I¡¯ve personally observed specimens that exceed thirty feet. They are able to send out a pulse of electricity, similar to a lightning strike, in two different orders of magnitude. A low power pulse, to stun their prey, and a high powered pulse, to kill. Note that the beast does not need physical contact for these assaults, only proximity.¡± As the professor moved on, Liv remained, examining the Storm Eel more closely. ¡°Professor?¡± she asked. ¡°Is the royal word of power capable of turning aside the eel¡¯s attack?¡± Blackwood, who had moved on to a vicious looking gray fish of some sort, glanced back. ¡°As it so happens, Duchess Julianne had some success redirecting the electrical pulses of Storm Eels when she attended as a student,¡± he said. ¡°I know that she worked with the archmagus on developing that spell, so I imagine he is more than capable of managing the feat, as well. Unfortunately, Princess Milisant never showed any interest in continuing the research while she was here, and we don¡¯t currently have any members of the royal family as students. Now, this is a Sand Shark -¡± Liv bit her own lip. She wondered whether Julianne would be willing to send her the incantation - but then, it wouldn¡¯t be safe to ask for that in a letter, would it? They hadn¡¯t sought legal permission for the word to be shared, and if anyone found out that Liv had been imprinted with the royal word of power, she would be in a great deal of trouble. The business with the guilds when she¡¯d been a child would be nothing compared to what Prince Benedict might do. No, if she wanted to protect herself from the eels, she would either need to create the incantation from scratch, or find some sort of records of Julianne¡¯s research. She was certain the archmagus would have them - certain he knew the spell. But again, she couldn¡¯t approach him, because of her secret. Perhaps a contingent spell, loaded into her wand? But then, she hadn¡¯t even had a chance to practice basic use of the word since she¡¯d come to Coral Bay. Grudgingly, Liv forced herself to move on, trailing at the rear of the class as Professor Blackwood moved on to his next specimen. ¡°Now this is not so much a threat as an opportunity,¡± the professor began. The butt of his staff tapped against a massive shell that reminded Liv of a mountain boulder, if you split the stone in half and gave it a hinge like a door. ¡°Oysters, even those suffused with mana and grown to exceptional size, are not going to try to eat you. They¡¯re filter feeders, and a human is simply too large. What we¡¯re after is inside - where the pearl grows. And Coral Bay pearls are like no others in the world - not merely beautiful, but nearly as efficient at storing magical energy as mana-stone.¡± ¡°Do we get to keep them if we find them?¡± Celestria Ward asked, raising her hand. Liv pictured a necklace of black pearls above her collarbone, to set off that dark hair, and had to admit the effect would be striking. Then she shivered: was she thinking that because the girl¡¯s word of power had affected her mind the other day? How long did those effects linger, precisely? That kind of magic was more horrible than Cade¡¯s wounding spell, by her estimation. At least you could see when a wound had healed. ¡°By guild regulations,¡± Professor Blackwood answered, ¡°a mage is due a percentage of the value of what is taken during a culling, based on their rank, with culling team leaders receiving a higher share and preference. You¡¯re a first year, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ward nodded. ¡°Professor Every, or one of her journeymen, will go over all that in your course on guild regulations and law. Turn your eyes to this. The Flowering Urchin. One brush against it can result in convulsions and death...¡± ? Liv¡¯s third class of the day came after lunch, which she ate on the second floor of High Hall. Now that Thora had made arrangements for proper ingredients to be delivered to the kitchen, she no longer had any need to visit the Crab and Gull for every meal. Eating with all the girls, however, Liv found that she missed Arjun, Rosamund, and Cade. While Edith seemed to have calmed down after the gift of a pie, and the other girls were nice enough, Liv only felt truly friendly with Sidonie and, perhaps, the shy Tephania. On her way down to Basic Enchanting, she resolved to invite them all out to dinner again. Perhaps they could make a weekly routine of it, so as to not lose track of each other. When Liv saw that a positive mob of first year students had gathered at the enchanting workshop, she couldn¡¯t help but grin, squeezing through the press to an opening next to Rosamund and Arjun. ¡°Oh good,¡± Liv said. ¡°I was starting to worry we wouldn¡¯t have hardly any classes together.¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been dumb enough to fight you, we might have had Advanced Magical Combat,¡± Rosamund grumbled. For a moment Liv worried she was actually upset, but a grin and a gentle elbow let her know it was just teasing. ¡°It looks like half the incoming class is here,¡± Arjun said. ¡°And we have a class in the infirmary together, Liv.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she said. ¡°Do either of you go to Basic Guild Law and History after this?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Rosamund said, but Arjun shook his head. ¡°Remedial for me,¡± he admitted. ¡°I suppose I should have tried to study it more before coming, but we just don¡¯t have anything like the mages¡¯ guild in Lendh ka Dakruim.¡± ¡°Alright, gather round,¡± a girl with broad shoulders called out. Liv recognized her as one of the students who had helped Professor Norris transport the casque she¡¯d brought. ¡°My name¡¯s Genne Fletcher, and I¡¯m the journeyman you¡¯ve got to listen to until you test out of this course. Welcome to the workshop.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. It was clear to Liv the structure had been added onto Blackstone Hall only recently, extending out from the north side of the hall in a long, low structure of limestone foundations and wooden walls. Large sections were set with great barn doors, most of which were now open to the air, and she counted no less than three forges, as well as woodworking shops, glass-blowing furnaces, kilns for firing clay, and all manner of other equipment. The facilities were so extensive that they¡¯d had to remove portions of the old wall that had once secured the Blackstone estates in order to make room. ¡°Raise your hand if you¡¯ve bought something that¡¯s enchanted,¡± Genne instructed them. Liv lifted her left arm, and glanced around to see that only perhaps a third of the students joined her, most of whom were wearing expensive fabrics and colors permitted only to the nobility. The rest wore merchant gray, but with flashes of brightness showing from the lining of their sleeves. Anyone dressed as a commoner kept their hand down, without exception. ¡°Good, you can put ¡®em down now,¡± Genne said. ¡°I expect most of you have had a chance to try out the enchanted pipes here, if you¡¯ve never seen such things before? And if you¡¯ve eaten meals in the great hall, you¡¯ve had food brought by the drovers¡¯ guild in barrels or crates enchanted to keep the meat cold and preserve it. Enchanting is what keeps the kingdom going, in a lot of ways. But how many of you have any idea how to actually do it?¡± Liv raised her hand, somewhat hesitantly, one of only a handful of students who did. She was relieved not to be the first one called on. ¡°You,¡± Genne said, pointing out a boy with muscular arms. ¡°How¡¯s it work?¡± ¡°Well,¡± he began, looking around and blushing, ¡°my father¡¯s a blacksmith. We get orders all the time to make swords with sigils etched into the blade, or armor. That sort of thing. We just make to order, though, I can¡¯t tell you how it works.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fairly common,¡± Genne explained. ¡°Especially in small towns with limited resources. Even those of us who specialize in enchanting, here at the college, can¡¯t learn to make all of the components we need. You can usually trade with a student here who can do what you can¡¯t, but if you¡¯re in the arse-end of nowhere and bust your blade during an eruption, you¡¯re going to have to hire help and hope for the best. You, what do you know?¡± Liv lowered her hand; she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever get used to the feeling of having so many eyes on her at once. It was easier in a duel - then she couldn¡¯t afford to focus on anything but her opponent. When it came to talking, well, that left her all too aware of the attention. ¡°I helped my teacher, Master Grenfell, make my staff,¡± she said. ¡°And then later we designed my wand. I had to do like you said - find someone to polish the stone for the pommel, to carve the wand, to inlay the metal, all the steps. I didn¡¯t know enough to do any of it. But then the last step, Master Grenfell wouldn¡¯t teach me. He said I should learn it here.¡± ¡°Can I see that, for a moment?¡± Genne asked. Liv hesitated, but then drew her wand and handed it over. ¡°Bone, probably from a mana-beast of some sort,¡± the journeyman guessed, holding the wand up so everyone could see it. ¡°Silver to inlay the sigils, and mana-stone in the pommel. Three buttons, and - does this handle rotate?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°This is a pretty complex example,¡± Genne explained to the class. ¡°You can hang up to four contingent spells, use the pommel to store mana, and then of course you¡¯ve got these focusing sigils along the length, to help channel your mana and avoid waste.¡± She handed the wand back to Liv. ¡°I love seeing something like that,¡± Genne declared, ¡°because it gives me ideas in my own work. Now. Enchanting, at the most basic, essential level, is simple. We begin with an object capable of being infused with mana. It could be driftwood that¡¯s been exposed to the tidal rift below, the bone or casque of a mana-beast, stone, clay from a riverbed at the edge of a rift, or even plant fibers that have been grown in a shoal. But you need something that¡¯s really soaked in a high density of mana for quite a while, and been changed as a result. That¡¯s the first step, and it''s things like that you can pull out of a rift when you go culling.¡± ¡°Then, you¡¯ve got to figure out what you want your object to actually do, and what words of power you need to accomplish it. For wands and staves, we¡¯re fortunate enough that we can use Aluth nearly all the time; that¡¯s the word behind focusing enchantments,¡± the journeyman explained. ¡°But a lot of the time, for something more complex, you need to work with another guild. Those enchanted pipes that heat our water? Those exist because the pipers - excuse me, The Most Worshipful Society of Pipes and Waters - licensed the right to use V?r and Ved from the barons that control those words.¡± ¡°Laying out the actual inscriptions is like any other incantation,¡± Genne continued. ¡°Which is to say painstaking and mind-numbing, especially with a word you don¡¯t actually have imprinted yourself. You need to conjugate it correctly, get the cases right, and often look up terms you¡¯ve never actually used in casting spells of your own. Who knows the v?dic word for ¡®pipe?¡± She looked around, and no one raised their hand. ¡°Point made. And once you¡¯ve got all of that taken care of, there¡¯s still one step left, which half the time, again, you can¡¯t do yourself. You need someone who¡¯s imprinted the actual word - or words - to resonate with the object. In the case of that wand,¡± she pointed at Liv, ¡°it would have been Aluth, which means a guild mage. But if you want enchanted pipes, you need a member from each of two noble houses to finish the process.¡± ¡°Now, none of you lot are ready for any of that,¡± Genne said. ¡°So we¡¯re going to start with something simple. Follow me.¡± She led them through the workshops, past older students throwing clay, etching steel, or embroidering cloth, to a room with a series of long, low tables. On each table had been stacked sheets of paper, along with pots of ink and quills. ¡°Grab a seat,¡± the journeyman instructed them. ¡°Time for your first enchantment, most of you. Turns out you don¡¯t need to use metal for sigils - we just usually do, because it lasts longer. Ink will work fine. Each table has a simple v?dic incantation written out as an example. Every one of you is going to copy it on a piece of paper. This paper, by the way, is made from the pulp of pine trees that grew in the shoals of a minor rift. It¡¯s the cheapest enchanting paper we can possibly give you, and it¡¯ll only hold a trace of mana. When you finish your work, bring your paper up to me, and we¡¯ll see whose works and whose doesn¡¯t.¡± Liv, Rosamund and Arjun found themselves a table, and sat down together along one side. While Arjun passed out the paper and quills, and uncorked the pots of ink, Liv lifted up the example inscription and parsed it out. ¡°Aluth¨¥vat,¡± she said, out loud. ¡°So we¡¯re dealing with a singular source of magic, and the future tense. I don¡¯t recognize this word, but the case is ablative, which means this enchantment is going to push mana away from something.¡± ¡°Is it going to be dangerous?¡± Rosamund asked, dipping her pen in ink. ¡°I doubt it,¡± Liv said. ¡°Or they wouldn¡¯t give it to us on the first day. If I had to guess? Once this is active, it will expel the mana used to create the enchantment back out into the air. It¡¯ll probably make some pretty lights. I¡¯d still recommend being careful drawing your sigils, though.¡± They arranged themselves so that all three of them could see, while the students on the other side of the table clustered around their own example. At every table, all throughout the hall, students bent to work, writing as neatly as they could. Liv was grateful to at least be familiar with V?dic script; she couldn¡¯t imagine how that blacksmith boy must feel. He must have been at least functionally literate, or he¡¯d never have made it to Coral Bay, but he¡¯d admitted the sigils were entirely outside of his experience. While she worked, Liv idly wondered whether it would be possible for someone with Luc to enchant a set of clothing that would repel the electrical attack of the storm eel. Or, at need, an assault from a member of the royal family. Once everyone had a copy of the inscription they¡¯d been given, Journeyman Genne called the students up by table. Half of their work she rejected immediately. ¡°No,¡± she said, shoving a paper back into one girl¡¯s hands. ¡°This is sloppy. I won¡¯t put mana into something like that. Now this one,¡± she said, accepting Arianell Seton¡¯s work, ¡°might actually function. Let¡¯s see.¡± As Genne held the paper in both hands, the students backed away. Liv had to put a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing: perhaps they¡¯d never seen anything enchanted before, but did they really think there was going to be an explosion? A flash of light erupted from the paper, and wisps of blue and gold mana swirled up into the air, twining about each other before finally dissipating when they reached the ceiling of the room, like smoke. ¡°Good,¡± Genne said. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you have the right materials, the correct sigils, and someone with the word you need to resonate with the mana. Let¡¯s see how many of you managed to make something that actually works, shall we? Next!¡± 98. Permutations Liv and Rosamund walked over to the ballroom together, parting ways with Arjun. It was an odd reminder that Blackstone Hall, prior to housing the college, had been the manor of a noble family. While the dance floor wasn¡¯t as large as the one at the royal palace in Freeport, Liv could easily imagine a dozen couples swirling about under lit chandeliers late into the evening. Now, the room had been filled with desks and chairs arranged into rows and columns, with another large, mounted slate board at the front for the instructor. Like Liv¡¯s other basic courses, Guild Law and History was taught by a journeyman. In this case, a young man named Barnabas, who wore spectacles beneath a mop of thick, wiry black hair. ¡°Find yourselves a seat somewhere,¡± he called over his shoulder. A length of white chalk in his hand was already leaving furious marks up and down the slate, and Liv was half-surprised there wasn¡¯t a visible cloud of dust emanating from the front of the room. She and Rosamund took desks next to each other near the front, which caused the other girl to give Liv a dubious look, complete with raised eyebrows and a little head shake. ¡°What?¡± Liv asked, uncorking her inkpot. She would be very, very pleased when Professor Annora let her take the splint off her right arm ¨C for one thing, her penmanship with her left hand was slipshod, at best. ¡°Most people prefer to sit a bit further back,¡± Rosamund pointed out. Liv glanced behind them to see that the rear rows of desks had filled up first, leaving the front rows mostly empty. ¡°I don¡¯t see why,¡± Liv said. ¡°I want to be able to hear and see without missing anything, and if I have a question I don¡¯t want to have to jump up and down to get noticed.¡± ¡°I suppose you are pretty short,¡± Rosamund teased her. ¡°Keep talking like that,¡± Liv shot back, thrilled to have a friend she could joke with, ¡°and I¡¯ll catch you with the coldest fingers you ever felt, just when you least expect it.¡± Since Emma had gotten married, she hadn¡¯t really had anyone that she could just have fun with. ¡°Alright, settle down,¡± Barnabas called out over the assembled students, though he kept a smile and seemed relaxed enough. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot to learn this year, before you make a choice on whether to formally become an apprentice or not, and guild regulations are, frankly, a bit of a mess.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Liv asked. She chose to ignore the way Rosamund rolled her eyes. ¡°Good question,¡± the journeyman began. ¡°When Lamon and Edythe Blackstone founded the college in 1156, the guild was given a charter modelled on those of the merchant guilds. The college is technically a separate entity, operated by the guild, and Baron Lamon was made the first chancellor. Bit of trivia, there - though everyone just calls Caspian Loredan by the title of Archmage, that¡¯s his guild rank. It¡¯s his position of chancellor that puts him in charge of the college. Anyway, that should give you a bit of a glimpse into the problems - we were forced into a charter meant to handle an entirely different kind of organization. When you¡¯ve got a bunch of chirurgeons, for instance, it makes some sense for a master to take an apprentice and teach them. Fine. But our core mission is to not only preserve knowledge of V?dic magic, but to rediscover and develop it. One person teaching one other person isn¡¯t efficient.¡± A few rows behind Liv, Hubert Carver, the boy she¡¯d beat in the first round of armed combat examinations, raised his hand. ¡°I thought the guild¡¯s purpose was to cull rifts, Journeyman?¡± ¡°No.¡± Barnabas shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s the price our founders had to pay for the approval of the crown and the barons at the time. We provide a service to the kingdom as a whole, and in return we were granted several things that we absolutely needed. For one thing, the Blackstones were allowed to name the guild as their heir, and pass on not only the property on which our campus is built, but also their word of power. Aluth became a proprietary guild secret, and under Lucanian law the word can be taught to any member of the guild. Without a common word holding us together, we wouldn¡¯t have shared research to speak of, and we wouldn¡¯t be able to induct apprentices who weren¡¯t already inheriting magic from noble families.¡± He paused. ¡°We¡¯re a little off track, but that isn¡¯t a bad thing. The guild structure imposed on us doesn¡¯t really fit with the college. Oh, we do the best we can, but that¡¯s why you have third years who aren¡¯t journeymen, even if they qualify. Part of what keeps the barons happy is that we educate their children, even if they don¡¯t join the guild themselves. So, we don¡¯t generally do one apprenticeship to one master, even if legally we¡¯re permitted to.¡± Liv thought that his eyes lingered on her, and the ring on her finger, when he said that. ¡°Professor Jurian¡¯s explained you need to test out of all your basic courses - including this one - to join the guild,¡± Barnabas continued. ¡°And that to become a journeyman, you need to test out of all but one advanced course. If you get that far, that¡¯s when things change.¡± ¡°And if we don¡¯t join the guild?¡± Pearson asked, from the middle of the desks. ¡°If we¡¯re an heir, for instance?¡± ¡°You still complete your advanced courses,¡± Barnabas said. ¡°But you don¡¯t learn the word. You can be part of a culling team led by a journeyman, and you can still study with any professor who will have you. But in all honesty, most people who aren¡¯t joining the guild leave after all of their advanced courses are done.¡± Liv frowned, wondering about Cade for a moment. They hadn¡¯t spoken in detail about his studies ¨C there¡¯d hardly been time! ¨C but he had commented about helping out Professor Blackwood. She knew he wouldn¡¯t be joining the guild, because he was set to inherit from his father. Did that mean that he¡¯d be leaving the college, soon? She found the idea bothered her. ¡°Now, how do you become a full mage, a master, or an archmage?¡± Barnabas asked, and tapped the slate. ¡°A journeyman who completes their first culling mission, outside of the college¡¯s supervision, is a guild mage in full. That¡¯s it. Anything the professors bring you to doesn¡¯t count; we¡¯re talking baron whoever calls for everyone to come and help, and you show up. At that point, once the guild recognizes your rank, you can hire yourself out as a court mage or a tutor if you want, or you can travel around working on culling teams. We¡¯ll get to how that pays another day.¡± Liv tapped the feather of her quill against her cheek, and wondered whether she could make an argument that she¡¯d already fulfilled that particular requirement. Probably not, she decided. ¡°If you want to be a master, you need to present original research to a panel of the professors here at Coral Bay,¡± Barnabas went on. ¡°Develop a new spell or enchantment, rediscover a lost word of power, something of that sort. It needs to contribute to the guild substantially. The panel will judge whether what you¡¯ve done is worth the title, and they don¡¯t take kindly to people wasting their time. If you become a master, you¡¯re eligible for a position teaching here as a professor.¡± He tapped the last title in the list, at the top of the slate board. ¡°Archmage is a whole other thing,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to present yourself before no less than three masters, which generally means it happens here, and the requirements are entirely practical. First, absolute control over all mana within a radius of five feet of your body, which the masters will put to the test. Secondly, you need to demonstrate a spell that combines two or more words of power into a single effect.¡± ¡°But that means they basically have to be a noble,¡± a boy Liv didn¡¯t recognize broke in. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Used to,¡± Barnabas confirmed. ¡°Until about thirty years back, when Professor Jurian and Mistress Arundell brought a new word of power back from Godsgrave. That¡¯s what got them both the rank of master, by the way.¡± ¡°How many archmages are there?¡± Liv asked, raising her hand. ¡°A better question is how many ever took the test,¡± the journeyman said. ¡°Edythe Blackstone was the first, and she set the requirements. She was born a Ridley, you see, so she had the one word from her parents, and the second from the guild. Our current chancellor is the second. There¡¯s been a few people along the way who came close, and there¡¯s a going bet on when Professor Jurian puts himself forward for the test, and another one whether he makes it.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Liv murmured. She wondered whether Julianne could have passed the test, if politics hadn¡¯t got in the way. ¡°Is it really that hard to combine words?¡± she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the chatter of the other students. ¡°The fact you''re asking that shows you haven¡¯t ever tried,¡± Barnabas said. ¡°Not that I¡¯d expect anyone in this room has. First, you¡¯ve got to be good with two words. Just imprinting them isn''t enough: you need to spend years learning each one before you¡¯re ready. And then you¡¯ve got to come up with a spell that can actually integrate the intent of two separate words of power. Some of ¡®em just don¡¯t fit,¡± he explained. ¡°So Archmagus Blackstone¡¯s two spells are pretty famous, you can find records of them in the library. She mixed Ces, to cut, with Aluth, the word of mana.¡± ¡°The first spell let her use ambient mana in the air around her to cut just about anything she wanted,¡± the journeyman explained. ¡°Trees. Castle walls. Hillsides. But the second spell was the real winner,¡± he said. ¡°She could cut mana itself, breaking spells cast by other mages. But like I said, she was fortunate. Two good combinations? I¡¯m not sure anyone has managed to combine Aluth and Cei yet. And then try to imagine something stranger. What about Ved and Aluth - water and mana? You¡¯re smarter than me if you can think of something.¡± Liv leaned back in her chair. She¡¯d had the idea of using Cel to build up a charge in the clouds overhead, before shifting to Luc so that she could direct lightning where she wanted it to go. But after hearing Barnabas¡¯ examples, she realized that wasn¡¯t really combining two words: it was using them in quick succession, to aid each other. What an archmage did would be on another level entirely. ? Over the next few days, Liv slipped into a new routine. She attended her classes and ate most meals at High Hall, with the other girls on the second floor. Sometimes, she invited Rosamund to join them; others, she, Sidonie and Tephania would join Arjun in the great hall. On those evenings, Cade would make a point of coming down to sit with them, as well, but Liv couldn¡¯t eat that kind of food often. Whenever Liv suggested inviting him up to eat on the second floor landing of High Hall, however, Thora threw a fit about how it would look. Before coming to Coral Bay, it had been years since she¡¯d gone days without eating mana-rich food. Now, Liv found that even after missing only a single meal she started to get headaches, and Sidonie had pointed out that she quickly got snappish with everyone around her. Arjun and Liv met up with Rosamund regularly, to practice wrestling, knifework, and fencing. For the young man from Lendh ka Dakruim, it was a matter of desperation: he¡¯d never been taught to fight, and Merek Sherard was currently terrorizing the remedial course. The boy who¡¯d broken Liv¡¯s arm could have tested out at any time, but he seemed to be enjoying grinding the faces of other students into the dirt of the training yard. Liv wanted to move up to the advanced course before Sherard joined her class, but that wasn¡¯t her only reason for putting in the extra work. She had to test out of three courses in order to formally declare herself an apprentice and join the guild as an adult. Enchanting and Guild Law and History didn¡¯t worry her. She took copious notes during class, and reviewed what had been taught every evening. Of the two, Enchanting was far more interesting, but neither would be a problem for her. In Armed Combat, however, Liv¡¯s size worked against her. She was the shortest person in class, and even the smallest of the other girls had an inch on her. As a result, she suffered in terms of reach constantly. When matched with any of the boys, the difference in muscle mass made things even worse. Over and over again, she found herself tackled, tripped, thrown, or otherwise put on the ground, where a much larger man could pin her easily. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think it¡¯s a contest or something,¡± she complained to Rosamund during one of their practice sessions. ¡°Who can sit on Liv ten times? A dozen? If I could use magic I¡¯d thrash them all.¡± ¡°If they¡¯re taking bets, maybe I should play too,¡± Rosamund teased her. When Liv opened her mouth to respond, the other girl came in for a hip toss, followed her down to the ground, and then wrapped her legs around Liv¡¯s neck in a choke hold. But despite the frustrations of Armed Combat, there were plenty of bright points. At Wren¡¯s insistence, Liv took Rosamund and Tephania to the Cedar Closet, where the shopgirl was nice enough, even if she got a bit of a stammer everytime Liv looked at her. It was on that shopping trip into town they procured breeches for swimming. The garments ended just below the knee, exposing Liv¡¯s entire lower legs, and the first time she wore them to Master Jurian¡¯s class she could feel her cheeks and ears burning with embarrassment. It was one thing to bathe with another woman, and she even thought it might be fun to wear something like that for Cade, but showing her legs to men she hardly knew seemed positively indecent. A thunderstorm rolled in over the bay on the seventh day of classes, a mere ten day before the king tide was due to come, and that was Liv¡¯s first chance to practice with Luc since her day with Duchess Julianne up on Deer Peak. She put on her winter cloak, pulled the hood up, and had Steria saddled. The shaggy northern horse gave her a miserable look when she was led out into the rain, and Liv resolved to take her on a more pleasant ride soon. Wren went with her, riding behind Liv, and they picked their way north along the strand until they were out of sight of the college. There, with the waves crashing up onto the shore, Liv stretched her wand up to the sky and practiced calling down bolts of lightning until she was drenched through and shivering. She ended up making herself a blade of ice, just so that she could use the waste heat to warm up. It wasn¡¯t setting the lightning in motion that was the difficult part; if anything, it was eager to escape the sky and race down to the ground. No, the trick was guiding it where you meant for it to go. If Liv wanted to strike a patch of sand where she¡¯d had Wren mark an ¡®x,¡¯ well, the lightning would prefer to hit the nearest tree, instead. Liv¡¯s practice was made all the more frustrating by the fact she couldn¡¯t do it everyday. She had to wait for the next storm, and who knew when that would be. When they made it back that evening, Liv insisted on putting Wren under the heated water in the second floor bathing room, just to warm her up. She took her own turn after, only to find herself confronted by Edith Gage when she emerged, wrapped in a thick towel. ¡°What in the world were you doing out there?¡± the auburn haired girl asked, with a frown. ¡°You¡¯ll make yourself sick.¡± ¡°I wanted to practice changing the temperature of the rain,¡± Liv told her, because she couldn¡¯t come up with a better excuse in the moment. Edith gave her a suspicious look, but Liv preferred her concern to the snide comments that had come before she made her peace offering. On the first market day since she¡¯d come to Coral Bay, Liv and Cade had dinner together at the Crab and Gull ¨C not outside, this time, but on the roof, where Liv was surprised to find there were a handful of private tables under cloth awnings, most of them filled by other couples. She convinced Wren to let them go alone, and even to keep Thora distracted for the night. The two young people shared a bottle of southern wine, not watered and much stronger than Liv was used to, along with a great pile of oysters on ice that one had to suck out of their small shells. It was a wonderful evening, right up until he gave her a package containing a pair of silk gloves that went up to the elbow. ¡°I know that sometimes people stare at your arms,¡± Cade explained, as Liv felt the softness of the fabric with her fingers. Professor Annora had taken the splint off only two days before, despite Liv¡¯s impatience. ¡°I thought that you might sometimes want to avoid that.¡± Liv opened her mouth, then had to think over what to say. On the one hand, as far as she was concerned, anyone who didn¡¯t like the scars on her arms could go and see how they did fighting their way out of a rift. On the other hand, in his own way, Cade was trying to be considerate of how she might feel. She decided to focus on that part. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, tucking the gloves into her belt. ¡°They¡¯re beautiful. Shall we walk back?¡± He accompanied her up to the second floor of High Hall, which was empty by the time they¡¯d arrived. Thankfully, Thora wasn¡¯t there to object. The servants had long since cleaned the table, and the other girls had either retired to their rooms to study, or left for their own amusements. Perhaps it was the wine, but when Cade pressed her up against the wall of the common room and kissed her, Liv didn¡¯t stop him. She felt warm and fuzzy-headed, and a little bit like she had when Celestria Ward had used her magic. There was an intense need to be touched, and Liv only came to her senses and pushed him away when he reached under her skirt and put a hand on her bare thigh. Still, it was a near thing - for a moment, she¡¯d had the insane urge to not only allow it, but to urge him to move his hand higher. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Cade gasped, his forehead pressed to hers. ¡°We¡¯re going to be married.¡± Liv thought about pointing out that she¡¯d never actually agreed to wed him, only that he could court her - but after all, she¡¯d kept responding to his letters for six years, hadn¡¯t she? She¡¯d been happy to let him show her around the campus, take her out to dinner, and act in every way as if they were engaged, even letting him kiss her in public. If anyone was to blame for giving him the wrong impression, it was probably her. And even if she wasn¡¯t certain about being married, she did like him quite a bit. ¡°I think I should get to bed,¡± Liv said. She was shocked out how ragged her voice was, as if she¡¯d just run a mile. ¡°And you should get downstairs, before someone comes in.¡± And before she changed her mind. It would only take a single word to ask him to stay. ¡°Of course,¡± Cade said. ¡°Goodnight, Liv.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± She ducked into the sitting room she shared with the other two girls, closed the door behind her, and then leaned her back against it, as if to hold the wood in place despite a raging stone-bat on the other side. Once she was certain Cade was gone, Liv went into the bath-chamber, to splash water on her face in an effort to cool herself down. 99. The Hall of Ancestors ¡°Look, Rei,¡± Keri said. ¡°Do you see all the animals?¡± He held his son up with his left arm, while using his right to point at the carved tree trunks that surrounded Kelum Kedim. Surrounding them, as far as the eye could see, were giant pillars of red cedar, shaped using a combination of tools and magic to depict the animals that populated the north. Stern-beaked eagles, hawks, owls and falcons, with stylized wings tucked against their bodies, glared across the forest at bears, foxes, wolves or rabbits. There were creatures of the waters, as well: the salmon that swam upriver and leapt the falls, the whales that hunted the coasts. Rei, his hair an unruly cloud of silk-fine gold, laughed and pointed in glee, calling out the names of each creature to his mother and father as they passed. Behind them, Sohvis led the warriors of House B?lris, and the pack horses laden with supplies and canvas. Keri¡¯s father, Ilmari, had come, as well as Aunt V?ina. The rest of the elders had remained behind at Mountain Home, along with half the guard. ¡°There are half a dozen houses here already,¡± Rika pointed out. ¡°I see Keria, Iravata, D?ivi.¡± Each house had claimed their traditional clearing, for while they met at Kelum Kedim only rarely, the Vakansa were people of long habit and custom. House B?lris would camp with the other unconquered houses, as they had since the peace was made over a thousand years before. ¡°Every house with a convenient Waystone,¡± Keri agreed. He turned and called back to his father. ¡°I want to seek out House Syv?,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve found Valtteri Ka Auris to be a reasonable man, and I spent a short time with him while I was in Lucania.¡± Ilmari ka V?inis waved his wrinkled hand. ¡°Go along, then. It will take some time to make camp here.¡± ¡°Do you wish to come with me?¡± Keri offered to his kwenim. Their truce during the journey had been a brittle thing, enforced mainly by a common desire to avoid embarrassing the rest of their family in front of the soldiers. Now that they were among other houses, there was yet more reason to be courteous and conciliatory. And yet, it felt false: like a performance. Keri knew that her anger with him had not abated, and only simmered like a stew left over banked coals. ¡°No,¡± Rika refused. ¡°I¡¯ll stay to make certain Sohvis gets our tents set up correctly. Take Rei along, it will keep him out of the way.¡± ¡°That had been my intent,¡± Keri said. ¡°It will be good for him to begin meeting those of other houses.¡± It felt strange to go unarmored, among those who were not his own warriors, but by tradition no instruments of war could be brought into the forest surrounding Kelum Kedim. Finding the encampment of House Syv? meant leaving the houses who had remained loyal to the V?dim or who, like the descendants of B?lris, had stood aside, and crossing into the much larger collection of tents and fires claimed by the victorious houses who had rebelled. The most direct route would have been to descend into the amphitheater, but such a sacred place was not to be casually entered, and so Keri went around the long way. Finally, he spotted the tents of stretched caribou hide that marked the house of the farthest north. ¡°Who approaches?¡± a warrior of House Syv? challenged him. Though the woman carried no weapon, her shoulders were broad and muscular. ¡°A friend,¡± Keri said. ¡°Please tell Valtteri Ka Auris that Inkeris, who he met in Freeport, has come to greet him. And that I bring my son, Rei.¡± He shifted the blonde child from his left arm to his right. ¡°Get down?¡± Rei asked, as the guard hurried back into the tents. ¡°In a moment,¡± Keri said. ¡°You¡¯re going to meet one of your father¡¯s friends.¡± That was overstating things, of course; Valtteri was substantially older than he was, and they¡¯d only known each other briefly. But the events in Freeport had been tumultuous, and they¡¯d fought together in the alleys of the human city to save Valtteri¡¯s daughter. Warriors who had relied on each other in battle formed trust quickly, and Keri was confident of his reception. ¡°Inkeris!¡± The man in question strode out of the tents, white braids rustling about his shoulders, the trinkets of bone and metal hanging from the ends of each clinking as he moved. ¡°It is good to see you again,¡± he said, and extended his arm so that they could each clasp the other. ¡°This is your son, is it? A handsome boy.¡± ¡°Rei, this is Valtteri of the House of Syv?,¡± Keri explained. ¡°Say hello.¡± ¡°Good morning,¡± Rei said. ¡°Your tents don¡¯t look like ours.¡± Valtteri chuckled. ¡°That is because ours are made of caribou hide. Would you like to touch one?¡± Rei nodded. ¡°Why don¡¯t you both come over to the fire. My mother can get Rei something to eat, and you can tell me how you¡¯ve been since Freeport.¡± Keri and Rei were introduced to Auris Ka Syv? and Eila T?r V?inis, and as predicted, Valtteri¡¯s mother soon had the young boy laughing and smiling over a snack of honey-roasted nuts. ¡°Liv brought those from Whitehill when she visited over the summer,¡± Valtteri said, settling himself down on a camp chair near the fire. The chill of winter was already in the air, and Keri wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all if they had snow at some point over the course of the council. ¡°How is your daughter?¡± Keri asked, from the chair he¡¯d been offered. ¡°She is doing well,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Though she was caught up in this wave of eruptions. She pushed herself hard beneath Bald Peak.¡± For a moment, he looked as if he might say more, but instead the older man moved on. ¡°I saw her off to the Lucanian college at Coral Bay before I came back north.¡± ¡°Will she be safe there?¡± Keri asked. ¡°After everything that happened in Freeport.¡± ¡°As safe as anywhere. This long peace that we¡¯ve enjoyed ¨C I think now taken for granted ¨C is over.¡± ¡°I know there were eruptions all across the north,¡± Keri said. ¡°And I hear there was an attack on Soltheris. The Cult of Ractia.¡± ¡°If there remained doubt that the Lady of Blood has returned,¡± Valtteri said, ¡°it is gone now. I have information for the council, but I do not know whether they will want to hear it.¡± Keri considered his words, while he watched his son across the fire. Hands and face sticky with honey, Rei had now been led over to the caribou-hide tents, and Eila was encouraging the boy to touch. ¡°It pains her that she missed my daughter¡¯s childhood,¡± Valtteri murmured. ¡°It pains all of us, but sometimes I think my mother feels it most.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve hunted the cult across the breadth of the north for over twenty years,¡± Keri said. ¡°If anyone knows what a threat they are, it is me. Whatever you bring to the council, I would speak in your support. I can speak to my father, as well.¡± ¡°Then perhaps you should be forewarned,¡± the older man said. ¡°My daughter brought back a captive. One of Ractia¡¯s great bats, whose conscience rebelled against what was done at Soltheris. The captive has given us a great deal of information.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Keri let out a long, low whistle. ¡°Can it be trusted? If it can ¨C¡± ¡°How much can you ever trust the word of a captive?¡± Valtteri shrugged. ¡°And yet. She told us much we did not yet suspect, and confirmed more of what we did. Ractia has been gathering her forces since the day of blood. She has worshippers among not only our people, but the humans as well. An entire tribe of the great bats serves her, along with a mercenary captain from Lucania, a fire-mage from the east, and even one of the ancient war machines forged by Antris over a thousand years ago.¡± ¡°If the humans had listened six years ago,¡± Keri grumbled, ¡°we might have prevented things from going so far. A few teams of mages sent to Varuna, and for what? To disappear into the jungle?¡± ¡°There is more,¡± Valtteri said, lowering his voice and casting a glance about to be certain they could not be overheard. ¡°I have the name of a traitor. One who is here among us, now, and one of the goddess¡¯ lieutenants in secret. I need help to apprehend him, when the time comes.¡± ¡°You have it,¡± Keri said. ¡°What is your plan?¡± ? When Keri returned to the encampment of House B?lris, he found the great canvas tents and pavilions had been raised. His cousin Sohvis was helping Rika unroll the furs they had brought for warmth during the cold nights, and she laughed at something that Keri couldn¡¯t hear. It was the first time he¡¯d seen her smile in weeks, if not months, other than at something Rei did. The sight of it sent a stab of jealousy through his stomach. Rei struggled to be set down, and Keri lowered him to the ground. He watched his son run over to the woman who was his kwenim, throw his arms around her, and be scooped up into the air. When Rika turned to see Keri, however, standing at the edge of the camp, the smile in her eyes died. Rather than greet him, she turned and ducked inside the tent, taking their son with her. ¡°Everything is set to rights, cousin,¡± Sohvis said, rising and approaching Keri. ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± ¡°Much,¡± Keri answered. He tried not to let his feelings color the tone of his voice: Sohvis didn¡¯t deserve that. The man had only ever been loyal, and Keri¡¯s oldest and most true friend. ¡°I will need you, and our soldiers, tomorrow. But for now I must speak to my father.¡± Keri and his father spent the evening meal huddled together, and by the end of it Ilmari ka V?inis had agreed to support the House of Syv? during the council. ¡°I¡¯ve known Auris for a very long time, though he does not leave his home often,¡± the old man said. ¡°If he would bring something before the council, I trust that it deserves to be heard.¡± ¡°And after?¡± Keri asked him. ¡°When the time comes for action.¡± ¡°There can be no bloodshed,¡± Ilmari insisted. ¡°Help them take him captive, but do not disgrace this place. And you say this information comes from the actions of the girl you aided in Freeport?¡± ¡°Livara T?r Valtteri,¡± Keri said, into a sudden silence of the kind that sometimes occurs in a place where many conversations are happening at once. The words carried further than he intended them to, and he caught sight of Rika turning his way with a frown on her face. ¡°I remember that you once had a vision of a girl with ice-blue eyes,¡± Ilmari mused. ¡°The scions of Kelris are known to have such eyes, are they not?¡± Keri shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s talented,¡± he said. ¡°I watched her win a duel in the human tradition, while I was in Freeport, and she¡¯s had time to grow since then. Also, she seems to attract trouble wherever she goes,¡± he said, with a laugh and a smile that he couldn¡¯t suppress. ¡°If anyone was going to be mixed up in this, I believe that it would be her.¡± ¡°Very well. We will back House Syv?¡¯s play,¡± Keri¡¯s father promised. ¡°I expect Auris has already secured the support of his wife¡¯s house, as well. Tomorrow promises to be a day full of excitement.¡± ? Keri was permitted to observe the council, but not to speak unless called upon by the elders of the houses. He found a place with Sohvis and Rika, as uncomfortable as that was, on the great ringed benches of stone that had been raised from the earth of the amphitheatre by their ancestors. Rei had been sent to play with children of allied houses, with a collection of trusted guards to watch over them. Though the sacred place was named Kelum Kedim, or the Hall of Ancestors, it was in truth no structure at all. For a ceiling, there was only the sky; for walls, the carved trees that surrounded them. At the bottom of the amphitheatre, the elders of the houses gathered, two sent by each family. Keri recognized most of them: he had not exaggerated when he told Liv¡¯s father that the last twenty years had taken him all across the north. There was one man, in particular, however, that his eyes returned to over and over again: not one of the elders, but someone among the audience, like Keri himself. A man with sharp features and green eyes. ¡°The council recognizes Auris Ka Syv?,¡± the elder representative of Soltheris declared, and Keri had all he could do to remain still, to put on a show of being relaxed, as if he did not know what was coming. The old man rose - old even for a child of one of the dead gods, Keri knew. Liv¡¯s grandfather. He could see the resemblance in the eyes, the way they glittered like sun off a frozen lake. ¡°Our contacts in the southlands have brought us word of a defector,¡± he began. ¡°An informant. One who was high in the councils of the Lady of Blood, but who has turned away.¡± ¡°Contacts in the south?¡± the junior elder of House Iravata interrupted. ¡°With respect, elder, your lands are the furthest north of any of us. What friends do you have beyond the mountains?¡± ¡°My granddaughter has been raised in Lucania,¡± Auris answered. ¡°After the eruption at Bald Peak, she returned with a captive who has told us a great deal. Ractia has not only returned, she has made many allies over the years this council has refused to face her. Allies from Varuna, of course, and also from the human lands; but from among our own people, as well. In fact, one of her servants is here right now.¡± The man Keri had been watching stirred. ¡°Stay here,¡± Keri murmured to Rika, rose from his seat, and slipped through the crowd as quietly as he could. Around him, he could see not only his own warriors, but men and women in service to other houses, as well, moving among the benches. ¡°Calevis of House Iravata,¡± Liv¡¯s grandfather said, his voice strong and confident, ¡°you have betrayed the Vakansa.¡± ¡°Preposterous!¡± The elder who had interrupted before jumped to his feet. ¡°On what do you base this accusation? The word of a war criminal?¡± ¡°Upon the honor of my own blood!¡± Auris shouted back. ¡°Or do you question the word of my granddaughter?¡± Keri was almost within reach of Calevis, and he could see Valtteri approaching from the other side when their target rose. ¡°Enough,¡± Calevis said, his posture arrogant and dangerous, like a stalking wildcat. ¡°I betray nothing, and I conceal nothing. I come only to offer my people a single chance to return to the glory they once knew.¡± ¡°Glory?¡± Keri¡¯s own father stood, now. ¡°You admit it, then? You would have us return to a life of slavery?¡± ¡°The Unconquered House of Iravata was never a house of traitors,¡± Calevis said. ¡°We made peace only because the rebels slaughtered our gods. Now that the Lady of Blood has returned, we will hold true to our ancient allegiance once again.¡± ¡°You do not speak for our house, nephew!¡± Keri didn¡¯t know the elder¡¯s name, but in that moment he respected the man. One of Keri¡¯s men shoved his way through the audience and got a hand on Calevis¡¯ shoulder, and then everything fell apart. ¡°?terent Aiveh Yeum Ractim,¡± Calevis of House Iravata intoned. Keri felt a sudden wave of pressure, and flinched back from it, as mana erupted at the traitor¡¯s command. At the center of the amphitheatre, the elder screamed, his skin turning bright red, then blackening and bursting open as flames licked out from inside his body. The warrior who¡¯d reached Calevis drew back his hand with a howl of agony, and Keri could see it was smoking, as well. For all the horror of the spell, the man¡¯s intent was clear and steady: it touched no one but those he clearly intended to kill. The two men who had been struck down writhed on the ground, their very blood burning away from within their bodies. ¡°Savelet Aiveh Fleia o¡¯Mae!¡± Keri shouted, thrusting his hand out toward Calevis and letting his mana flow up from inside him, through his arm, and then out of his hand. For a moment, the sun itself seemed to burn in the amphitheater. A bar of light so bright that even Keri had to squeeze his eyes closed connected his outstretched hand and the traitor. He held it only for an instant, and then released the spell. Calevis of House Iravata had thrown himself down the stone benches, but he hadn¡¯t moved quickly enough. The lower half of his torso was a smoking wreck, and beneath his hips, nothing remained at all. ¡°Leave him alive so we can question him,¡± Valtteri shouted, leaping down from one stone bench to another as people scrambled to get out of the way. ¡°?n''Iravat¨¥s,¡± Calevis coughed, hacking blood up as he struggled to get the words out. ¡°Thvenent!¡± Keri frowned. There was no obvious sign of magic. Had the spell failed? In the trees above the amphitheater, a great shape moved, rustling over the fallen leaves with the rasp of scales. A great hissing echoed down along the stone benches, and the wyrm lifted its head to stare down upon the Eld gathered there. 100. The House of Wyrms Keri turned away from Calevis to confront the wyrm itself, while all around him people scrambled down over the tiered stone benches into the bowl of the amphitheater. The creature¡¯s head was massive ¨C the size of his bedchamber at Mountain Home, perhaps ¨C and covered in scales of mottled brown and green, the better to blend into the forest. The eyes were cold, slitted and inhuman, yet with a cruel intelligence behind them. The wyrm opened its mouth, and a spray of liquid jetted out from within, shooting into the upper rings, and the Eld who were trying to get away from it. Wherever the venom touched cloth or skin, smoke rose; wherever it struck an unfortunate person in the face, it brought blindness, and piteous wails as the victim tore at their own eyes in panic. The mana in the area shifted, as if a soft pressure, nearly unnoticeable, had suddenly been lifted away and revealed by the very fact of its absence. Archers appeared above the amphitheater, Elden men and women in the armor of House Iravata. At a shouted command, they loosed, all at once, and a volley of arrows descended upon the center of the bowl, where the elders of the houses had gathered. A wet, hacking laugh drew Keri¡¯s eye back to where the traitor had fallen. Calevis rose on a column of swirling, pulsing gore, sucking in the blood from every wounded person within a dozen feet as if he were a whirlpool. ¡°An enemy raids your greatest port, and your response is to gather the entire leadership of our people in the one place that weapons and armor are forbidden,¡± Calevis ranted. ¡°What fools. Our people have forgotten how to fight.¡± ¡°Savelet Aiveh Dvo Fleiam o¡¯Mae!¡± Keri shouted, thrusting one hand toward Calevis and the other toward the wyrm. Twin bars of brightness erupted from his palms: one scorched the scales of the wyrm as it came slithering down into the amphitheater in a sudden rush, but did not kill it. The other boiled away part of Calevis¡¯ twisting column of blood and gore, but the magic carried him up and away from Keri¡¯s attack so that he was not further harmed. Keri threw himself aside, rolling across the dirt floor between levels of stone benches, and was forced to raise a hand to shield his face from chips of flying stone and dust as the wyrm crashed through everything solid on its way down to the bottom of the Hall of Ancestors. When he rolled to his feet, he found Sohvis and Rika, crouched down to take shelter where they¡¯d all been sitting together. ¡°Get her out of here!¡± he shouted to his cousin. ¡°Rika! Find Rei!¡± Though she¡¯d insisted on accompanying a few raids in her time, Keri¡¯s kwenim was not truly a warrior: she was an artist, a dancer. The horrors unfolding around them had clearly shocked her, and rather than move, she remained frozen, eyes wide and without comprehension. Sohvis, on the other hand, was a warrior, like Keri. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he obeyed orders, throwing Rika over his shoulder and rushing up the rings of the amphitheater, leaping the stone benches as he went. Keri searched for his soldiers. ¡°Linnea!¡± he shouted. From where she¡¯d stood watch at the very edge of the land surrounding the great bowl in which the benches were built, the dark haired woman emerged, a canvas roll of weapons in her arms. Long years of fighting had taught Keri to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. ¡°Here!¡± she shouted, and drew his spear forth from the roll of concealed weapons, and threw it down to him. Keri caught the spear in his outstretched hand, and let his mana flow into it without words. The blade at the end of the shaft caught, and blazed to life like the rising sun. ¡°Warriors of the Eld!¡± Keri shouted. ¡°To me!¡± Another volley of arrows rose into the sky, hung for a heartbeat, and then descended on the center of the amphitheater, where many of the elders were already bleeding and wounded. All around the Hall of the Ancestors, Elden magic flared to life: lightning fell from the sky, jets of fire arced across the amphitheater, and shadows rose up to consume small groups of archers above. The wyrm was nearly upon them now: Keri couldn¡¯t do anything about the archers, not so many, but perhaps he could draw the beast off. He dashed forward, toward the long, slithering body that extended behind its head all the way back up the rings of stone benches. Keri planted the butt of the spear in the packed earth of the walkway between two rings of benches, and jumped, using the strong wooden shaft to throw himself higher, up into the air above the trailing body of the wyrm. In midair, Keri swung the spear around so that it pointed tip down, took it in both hands, and fell upon the coils of the wyrm with all of his weight. The blazing head of the spear tore into the creature¡¯s scaley hide, sinking down a foot or more, so that blood welled up around the wound, and Keri slipped on the slickness. It was only his grip on the shaft of the spear that kept him from falling off the beast to one side or the other, and then he could think of nothing but hanging on when it moved suddenly from the pain of his assault. ¡°You think to stop us here, do you?¡± Calevis taunted, using his column of blood to approach. ¡°To play the hero? The scourge of the north, who¡¯s hunted his own people for the mere crime of remembering their loyalty to the old gods. I¡¯m pleased that chance has put you before me, Inkeris ka Ilmari. Chance or your own arrogance.¡± A third volley of arrows loosed, but then something changed. The mana around Keri, Calevis, and the wym snapped, turning about so that in an instant it was no longer under any of their control. The light in the blade of Keri¡¯s spear died, and the gorey pseudo-limb that had been supporting Calevis collapsed out from under him. Keri sucked in a breath, and tasted coming snow. Overhead, every arrow hung suspended in the sky. First one at a time, then by the score, the arrow heads and shafts frosted over, then snapped, as white flakes began to drift down from the clouds. Keri chanced a look down toward the bottom of the amphitheater, where the elders had come under attack. There, an old man with long, white hair, stood with his arms upraised and extended, the broken shaft of an arrow protruding from his shoulder, his robes stained with blood. Keri recognized the man: he¡¯d sat around a campfire, speaking with his son only the night before. Though he¡¯d been taken by surprise and wounded, and even ravaged by the passing of centuries, Auris Ka Syv? was still the son of a god. Keri had never truly understood what that meant, before - not until this very moment. Auris clenched his fist, and every scrap of mana, throughout the entire amphitheater, obeyed his will. Above the rim of the bowl, Calevis¡¯ archers were forced to their knees by a sudden pressure. Their bows frosted over and then cracked, snapping in half and falling uselessly to the ground. ¡°Have you so soon forgotten what we fought for?¡± Auris shouted, his voice echoing through the stillness of that sacred place. For an eternal moment, time itself seemed to still, like a leaf caught against the bank of a stream, unable to continue its journey with the current. ¡°We were slaves. Slaves! They worked us as they willed, bred us as they willed, like beasts of the field! Have you not seen the scars on the backs of your grandmothers and grandfathers? How can you choose to crawl back now, and make of yourselves willing servants? What blindness, what foolishness, to have freedom, and throw it away!¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Kill him!¡± Calevis shouted. ¡°He¡¯s only one man!¡± How the traitor managed to move, Keri couldn¡¯t imagine: perhaps whatever wicked power he¡¯d accepted from the Lady of Blood protected him from Auris¡¯ spell. ¡°Sometimes one man is all it takes,¡± Auris shouted back, his lip twisted in contempt. He swept a hand toward the wyrm and its master, and a wave of ice crystals erupted around them, piercing the thick scales of long coils and causing the beast to roar in pain. Then, as if he were a rag doll that had been tossed aside by a child, Auris Ka Syv? fell to the ground, his face pale, and the iron control that had been exerted for a moment over all magic in the area was gone. The moment he felt his magic return, Keri shouted, and the blade of his spear, still buried in the back of the wyrm, flared to life, scorching through its flesh. A thrashing of the coil threw him off, and the creature leaned its head down, not to bite, but to take Calevis up in its jaws. With a gentleness belying its size, it turned about, carrying the wounded man up and out of the amphitheater. With their bows destroyed, the traitors of House Iravata left with them, withdrawing into the forest, pursued by blasts of air, coils of roots, and waves of earth from the rallying Eld at the bottom of the bowl. Keri knew they would be making for the waystone, to escape, and he was torn between the necessity of pursuing, and the fearful need to know whether or not his son was safe. ¡°Your orders?¡± Linnea asked, siding down off a broken bench on the ring above them, a blade in her right hand. ¡°Call the storm,¡± Keri told her. ¡°Harry them on their way, to ensure they don¡¯t turn and kill more. Send some of our warriors to follow them at a distance, and report back.¡± He looked down to the bottom of the amphitheater, where Valtteri cradled his father to his chest. Keri found his own father¡¯s eyes, and received a nod. ¡°I need to make certain my son is safe,¡± Keri said. ¡°I will meet you at our camp.¡± Then, spear in hand, he ran up the rings of the amphitheater, taking the levels in great leaps. As he ran through the forest, the snow which had begun to fall when Auris Ka Syv? used his magic petered out, then died. The children had been left at a communal playground, where long ago - when Keri himself was still a child - the Vakansa had worked together to make a clearing by the side of the stream that ran through this part of the forest. There, they had placed trunks of old, hardwood, shorn of their branches and scattered about at odd angles, leaning atop each other, like a pile of sticks. There were great boulders, too, and the whole made for a mess of places to climb, jump, and hide. He¡¯d spent hours there with Rika and Sohvis, during the council¡¯s infrequent meetings. When he saw the first body, slumped against the bole of a tree at the edge of the clearing, Keri¡¯s pulse beat so loudly that he could hear nothing else in all the world. A moment¡¯s glance confirmed that it was an Iravata warrior, though Keri could see no weapon in her grasp, only armor and a strange mound of dust. Her hand was clutched to her stomach, and soaked in blood, as if to hold in her life. Keri turned away from the corpse and rushed into the clearing. Sohvis and Rika had beat him there, and when he saw his son¡¯s bright hair, clutched against Rika¡¯s shoulder, Keri could breathe again. ¡°You¡¯re safe,¡± was all he could say, and he stumbled forward, thrust his spear into the earth, and wrapped them both in his arms. ¡°You¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°The council?¡± Sohvis asked, and Keri shook his head. ¡°Many wounded, some dead. The attackers were driven off. What happened here?¡± Sohvis raised his arm, and pointed to a woman with blue hair so dark that it seemed nearly black, until the sunlight struck it at the right angle. ¡°Inkeris,¡± she said, approaching, and Keri could see, now that he had room to consider anything other than his own son¡¯s safety, that the woman had gathered over a dozen children about her, all of whom now clung to her skirts. ¡°Eila,¡± he recalled her name. Valtteri¡¯s mother, and Liv¡¯s grandmother. ¡°You protected the children? Thank you.¡± ¡°She was amazing!¡± Rei burst in, pushing himself up from his mother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She waved her hand, and all their weapons just turned to dust!¡± ¡°Auris?¡± the woman asked. ¡°I saw the snow¡­¡± ¡°Wounded, at least,¡± Keri admitted. ¡°I saw him take an arrow, but it did not stop him. He saved ¨C I don¡¯t even know how many people. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. He took control of all the magic in the entire place. Your son is with him.¡± ¡°I must go, then,¡± Eila said, and hurried off into the trees. ¡°Keep an eye on the children until their parents come,¡± she called back. ¡°Those that may.¡± The thought hadn¡¯t come to him until her words brought it home, but now Keri wondered just how many of the children in the clearing were now orphans. He wrapped his arms around Rika and Rei again, while his cousin stood off to one side, watching the forest. For the moment, at least, the only thing that mattered to him was that they were safe. ? It took the rest of the day to take stock of the dead, and to see the wounded treated. Linnea found Keri at the clearing, and brought a handful of warriors with her, whom he promptly set as guards to watch over the children. Most of their original minders had been slaughtered by the attacking Iravata troops. Eila had put a stop to the assault singlehandedly, and Linnea oversaw the removal and sorting of the corpses. A great pyre was built, for all agreed that with the return of the Lady of Blood, the old ways must be followed. Valtteri spoke of the return of the Great Bats, and the survivors of Soltheris had seen them descending to feed from corpses during the fighting in that city. And so the dead must be burned, without delay. The surviving elders agreed, without dissent, that the Vakansa were now at war. House Iravata was to be considered an enemy, and Airis Ka Reimis had volunteered to lead a force to their lands. Keri was too young for his voice to be heard in council, but he had some hope of being appointed a war leader. And so, when Valtteri ka Auris stepped into the light of the campfire at the center of House B?lris¡¯ encampment, he leapt to his feet. ¡°You can sit back down,¡± Valtteri said, his face drawn with pain and grief. ¡°No one will be departing tonight.¡± ¡°How is your father?¡± Keri asked, settling back into a camp chair. Rika was inside their tent, getting Rei to sleep, but Sohvis took a seat next to him, and gave their visitor a nod of respect. ¡°Dying,¡± Valtteri said, once he¡¯d settled into an empty chair. ¡°Which is why I have come. My mother will keep him alive as long as she can ¨C long enough to bring him home to Kelthelis. I need to go with them.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Keri said. ¡°Your family comes first.¡± ¡°Would you go to Coral Bay for me?¡± Valtteri asked. ¡°Use the waystones, and bring my daughter north. I want her to be able to bid farewell to her grandfather.¡± Keri hesitated. ¡°Should it not be a member of your family?¡± ¡°None but I have been to Lucania in many years,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°You went south to Freeport to address their king and barons. You are the only one, besides perhaps myself or Ambassador Sakari, who is both somewhat familiar with human customs, and known to my daughter. Travel quickly, fetch her back to us in the north, and then you can rejoin your family. Please.¡± Keri sighed, and tried to imagine how he would feel in the other man¡¯s place. Of course, he would want to go and get Rei himself; but if he couldn¡¯t go, there would have to be someone he trusted. Valtteri was putting his faith in Keri, by asking this. Could he really refuse? Certainly not without damaging that relationship. ¡°I will do it,¡± he promised. ¡°South to Coral Bay, and then back north to your homelands. I¡¯ve heard tell that using your waystone is dangerous.¡± ¡°Liv knows what to expect,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°I¡¯ve taken her through enough times, now. She¡¯ll make certain you¡¯re prepared. And after seeing you fight today, I have no doubt you¡¯ll both come through in one piece. I¡¯ll order our patrols to watch for your arrival.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave at dawn, then,¡± Keri promised. He stood, glancing toward the tent. He could already predict Rika¡¯s reaction. ¡°I am grateful,¡± Valterri said, rising from his own seat. ¡°I want to fight,¡± Keri said, before the older man could leave. ¡°If there are warriors going to Varuna, I want to be part of that.¡± Valterri considered him a long moment. ¡°I will speak to the council about you. I cannot make any promises.¡± ¡°Your word is enough.¡± Keri stepped forward, and offered his hand. The two men grasped each other by the arm, and then Valterri strode off into the trees. 101. King Tide The sea was still a somewhat surreal place for Liv: after spending nearly her entire life in the mountains that surrounded Whitehill, looking out onto a flat expanse that stretched to the horizon made it difficult for her to judge distance accurately. The sun had risen high enough above the tree line to the east that it cast golden morning light down upon the shore, illuminating the bands of water and isolated tide pools left behind by the receding tides. Everywhere, dark wet clumps of seaweed lay scattered, drying in the open air. The reef that sheltered Coral Bay, usually only visible as a discoloration in the water, was now partially exposed, perhaps half a mile out. Liv stood with the second of five groups assembled on the beach, not far from the waystone. Behind them, more students waited behind modular wooden palisades on wheels. The first years who weren¡¯t judged capable of front line combat had been given crossbows, first aid supplies, and stores of food and watered wine, to support the students actually going down onto the sand bars. ¡°Apprentice, a moment,¡± Master Jurian said, taking Liv by the elbow and leading her off to the side just far enough that lowered voices wouldn¡¯t be overheard. Wren, not assigned to a group but shadowing Liv all the same, followed. ¡°We¡¯ve looked into that group of mercenaries you found,¡± Jurian told the huntress. ¡°While I agree they bear watching, they have a legal contract with a merchant named Cartwright. He¡¯s rented the warehouse you tracked them to, as well, Miss Wind Dancer.¡± Wren frowned. ¡°Why are you telling us now?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re contracted to scavenge what they can during the king tide,¡± Jurian said, nodding his head in the direction of the street that led down onto the beach and to the waystone. Liv turned, and watched a crew of mercenaries in a motley assortment of old chain shirts, newer jack of plate, and worn gambesons make their way down onto the beach. Among the group, individual soldiers carried an assortment of large daggers, hand axes, crossbows, and pikes, as well as nets and shields. ¡°Do we need to watch our backs?¡± Liv asked. She felt exposed without her armor, and especially with her calves showing beneath the short breeches she wore, in front of so many people she barely knew. The linen shirt tucked into the waist wasn¡¯t much better: it provided no protection, and when it soaked through would be nearly transparent. Still, in the days leading up to the king tide, she¡¯d found they performed their function: namely, to preserve some modicum of modesty while not dragging her down when she needed to swim. And in another sign of how different Coral Bay was from Whitehill, no one seemed to care. Jurian shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine anyone would be foolish enough to attack you openly here, with so many eyes. But I¡¯ve assigned someone the work of watching their movements, all the same.¡± He gestured to one of the fortified positions, where Merek Sherard seemed to be silently communing with an entire flock of seagulls. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how relieved I am to know who¡¯s watching over us,¡± Wren said, her voice dry. ¡°He knows that if he takes one step wrong, he¡¯ll be sent packing, at best,¡± Jurian said. ¡°Spying is what he¡¯s best suited for, in any event. Alright, back to your team. Go on now, ladies.¡± Liv and Wren exchanged a glance as they padded, barefoot, back over the sand. ¡°I wish we¡¯d been able to choose our own teams,¡± Liv muttered. ¡°And that more of my friends were ready.¡± Out of some great cosmic irony, Liv had been assigned to Journeyman Venetia, the young woman who hadn¡¯t believed that she could finish the written examinations as early as she had. The rest of the group was mainly made up of second-year students and a smattering of third years, all from the advanced Armed Combat and Magical Combat classes. There were six of them, all told, and the only one that Liv knew well was Rosamund, who¡¯d hacked off the bottom of her linen shirt and tied it in a knot at the center of her chest, exposing her trim belly to anyone who cared to look. She¡¯d tried to convince Liv to do the same, but that was a step too far. ¡°What¡¯d the professor want?¡± Rosamund asked, walking over to meet Liv and Wren halfway. ¡°He was letting us know those mercenaries will be out on the sands, too,¡± Liv said, nodding toward the men. ¡°Best if we avoid them, I think.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be the only treasure hunters sent out by the town,¡± Venetia said. ¡°Though they may be the thickest in the head, wearing so much armor. A silver says someone has to help pull one of the fools out of a tide pool before our shift is over.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet,¡± a second year boy named Brom called out. ¡°You¡¯re on, Netty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Journeyman Venetia to you,¡± the young woman said. ¡°Now, gather around. You¡¯ve all practiced for this, but that¡¯s not the same as doing it. There¡¯s a reason they keep the journeymen back for the first king tide of the year. While we¡¯re out there, I might as well be Sitia herself as far as you lot are concerned. If I give you an order, you do it. No questions. Understood?¡± They all nodded, Liv included. ¡°Alright. Armed Combat students to the front,¡± Venetia said. ¡°Magical Combat students behind them. Front line, your job is to engage and hold the target in place. Back line, your job is to take them down. Rotation starts with Brodbeck. Let¡¯s go crab hunting.¡± Rosamund, Brom, and a third year named Sawyer - Liv wasn¡¯t clear on whether that was his given name or his family name - fanned out in front, leading the way out onto the first sandbar. To either side, up and down the coast, the other groups of students moved with them, and a glance told Liv that not only the mercenaries, but small groups of townsfolk were waiting to follow. She didn¡¯t think that was a very good idea, but Liv also recognized that a single mana-pearl would bring enough coin to feed a poor family for months. There were three sandbars, in total, to cross before reaching the reef itself. Each was separated from the next by a section of deeper water that must be waded or swum, and the sea floor in these deeper sections was more stone, shell, and weed than sand. The first sandbar was wet, like thick mud, and Liv¡¯s toes sank into it as they trudged across. Small wavelets of clear water broke across it in thin, barely present sheets, tickling her feet pleasantly. All of the water here reminded Liv more of a bath than an ocean, especially at such a low tide. It was nothing like the bracing mountain streams around Whitehill. ¡°Crab,¡± Sawyer called. Liv thought she detected a hint of nerves in his voice. The three students at the front settled bucklers on their arms, then drew hammers for cracking the shell. Liv tried to stifle her worry for Rosamund as she watched them move in: the girl could fight, and she knew what she was doing. Liv just had to do her part. She drew her wand, looped the leather thong now attached to the handle around her wrist, and extended her arm. The splint and bandages were off, now, to Professor Annora¡¯s repeated remarks on the remarkable healing talents of Eldish descent. Liv hadn¡¯t bothered correcting her. It would have been giving away a secret to someone she wasn¡¯t certain she could trust yet. Scuttling out of the deeper water at the edge of the first sandbar, the Reef Crab gave off a baleful red glow from its mottled shell. This one hadn¡¯t grown very large yet, and was only about the size of a herding dog. Brom moved forward to catch its claw on his buckler, and then Rosamund lunged in to take a swing with her hammer, both of them splashing into knee-deep water that immediately soaked their breeches. ¡°Celent¡¯he Dvo Aim¨¡k Scelim¡¯o¡¯Mae,¡± Liv intoned, as quietly as she could. The archmagus had recommended she focus on casting her ice sword spell silently, but she couldn¡¯t see any reason not to put the effort into all of her spells, especially when there was no risk of a monster immediately rushing up to throw itself in her face. The front line was holding just fine, so she took her time to do it right and use her mana efficiently. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Sawyer, who¡¯d been somewhat hesitant, finally stepped forward and caught the other claw on his buckler, leaving Rosamund an opening in the center. ¡°Setting it up for you, Liv!¡± the dark-haired girl called back, and instead of swinging down in an attempt to crack the shell, she caught the reef crab from beneath, knocking it backward and up, exposing the belly. Liv released her frozen shards, and two needle-thin segments of adamant ice not only pierced the crab¡¯s underside, but shot right out again, not even slowed by the shell. Two puffs of red blood, like smoke, billowed out into the shallow water, and the crab twitched once, then stopped moving. Isabel, the second year apprentice who¡¯d hung back on Liv¡¯s right side, gaped. ¡°You took it out in a single shot?¡± she said. ¡°And cracked the shell like it was nothing. What even was that?¡± ¡°The beasts under Bald Peak often have growths of mana-stone forming a kind of armor along their backs and shoulders,¡± Liv explained. ¡°I learned pretty early that I needed to be able to break that sort of thing. So, I make the shards as thin and strong as I can.¡± ¡°Drag it over here,¡± Wren said, kneeling on the sandbar. As the students turned to watch, she dug a handful of corked glass vials out of her purse. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Journeyman Venetia demanded. ¡°The blood¡¯s toxic, right?¡± Wren asked. ¡°That means I can use it to paint my arrowheads.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can allow that,¡± Venetia said. ¡°What do you even need poisoned arrows for, anyway?¡± Wren shrugged. ¡°One of those sand-sharks I¡¯ve heard about, maybe. Or something else. Who knows. But I¡¯d rather have it than not.¡± ¡°Just drag it over,¡± Liv told Sawyer and Brom. ¡°It¡¯ll only take a moment.¡± When Venetia hesitated, the boys did as she asked. Liv glanced back toward the shore, and easily found the mercenaries picking through the sand, perhaps searching for oyster shells. Poisoned arrows seemed like exactly the sort of thing she wanted Wren to have on hand, just in case. They found half a dozen oysters themselves, in the waters between the first sandbar and the second, as well as a few clams and another reef crab. Venetia collected the oysters and clams in a bucket: this close to shore, they were hardly larger than a normal specimen. The second reef crab took a bit longer to deal with; Liv kept her wand close at hand, in case she needed to step in, but it was Isabel¡¯s turn in the rotation of casters. The second year had clearly imprinted Aluth and been practicing with it, but Liv was a bit surprised to see just how primitive her use of the word was. She tried to adjust her expectations to be more fair: the girl must have only been using magic for less than a year, and for that amount of time, she¡¯d actually made remarkable progress. Still, it took Isabel multiple castings to kill the crab with a spread of shining blue blades formed from raw mana. By the time it was done, Liv wondered how many more spells the girl had in her. ¡°Bryn, you¡¯re next,¡± Venetia called out, and they splashed up onto the second sandbar. At the highest point of the bar, the water was still calf deep, and on the downward slopes in either the direction of the shore or the reef, the waves came up above their knees, soaking Liv to her thighs. Splashing about had already drenched her linen shirt, along with all the other girls; the boys, on the other hand, simply went shirtless and bare-chested. When Rosamund turned back to ask Liv a question, she didn¡¯t register the words for a moment. Liv had bathed with enough other women in the sulfur springs at Whitehill that wet linen plastered to the girl¡¯s chest shouldn¡¯t have bothered her, but there was something different about seeing Rosamund than Julianne, Triss, or even Wren. ¡°Sorry?¡± she said. ¡°I asked if you had enough juice for those sharks between this bar and the next,¡± Rosamund repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to come one at a time, like the crabs. And I¡¯d prefer to still have my legs when we¡¯re all done here.¡± ¡°They are very nice legs,¡± Brom observed. ¡°Be a shame to have them gnawed off.¡± Liv glared at the boy. ¡°Keep your eyes on the monsters,¡± she scolded him. ¡°And yes, I can take care of however many sharks there are, but I¡¯d need everyone else to keep out of the way while I do it.¡± She glanced over to Venetia for permission. The journeyman looked to Bryn, a third year, instead. ¡°It¡¯s your turn next,¡± Venetia said. ¡°Can you handle, oh -¡± she paused to take a quick count - ¡°half a dozen sand sharks?¡± Bryn, a tall girl with limp dark hair that seemed to have no life to it, shook her head. ¡°One or two is probably my limit,¡± she admitted. ¡°Brodbeck can take this set, then,¡± Venetia decided. ¡°Then you¡¯re up, Bryn.¡± Liv grinned, watched the sharks for a moment, and then cast the spell her father had taught her, summoning a bloom of sharp crystals that rose up in bursts from the ocean floor and trapped the sharks. As the crystals grew and expanded, the mana-beasts were crushed, pierced, and sliced apart on the sharp edges. When it was done, she used the waste heat to speed the melting of the crystals - not that they would have lasted for very long in the warm ocean water, in any case. ¡°That looks like it would be an absolute nightmare to deal with in a duel,¡± Sawyer observed. ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°I think a wall of earth would stop it well enough.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to find out one of these days,¡± Liv teased her, unable to keep herself from grinning. ¡°Gather the sharks up,¡± Venetia broke in. ¡°The meat cooks up nicely in a bit of butter. You can flirt later.¡± Liv felt a sudden rush of heat in her cheeks and ears, and to avoid meeting anyone¡¯s eyes, she splashed forward into the deeper water, grabbing one of the sharks to pass back up for the bucket. She hadn¡¯t been flirting, just joking around. Rosamund wasn¡¯t even a boy, and after all, she was with Cade. But it would have been more embarrassing to argue than to just move on. ¡°What do you make of that?¡± Wren asked Liv, once they¡¯d gathered all the sharks. Venetia¡¯s bucket was full, and they were now stuffing oysters and clams into a canvas backpack she¡¯d worn. Liv expected the group would have to return to shore soon just to pass off all the seafood they¡¯d gathered. Liv turned to follow Wren¡¯s arm, and saw that the mercenaries had gotten themselves out as far as the edge of the reef. They¡¯d dragged a rowboat along with them, and most of the men had been forced to abandon their armor and heavier weapons, heaping their equipment into the boat. As Liv watched, one of them men screamed, the sound barely carrying over the waves, and they all scrambled to deal with whatever had got him by the leg. ¡°They must have left a lot behind, to get out there so fast,¡± Wren said. ¡°It takes time to dig up the clams and oysters. That¡¯s like leaving money on the ground. Not at all what I¡¯d expect from mercenaries.¡± ¡°Which means they aren¡¯t out here to bring back a catch, or even to look for pearls,¡± Liv concluded. ¡°Despite what their contract with Master Cartwright must say. They¡¯re here for something else.¡± ¡°Any idea what?¡± Wren asked, but Liv shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d need to know more about the history of this place,¡± Liv said. ¡°I know it¡¯s been a fishing port since the time of the V?dim; it''s got a waystone, after all. Master Jurian said something about V?dic ruins out by the reef, though.¡± ¡°I could fly over there, get a better look,¡± Wren offered. ¡°I think a bat winging out over the bay mid-morning would attract a bit of attention, don¡¯t you?¡± Liv pointed out. ¡°Perhaps we could offer to help them out, instead. Journeyman!¡± she called out. ¡°What is it, Brodbeck?¡± Venetia asked. She was bent almost double in the water between the second and third sandbar, groping about for clams or oysters. ¡°Those men look like they¡¯re having trouble,¡± Liv told her, pointing to the mercenaries and their rowboat. ¡°Isn¡¯t it part of our job to help them out?¡± ¡°Rusted idiots,¡± Venetia cursed, straightening and using one hand to shade her eyes while she got a good look. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be out that far at all, and certainly not ahead of us. They¡¯ve stirred up something, alright.¡± The entire team was watching, now, and Bryn gasped when one of the mercenaries went under the waves. ¡°Come on,¡± Venetia shouted, throwing herself forward into the deeper water as she pushed for the third bar. ¡°We might still be able to get the fool before he drowns.¡± Liv caught Wren¡¯s eye, and the two women rushed after the journeyman, the rest of the team crashing through the waves around them. The water went over Liv¡¯s head, here, and she had to swim fifteen or twenty feet before she got the last bar under her feet again. Even at the crest, the water came up over her waist, and the waves took her in the chest. None of that was what concerned her most, however, because they were now close enough to hear what the mercenaries were shouting. ¡°Storm eels,¡± Rosamund exclaimed, repeating the words they¡¯d all recognized. ¡°Blood and shadows. They found the storm eels.¡± 102. Skinner Storm eels. Liv grimaced, already thinking through all the ways this could very quickly go wrong. Professor Blackwood had described how they could release a shocking pulse into the water around them, strong enough to stun a human. Once you couldn¡¯t move, it was an easy matter for the eels to latch on with their mouths and drag you under. If you didn¡¯t recover use of your body before you drowned, that was it. And even if you did, at that point you were bleeding with a pack of monstrous eels chomping down on your flesh. If she¡¯d had more time to practice with Luc, Liv was fairly confident that she could have simply shielded them all from the attack. Gather up the shock and push it aside, or even turn it back on the eels as a counterattack. Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t been able to practice - or at least, not nearly enough to feel confident that she wouldn¡¯t actually make things worse. On top of that, there were too many witnesses. Out of everyone in the team, Liv thought that she might be able to trust Rosamund to keep a secret. But past her? They barely knew each other. Venetia, the team leader, had been actively hostile. And then there were the mercenaries. Without knowing more about who they worked for, or why they¡¯d really come to Coral Bay, Liv couldn¡¯t chance letting them see her use the royal word. ¡°Try not to fall off!¡± Liv called out to her team. There were eight of them, counting Wren and the journeyman. Liv made certain she had their locations fixed in her mind, and then invoked her word of power: ¡°Celent¡¯he Aiveh Okt¨­ Stelim!¡± A flood of mana rushed out of her: seven rings on a single spell, an extravagant cost, but it needed to be done urgently, and it needed to be finished quickly. Pillars of ice, flat at the top, rose beneath Liv and all of her teammates, lifting them up out of the salt water, high enough that the eels wouldn¡¯t be able to reach them. ¡°The ice is as pure as I can make it,¡± Liv called out to them. ¡°It will stop the shocks from reaching you!¡± Brom nearly slipped and fell, but by dropping his shield, he managed to hold on. Venetia and Isabel let loose with knives of coherent mana, which hit the waves with a succession of small splashes, and caused blooms of red blood to rise up from wounded eels. Rosamund kept her shield, but clipped her hammer to her belt, and reached out with a hand. At her incantation, the sand of the ocean floor rose up like a gaping mouth, and swallowed two of the eels, carrying them back down into the waves and, presumably, burying them far beneath the sea floor. Bryn lashed out with a wave of her hand, and steam began to rise from the water where two of the eels had dragged under another of the mercenaries. Wren kept an arrow fitted to her bow, but seemed content to let others handle the fighting while she kept an eye on their surroundings. Liv concluded that the rest of her team had the eels essentially under control, and scanned the shallow water to see whether any of the wounded mercenaries had survived. ¡°Celet Ghesia,¡± she intoned, making a deliberate effort to lower the volume of her voice again, now that the immediate crisis seemed to be passing. She raised her left hand, clenching it into a loose fist, and lifted. A hand of ice rose out of the ocean, scooping up a wounded mercenary, who immediately began coughing up water and sucking in desperate breaths. Liv used the magical hand to gently deposit him in the mercenaries¡¯ rowboat, and then glanced around to see if anyone else needed help. The mercenaries, most of them panting and bleeding, hadn¡¯t lowered their weapons. Indeed, they seemed to be waiting to find out whether the college students were going to keep right on going after dealing with the Storm Eels, and tear into them. They weren¡¯t far wrong; only it happened with words, and not magic. ¡°What in the name of the trinity do you think you¡¯re doing out so far?¡± Venetia yelled from her perch on top of an ice column. ¡°Have you got even the slightest bit of magic among you? Is this your first king tide, or were you just born stupid?¡± ¡°Listen, girl,¡± one of the men, thick as a tree trunk and with a mustache that reminded Liv of a hound with a particularly drooping jowl, began. ¡°That¡¯s journeyman, to you lot,¡± Venetia interrupted him. Liv took inordinate amusement out of the fact the woman¡¯s ire was directed at someone other than her, for once. ¡°Alright, get back to shore, now. You¡¯re done for this tide.¡± ¡°We have a contract with Master Cartwright,¡± the man protested. ¡°Then Master Cartwright can take it up with the college,¡± Venetia told him. ¡°You can be certain I¡¯ll be making a report to Professor Jurian and the archmagus. Get your people, get your little boat, and get moving.¡± The mercenary leader looked over the students, and Liv¡¯s smile slipped away from her face. That was a look she¡¯d seen before - in an alley in Freeport, for instance. It was the look of a man who was willing to kill everyone in front of him if only he thought that he could get away with it. He was doing the math in his head: how many of the young mages in front of him had any magic left? How much of a fight would they put up, and how many could his men take out before anyone knew what was happening? Liv raised her left hand, clenched it into a fist, and watched as the mercenaries'' eyes all drifted over to the enormous fist of ice that mimicked her every movement. Mustache looked over to her, and she met his eyes without flinching. Go ahead, Liv urged him silently. He looked away, and the moment of tension broke. ¡°You heard the journeyman,¡± Mustache grumbled. ¡°Pack it up.¡± His men set to work, but Liv thought they had a rather small catch for how far out they¡¯d come. Once again, she wondered what they were really after. ¡°I¡¯ll have your name,¡± Venetia said. ¡°For my report.¡± ¡°Skinner,¡± the man with the mustache said. ¡°Bill Skinner.¡± Liv watched them until they had their rowboat back at the second sandbar - far enough distant she was fairly certain they weren¡¯t going to turn around and launch a surprise attack. She glanced over to Wren, and saw the hunter had never put her nocked arrow back in the quiver. ¡°What rusting idiots,¡± Venetia said. ¡°They¡¯re lucky we were here to haul their bacon out of the fire. You can put us all down now, Brodbeck.¡± Liv blinked, and looked over her teammates while she used up her stored waste heat to melt their columns. None of them looked at all like they were watching for an ambush. Had they completely missed what just happened - or had she imagined it? With a splash, Wren tromped over, holding her bow up above the water to keep the waxed string dry. ¡°None of them have ever been in a real fight before,¡± she murmured. ¡°Duels don¡¯t teach you everything.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t imagine it, then,¡± Liv said, hopping from her own column into the palm of her frozen hand. She used it to carry herself closer to the reef, which was half exposed to open air by the king tide. ¡°Watch yourself, there,¡± Venetia called over. ¡°Don¡¯t get too close. I can see the Flowering Urchins from here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making certain they didn¡¯t leave anything behind,¡± Liv said. In truth, she was trying to see what they¡¯d been after, but the reef was an explosion of life and color of a kind nearly entirely unfamiliar to her. Professor Blackwood¡¯s dead, broken bits of coral were all well and good for class discussion, but the dizzying variety of plants, coral shapes, and flashing schools of fish before her was too much to take in at a glance. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Liv chanced a glance back over her shoulder, and saw that the journeyman had the others gathering up the slain Storm Eels. They made a good soup, from what Liv understood. While everyone else was distracted, she twisted the handle of her wand to extend it into a sword of adamant ice, and then, perched on her magical hand, leaned over and slashed an ¡®x¡¯ shape into the coral. She felt a slight twinge of guilt at the thought of hurting something that was alive, but she wanted to be able to find this part of the reef again. ¡°Everything looks fine over here,¡± Liv said, melting the sword, and turned her hand about so that she could ride it back to the others. Then, she unfurled the fingers, slipped back out into the warm water, and sunk the ice beneath the waves, where it would be gone soon enough. ¡°Right. I imagine everyone¡¯s tapped out after that, and we¡¯ve got a good haul,¡± Venetia said. ¡°Back to shore it is.¡± Liv almost spoke up to let the journeyman know that she had enough mana left for another fight or two, but decided there was no need to advertise that at the moment. Over her first few weeks at Coral Bay, word had gotten around that Liv could hold a lot of mana, but most people still seemed to underestimate just what that meant. They made their way back over the three sandbars at a slightly different angle, covering some of the ground the mercenaries had neglected on their own route. There were plenty of clams, mussels and oysters to dig up, and Liv ended up pulling the hem of her linen shirt out of her breeches to use as a kind of sack, piling up shellfish on the fabric and wrapping them into a sort of bundle in front of her. It exposed her back and belly for everyone to see, but the fact the other girls were doing the same thing made it a bit easier to stand. By the time they¡¯d got back to the beach, she realized that Venetia had been right to turn them back. Brom and Sawyer used their hammers to crack their way through a few of the smaller crabs, and the journeyman had held back enough on the way out to provide finishing blows with her blades of mana. On the strand, piles of crabs, eels, lobsters and sharks had been tossed up, with crossbow bolts sticking out of them. Townsfolk sorted the carcasses, separating what could be eaten from what was, like the reef crabs, toxic. The first and second year students remained on watch above them, behind the wooden barricades on wheels. Venetia led them to a series of enchanted storage barrels; Liv recognized the runes worked into the wood as the work of her own family, and couldn¡¯t help but reach out a hand to touch the wood after she¡¯d emptied her own load. It was like touching a piece of Kelthelis. Their team¡¯s barrels were labelled with their names, so that when the sorting was done they¡¯d each receive their share of pay. From her lessons in Guild Law and History, Liv knew that half the value would go to the local noble - in this case, the college. From what was left, Venetia got a double share as team leader, and all of them would get first opportunity to purchase anything they wanted out of the haul. Liv wasn¡¯t interested in the meat, but if there were any pearls in those oysters, she intended to get one. ¡°Alright, over to the healers,¡± Venetia commanded. ¡°Everyone needs to be checked over.¡± Liv turned away from the ocean; a team was already heading out to replace them, and she knew the rotation would continue until the king tide had passed, and the shore was safe again. Arjun was one of the people manning the medical station, so Liv and Rosamund headed right for him, with Wren trailing behind. He wrinkled his nose as they approached. ¡°You both stink like fish guts and blood,¡± he complained. ¡°That¡¯s a nice thing to say to two ladies,¡± Rosamund teased him, and Liv laughed. ¡°It¡¯s true though,¡± she said, picking at her ruined linen shirt. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get back to High Hall and get clean again.¡± ¡°Injuries?¡± Arjun asked, and though all three of them shook their heads, he checked them over anyway. If any other young man at the college had run their hands over her legs, arms, and sides, Liv would have felt self conscious, but her dark-haired friend had such a cold, matter of fact way about it that he might as well have been inspecting a lame horse. Even when Rosamund teased him ¨C ¡°Watch where those hands are going!¡± ¨C he just shrugged and went right on about his business. ¡°You¡¯re all fine,¡± Arjun declared, after inspecting Wren last. ¡°Go get dry and warm up by the fire. Have something to eat. Your next rotation will come soon enough.¡± Behind the barricades, the enchanted barrels for storing shellfish and the rest of the catch, and the medical stations, bonfires had been lit, with camp chairs set up around them and trestle tables from which first years were spooning great helpings of hot chowder into bread bowls. Liv, Rosamund and Wren were each given a thick towel and sent into line. Soon enough, they were seated around one of the fires, across from Venetia and the rest of their team, filling their bellies with fresh-caught, mana rich seafood. Liv was just tearing hunks of bread off her bowl when Cade made his way over with a slate and chalk. He caught her eye and smiled, but it was to her team leader that he addressed himself. ¡°Good catch,¡± he told Venetia. ¡°Lots of meat to be sold. There was even one small pearl in one of the oysters.¡± He turned the slate around and tapped a finger against it. Venetia looked at the share price for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Not bad. And we¡¯ll get out at least once more, I think,¡± she said, taking a moment to look out at the bay and judge the tide. ¡°Anyone want to buy the pearl? I¡¯ve got my own,¡± she said, and tapped the lobes of her ears, each pierced and carrying a black pearl set in silver. ¡°I would,¡± Liv said. She stretched her legs out casually, so that Cade would be able to see her bare calves. Cade turned to her and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have it set aside; once we know what your total share is, we¡¯ll see whether you cover it all, or if you have to pay a bit to make up the difference. Come find me once the tide is done; I¡¯ll be at Professor Blackstone¡¯s station.¡± On his way past her he paused, leaned down, and lowered his voice. ¡°And after you¡¯ve had a chance to get cleaned up, I¡¯ll take you out to dinner to celebrate your first tide.¡± Liv grinned, and nodded. ? The prospect of not only hot water at High Hall, but also a clean, warm change of clothes, and dinner after, carried Liv through the rest of the tide. By the time her team was judged warm and rested enough to go back out, the tide was coming in. The third sandbar and the reef were too deep to reach - Liv judged she could have swum it, but the prospect of fighting while treading water didn¡¯t appeal. Still, they brought back another good haul, if not quite equal to their first outing, and Liv was able to take a small black pearl, still salty and wet from its time in the sea, back to High Hall with her. She¡¯d only had to kick in a gold piece to make up the price, and they¡¯d found a second pearl, as well. On the spur of the moment, she¡¯d bought that one for Rosamund, recalling that her friend hadn¡¯t declared a single enchanted item before their duel. The hot water at High Hall was just as decadently wonderful as Liv had been anticipating, and afterward Thora had helped her dress. ¡°You should let me come with you, m¡¯lady,¡± the maid said, tying off the laces on Liv¡¯s bodice. ¡°It¡¯s not fitting for you to be alone with him so much, and you unwed still.¡± ¡°No one cares here,¡± Liv told her. ¡°When last we went to dinner, every table on the roof was filled with a couple, and none of them had chaperones. Now, go get yourself some dinner, and don¡¯t worry about me.¡± The last thing she wanted was Thora waiting upstairs when she returned at the end of the night. Dressed in one of her nicer dresses - this one in blue trimmed with black - Liv met Cade downstairs feeling an entirely new woman. Rather than sandy, salt encrusted, and exhausted, she felt fresh and pretty. Over dinner and wine at the Crab and Gull, he answered her questions about what assisting Professor Blackwood in the sorting involved. ¡°In all truth, I¡¯m lucky he¡¯s taken me on,¡± Cade admitted. ¡°Most people in my position would probably be heading home by now, since I won¡¯t be joining the guild. I do a lot of the work his journeymen do, except without the rank.¡± ¡°Did you stay just for me?¡± Liv asked him, unable to keep a smile from her face. The wine went very well with her butter-drenched lobster, and she¡¯d very much come to enjoy these private moments with him. ¡°Perhaps I did,¡± Cade answered. On the way back to High Hall, she couldn¡¯t stop smiling. The confrontation with Skinner and his mercenaries was going to be trouble, but they¡¯d avoided a fight, and it was trouble for tomorrow. She¡¯d give Venetia time to make a report, and then have her own private conversation with Master Jurian. In the meantime, she¡¯d gotten a taste of what it would be like to cull a rift with adequate numbers and support, for once, and compared to what happened in Whitehill it was a relief. At no point had she felt like she was actually in danger, things were so well organized, and she¡¯d come away from it with a beautiful pearl to do ¨C something with. When she¡¯d reached the door to her shared sitting room, Liv wasn¡¯t ready for the night to end. Cade kissed her there, the taste of wine on both their tongues mingling, and this time when he put a hand on her thigh, she didn¡¯t remove his hand. When they both came up for air, rather than let him leave, she took his hand and tugged him through the shared space and into her own bedchamber. After all, she reasoned, this was Coral Bay, not Whitehill. And Matthew and Triss had seemed perfectly fine. Neither Liv nor Cade went to sleep until quite late that night. 103. Tidings A pounding on the door spiked through Liv¡¯s head like an iron chisel. Her mouth tasted foul, like a mountain squirrel had crawled inside while she slept, died, and then rotted for a week. She rolled over onto her side, pulling the blankets over her head, to make the pounding go away, and found herself up against another person. Another naked person. In her bed. Dim memories of the night before blossomed slowly, in fragments: laughing and drinking over dinner with Cade, stumbling back to High Hall under a starry sky, a goodnight kiss at the door, and then the spontaneous decision to pull him inside. A succession of images, feelings, tastes and sounds bubbled to the surface, all of them wrapped in the fuzzy, warm blanket of last evening¡¯s wine. She could feel her cheeks and the tips of her ears burning in embarrassment, hot as coals. Whatever Liv had been expecting the experience to be like, it hadn¡¯t quite been - that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, m¡¯lady,¡± Thora said, over the sound of the door hinges opening, ¡°but there¡¯s someone here to see you, and one of the journeymen, and they won¡¯t - oh!¡± ¡°Livara, you need to wake up,¡± a man¡¯s voice came, along with the sound of boots on the floor and oh trinity, there were people coming into the room. Liv sat up, clutching the blankets to her chest, to see Thora, Wren, and of all people Inkeris ka Ilmari crowding through the doorway into her bedchamber. They were uniformly wide-eyed, presumably at the sight of the snoring lump of man in the bed at her side, though their expressions ranged from the lady¡¯s maid¡¯s shock and horror, to Wren¡¯s amused cackle, and finally to Keri, who looked nothing but serious. Dead serious, and positively grave. ¡°Out,¡± Liv croaked. ¡°All of you, out.¡± Her stomach turned at the sudden motion of sitting, and she realized that she was going to throw up. ¡°Chamber pot,¡± she groaned. ¡°What?¡± Thora said. She¡¯d put a hand up in front of her eyes, as if she didn¡¯t want to look at the bed. ¡°Chamber pot!¡± Liv shouted. She half fell, half rolled out of bed, too concerned with the contents of her stomach coming up to care that she was entirely naked at the moment. Half the blankets came with her in a knot, causing a grumpy groan from the other side of the bed, but it was Wren who got there in time with the chamber pot. They were old fashioned, now, and mostly unnecessary with the enchanted pipes and garderobes in High Hall, but whoever decided these things at the college had determined to keep one in each student¡¯s room, tucked under the bed, perhaps for just such an emergency as this. Liv threw up the half-digested remains of dinner along with a greater portion of two bottles of wine than she evidently should have had, and Wren held her hair back out of her face while she heaved and coughed and spit. Somewhere during the process, the room emptied out, leaving them alone. ¡°This is so embarrassing,¡± Liv complained, once she¡¯d had a moment to catch her breath. ¡°Happens to all of us sooner or later,¡± Wren said, bringing a cup of water over. Just water, Liv found, with not even a trace of wine in it. ¡°Is this even safe?¡± Liv asked. ¡°It comes out of the tap in the bath chamber,¡± Wren said. ¡°From the cisterns on the roof. Shouldn¡¯t have anything but rainwater in it. Better if we boiled it, probably, but I don¡¯t think you need more wine right now. Wash your mouth out, at least, and you¡¯ll feel better.¡± Liv accepted the cup, swirled the water around her mouth, then spit it into the chamber pot. ¡°I think I made a big mistake,¡± she said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be the first to do that, either,¡± Wren told her. ¡°Anything left to come out, or can you stand up? We should get you dressed before things get any worse out there.¡± Finally able to focus on something other than the roiling of her stomach, Liv could hear raised men¡¯s voices out in the sitting room, and more besides, a rising cacophony that boded only trouble. She lurched to her feet, swayed, and let Wren help her into a shift and skirt. Anything more, Liv decided, could wait until after she¡¯d had a chance to get under that glorious hot water in the bath chamber. When Liv pushed open the door to the sitting room, she found Sidonie and Edith seated on one of the cushioned couches, while Keri and Cade faced each other over the low tea table at the center of the room. ¡° - she¡¯s going to be my wife, I have a right to know why you¡¯re here,¡± Cade was insisting, though from Keri¡¯s flat expression, it didn¡¯t look to Liv like he had a chance of getting what he wanted. ¡°Neither of you should even be here,¡± Sidonie scolded them both. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Genne brought you up.¡± ¡°I think that particular ship has sailed,¡± Edith remarked, raking her eyes over Cade, who¡¯d managed to pull on a pair of breeches and a linen shirt. The rest of his clothing was piled on the floor, including his boots and belt. ¡°Will all of you just be silent for a moment!¡± Liv exclaimed, putting one hand to her throbbing temple. ¡°Too. Loud.¡± ¡°Had a bit much to drink last night, did we?¡± Edith nearly taunted her. ¡°I suppose that explains what you were thinking, at least, if not Lord Talbot.¡± ¡°I suspect we can all guess what he was thinking,¡± Wren remarked, peeling off from Liv¡¯s side to find a place against the wall. ¡°Livara,¡± Keri said. ¡°I have a message from your father. It is urgent, and I suspect you are going to want to hear it alone.¡± His words and tone dropped into Liv¡¯s already sick stomach like a ball of ice. Something was wrong, and she immediately began trying to guess what it was. Was it Gretta, perhaps? The woman was getting quite old. But why would Keri be the one her father sent - wouldn¡¯t he have simply come himself? Or wouldn¡¯t Lady Julianne have been the one to send a messenger? Had there been another attack in the north? ¡°And as her betrothed, I have every right to be in the room,¡± Cade broke in. ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Liv said, before she could stop herself, and the entire room went quiet. ¡°What?¡± Cade said. ¡°I agreed you could court me,¡± Liv said. ¡°I never agreed I would wed you.¡± ¡°But you - we -¡± Cade gestured helplessly at the door behind Liv, and the bedchamber beyond that. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to have a few years here to get to know each other,¡± Liv said. ¡°And then make a decision.¡± ¡°That¡¯s getting to know each other now, is it?¡± Edith crowed. ¡°Six years of courting,¡± Cade said. ¡°Of writing letters, and - isn¡¯t that enough time to know? I¡¯ve put off everyone else who asked, while I waited for you.¡± Liv set her jaw. ¡°I¡¯m not having this conversation right now,¡± she said, firmly. ¡°I will hear what Inkeris has to tell me, but not alone. Wren is my bodyguard here, Keri. She can hear whatever it is you have to say.¡± With that, she turned and marched back into her bed chamber, with only a little bit of swaying. ¡°You heard her,¡± Wren said. ¡°Everyone else can wait outside. And that means out on the landing, lover-boy.¡± Liv considered sitting on the bed, and then wrinkled her nose. Instead, she took one of the chairs in the room, and settled into that. Thora scurried in, snatched up the reeking chamber pot, and absconded with it before Wren closed the door behind herself and Keri. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°What happened?¡± Liv asked. ¡°I¡¯ve just come from Kelum Kedim,¡± Keri began, and Liv translated it in her head as ¡®Hall of Ancestors.¡¯ Not any place she¡¯d ever been, but she thought she recalled her grandfather mentioning it once or twice. ¡°The elders had gathered there to discuss the information you obtained from your captive,¡± Keri continued, and Liv very deliberately did not look at Wren. If he¡¯d known who she was, he would have already said something, Liv reasoned. And based on her father¡¯s reaction, it would only cause another argument to bring it up now. ¡°I¡¯m going to assume you mean the elders of more than one house,¡± Liv pressed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t really know what Kelum Kedim is.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve been raised among humans,¡± Keri realized. ¡°It is the place where our people made peace after the war. When the houses that joined the rebellion against the V?dim, and the ones who remained loyal and fought for the old gods, agreed to set aside the conflict and become one people again. It is a sacred place, where no tools of war are permitted, under the terms of the ancient truce.¡± ¡°It sounds like a tempting target,¡± Wren remarked. Keri¡¯s mouth moved as if he was chewing on a particularly sour fruit, and then he managed to answer. ¡°It seems you are not the only one to feel that way,¡± he said. ¡°House Iravata launched an ambush on the elders. They brought a wyrm, as well as a force of archers, concealed by magic. They killed or injured a great many people, Liv. I had to leave before we were even certain how many of the wounded would survive.¡± ¡°Your son?¡± Liv asked, remembering her vision of the blonde boy rushing into Keri¡¯s arms. ¡°Is he safe?¡± ¡°Rei is fine,¡± Keri told her. ¡°But your grandfather is not, Livara.¡± Sound faded, replaced by only the thump of Liv¡¯s heart and a kind of buzzing in her ears. She could see Keri¡¯s mouth moving, but his words didn¡¯t make it through, somehow. Auris Ka Syv? was ancient - he remembered the war against the old gods, and he¡¯d survived for over a thousand years since. ¡°What happened to him?¡± Liv managed to get out. ¡°He took an arrow,¡± Keri said. ¡°Given the proclivities of House Iravata, I suspect it would have been dipped in wyrm venom. He also pushed himself to use a level of magic that was, in all honesty, breathtaking. Your father and your grandmother are taking him home to Kelthelis, and your father asked me to come and bring you to them.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Liv stood up, grabbed her wand from where she¡¯d left it on the bedside table, and then stopped. ¡°I need to clean up,¡± she said. ¡°I need - Wren, could you see that someone¡¯s sent to have Steria saddled? And I need Thora in the bath-chamber, now. I need winter clothes and my armor. Blood and shadows, you need winter clothing too, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I think it best if I remain here,¡± Wren said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Master Inkeris here can see you to your parents¡¯ home safely, and I¡¯ll keep an eye on things here for you.¡± Liv groaned. ¡°The mercenaries. I won¡¯t forget about them this time - I need to talk to Master Jurian before we leave, about what happened yesterday.¡± ¡°I will remain outside on the landing while you prepare yourself,¡± Keri said, and opened the door to slip out into the sitting room. ? What followed was something of a desperate scramble to do entirely too many things at once. Thora helped Liv scrub herself clean and wash her hair, and then to dress as quickly as she could in warm wool stockings and a double set of winter skirts. Over that went the enchanted armor, the belt with her sheathed wand, and the set of bracelet and rings with the chains running between them, on Liv¡¯s left hand. The pearl she slipped into her purse. ¡°I want you to stay here with Wren,¡± Liv told her maid, when they were finished. ¡°We always have to fight our way from the waystone at the tomb out onto the open ice. I¡¯m not worried about Keri, but you aren¡¯t a warrior, Thora.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± her maid said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay right here and get your things sorted. This room¡¯s something of a wreck.¡± She paused. ¡°You know there¡¯s going to be a lot of gossip when you get back, don¡¯t you? I warned you about this, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything that Matthew and Triss didn¡¯t do,¡± Liv shot back. ¡°Lord Matthew and Lady Beatrice were going to be wed,¡± Thora pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it when I come back,¡± Liv decided. ¡°This is more important.¡± With that, she opened the door and stepped out into the sitting room. To her relief, it was empty, though both Keri and Cade were waiting on the landing, along with a knot of girls at the couches on the far side of the staircase who were very deliberately pretending to not watch or listen. Liv counted not only Edith, but Florence and Helewise as well, and they seemed to have invited a few of their friends from the other dormitory up. ¡°If you¡¯re leaving, I should go with you,¡± Cade said. ¡°Just give me a moment to go and get my travelling things.¡± ¡°No, stay here,¡± Liv said. She couldn¡¯t explain it, but the thought of bringing Cade north just filled her with a sense of wrongness. Perhaps it was his assumption that he was entitled to. ¡°We¡¯ll talk when I get back.¡± ¡°But -¡± ¡°When I get back,¡± Liv repeated. ¡°You have a horse at the stables, Keri?¡± He nodded, and stepped up to walk by her side as she headed for the stairs. ¡°I do. I left my spear there, as well, so that I wouldn¡¯t frighten anyone.¡± Together, they hurried down the stairs, out through the foyer, and into the courtyard at the center of the campus, just in time to meet Wren leading Professor Jurian over. ¡°What¡¯s all this about, then?¡± her master asked. ¡°Today is supposed to be for rest and recovery, Apprentice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my grandfather,¡± Liv said, the words bringing back a bit of the sick feeling in her stomach. ¡°I need to go north, my father asked Keri to come and get me. But I need to talk to you before I go. Can you walk with us down to the stables?¡± Jurian sighed, but fell in beside them. ¡°Students are not technically supposed to leave campus without permission or supervision. I¡¯ll clear it with the archmagus. What is it you need to tell me?¡± ¡°Those mercenaries yesterday,¡± Liv asked. ¡°Did Venetia submit her report?¡± ¡°She said they were idiots who¡¯d gotten in over their heads, and lost at least one man before your team rescued them,¡± Jurian told her. Liv shook her head. ¡°They were looking for something at the reef,¡± she said. ¡°I marked the spot by slashing a sign into the coral, but I didn¡¯t have time to see what was there.¡± She glanced at Jurian¡¯s face to see that he¡¯d narrowed his eyes. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to get back there until the next king tide,¡± the professor reasoned. ¡°That gives us time to do a bit of research. How long until you return?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°It depends -¡¯ ¡°Of course.¡± Jurian stopped, and placed a hand on Liv¡¯s shoulder, drawing her to a halt, as well. ¡°You must see to your family. I know we don¡¯t have that sort of relationship, but - just know there are people here who care about you, Liv. Whatever happens, you don¡¯t need to handle it alone. Now, you must get to the waystone, I imagine, and I need to track down the archmagus and tell him what you¡¯ve told me. Safe travels, and don¡¯t worry about what happens here while you¡¯re gone. I¡¯ll see to it.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Liv said. On impulse, she leaned in and hugged the professor, then turned and hurried back down the path to the stables. ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself killed,¡± Wren called after her, and Liv half turned to give the huntress a wave. The stable boys must have indeed gotten word they were coming, and Liv made a note to thank Wren and Thora again once she was back. Steria had been saddled and led out of her stall, along with another northern horse Liv guessed belonged to Keri. He gave her a boost up into the saddle, and they turned their horses down the road into Coral Bay, and from there west down to the shore. The townspeople had only half disassembled the wooden barricades and aid stations from the king tide, but the long expanse of sandbars and mud flats had been replaced by a gentle bay of swells and breakers. The white waystone at the end of the path was no longer entirely exposed, but covered in a few fingers of warm, clear water that splashed around the horses hooves as they walked out. ¡°What are you all doing here?¡± Liv asked. The waystone was not empty. Arjun was there, seated on the saddle behind Rosamund, who was riding a beautiful bay southern horse. Tephania and Sidonie were there, as well, each mounted on a mare of their own. ¡°You didn¡¯t think we¡¯d let you go by yourself, did you?¡± Rosamund told her, with a grin. Liv shot a glare at Sidonie, who hunched her shoulders for a moment before straightening in her saddle. ¡°Yes, I told them,¡± she admitted. ¡°It isn¡¯t like any of the waystones in Lucania,¡± Liv warned them. ¡°We¡¯ll be coming out immediately into a fight, right in the shoals of a rift. And it will be colder than anywhere you¡¯ve ever been before.¡± She was especially concerned about Tephania, who had neither magic, nor training in combat. ¡°We wore cloaks,¡± Tephania said. Liv bit her lip; the cloaks were not nearly enough, she knew. However, she was fairly confident that she could use the waste heat from her spells to keep them all warm. ¡°You may need a healer,¡± Arjun said. ¡°And you know what the professors say about going into rifts. You want a full team, at least. Not only two.¡± It was odd. The thought of bringing Cade north had made Liv profoundly uncomfortable in a way that she couldn¡¯t put words to - perhaps because he¡¯d demanded to go, as if it was his right. But her friends being here, just waiting for her, as if of course they wouldn¡¯t let her go alone - that felt different. It felt warm, somehow. Comforting. She just hoped that she wasn¡¯t making a mistake by putting them in danger. ¡°Alright,¡± Liv said, and slid down out of her saddle. She walked over to the V?dic sigil that marked the Tomb of Celris. There, she knelt down, touched the stone with her palm, and called her mana forth. ¡°I¡¯m coming, grandfather,¡± Liv whispered. The waystone began to shine. 104. The Son of Celris As soon as she was certain the waystone was active, Liv hurried back to Steria. Keri was holding the mare¡¯s reins, and she set her foot in the stirrup and swung up into the saddle. ¡°Are you certain these people are ready?¡± Keri asked, leaning in and lowering his voice as the blue light built around them, brighter with every passing breath. He held an enchanted spear in his right hand, and Liv recognized the same weapon he¡¯d used back in Freeport, in the alley. ¡°I¡¯m certain that you and I are,¡± she said. ¡°Sidonie, I want you to put barriers in front of anything that comes at us,¡± Liv instructed, raising her voice so that she would be heard. ¡°Rosamund, if anything gets past her, push it away with one of those waves of earth. Keri and I will kill anything that gets too close. Tephania, you don¡¯t have magic yet, just keep your head down. Arjun, once we¡¯re out of the shoals I want you to check everyone for injuries.¡± Liv drew her wand, keeping the reins in only her left hand, and took a deep breath to calm herself before the light reached a crescendo, obliterating the world around her. For an eternity, she was alone in the darkness between one heartbeat and the next. Unlike her previous journeys by waystone, however, Liv could only think of one thing: getting to her grandfather in time. Arjun was a healer, from an entire family that specialized in healing magic. Perhaps he could do something? Flickers of motion and life at the edge of her awareness might have fascinated her at any other time, but now they were only a distraction. Like whatever mana-beasts waited outside the Tomb of Celris, they were only obstacles in her way. Liv felt like a hunting hound restrained by a leash, pawing at the earth in an effort to be loosed. The world crashed back in around her all at once, like an avalanche in the mountains. Liv¡¯s finger was on the first button of her wand, but there was no immediate attack: only the wind whipping out over the great chasm, the icy waystone beneath the horses¡¯ hooves, and the roiling mana of the shoal, pressing at her from all sides. ¡°Follow me!¡± Liv called, kicking Steria into motion as she put half her focus on dealing with the surging mana. She led them away from the waystone at a canter, in the direction of Kelthelis. Her father would have scouts looking for her: all they needed to do was make contact. The cry of a gyrfalcon split the air, and Liv shouted a warning: ¡°Sidonie, above!¡± Like an enormous winter ghost, the falcon dove out of the sky on wings as white as the snow that covered the endless plains. There were gray-brown shadings on the tips of the feathers, and mottled across the wings themselves, but what struck Liv in the moment was just how enormous the raptor was. Spread to their full extension, the wings were longer than a horse stretched out at full gallop, longer than three grown men set toe to head. The bird¡¯s claws were outstretched as it came in for Sidonie, who was riding at the back of the group, just behind Arjun and Rosamund. The wind carried away any incantation, but looking back over her shoulder, Liv could see the outstretched hand and wand. A great, shining pane of blue light coalesced between Sidonie and the mammoth bird, which hit with a crash, spinning off to one side out of control only to skip across the snow in a succession of impacts that sprayed powder up in every direction. Whether stunned or dead, the gyrfalcon did not immediately move, and then it was too far behind them for Liv to get a good look. The chasm was nearly out of sight behind them, now, and from past experience Liv knew they must be getting close to the edge of the shoal. She hadn¡¯t actually cast yet, which was a problem, because she needed waste heat for the others or they would all freeze before reaching Kelthelis. There. A white bear, nearly as large as a cottage, barrelled toward them from the north, crystals of ice growing from its back like a porcupine¡¯s quills. ¡°Celet Aiveh Ghesia!¡± Liv shouted, not concerned with practicing silent casting at the moment. She passed the reins from her left hand to her right, looping them around her wrist so as to not interfere with the wand, and clenched her fist as soon as it was free. A hand of ice erupted up out of the snow, seizing the bear and then flinging it aside, throwing it as easily as Liv might toss a pebble into a mountain lake. Now, she had heat to spare, and she pushed it into her friends, beginning with Tephania, who was already shivering and pale. Liv kept none for herself: her armor would keep her warm. Instead, she saw to her friends in succession, and then finally Keri, as well. She didn¡¯t stop them until they¡¯d not only left the shoal, but put some distance between themselves and the border. Liv didn¡¯t want to tempt any of the mana beasts to leave in pursuit of them. Finally, she reined up and sheathed her wand. ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡± Liv asked, spinning Steria about to get a good look. One by one, her friends shook their heads. ¡°You¡¯ve got a cut on your cheek, Teph,¡± she said, pointing. Tephania raised a hand to her cheek, and it came away red. ¡°I didn¡¯t even feel it,¡± she said. ¡°Let me see.¡± Arjun waited while Rosamund got them close enough, then he reached a hand out for Tephania¡¯s face. ¡°I think it was just a stray bit of ice or rock, from when that bird hit the ground,¡± he said. After a quick healing spell, he looked to Liv and nodded. ¡°Follow me,¡± she said. ¡°The sooner we get to Kelthelis, the safer you all are.¡± ? They found her family¡¯s riders not half a bell later, riding a patrol between the rift and Kelthelis. Liv saw her friends slump in relief, but she couldn¡¯t relax yet. ¡°My grandfather?¡± she asked, once all the horses had come to a halt, and been moved close enough for conversation. A part of Liv noticed how easily she slipped into the dialect of the Vakansa now, after six years of visiting and practice with her father. ¡°Resting,¡± the lead warrior told her, a woman with hair more gray than white. ¡°You brought humans?¡± ¡°My friends,¡± Liv told her. ¡°One of them is a healer from Lendh ka Dakruim.¡± ¡°You will all be made welcome at Kelthelis,¡± the woman said, speaking in accented Lucanian. ¡°Follow.¡± The ride passed quickly, though not fast enough for Liv. She couldn¡¯t escape the nagging fear that they would arrive too late, though for what exactly, Liv wasn¡¯t quite ready to find words. For Arjun to help? For her to talk to her grandfather one last time, before he... Her wand sheathed at her hip, Liv held out her right hand and sculpted a rose, like she had in the gardens of the palace in Freeport. It gave her enough waste heat to work with that she could warm her friends for a little longer, protecting them from the cruel winds of the north. On any other visit, the sight of the graceful curves and elongated spires of Kelthelis, rising from the northern plains like shards of broken glass, would have brought a smile to Liv¡¯s lips. Spotting the walls would have meant she would soon be inside, next to a fire in the hearth, swaddled in soft furs, sharing something sweet with her grandmother. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Now, the sight only caused her to kick Steria into a full gallop, pulling out ahead of the others and racing through the gates. The hood of her cloak had fallen back behind her, and the wind had torn her hair out of her braids, whipping it back behind her like a white banner. Steria skidded to a halt in the courtyard, flanks heaving, and Liv slipped down out of the saddle, practically threw the reins at a stableboy, and rushed inside without bothering to wait for anyone else. ¡°Father!¡± She shouted, as soon as she¡¯d reached the great hall. ¡°Grandmother!¡± Liv turned about, her cloak whirling behind her, and then headed for the stairs. She¡¯d only just started up when her father came rushing down, and when they met halfway, he caught her in his arms. ¡°Livara,¡± Valtteri said, holding her tightly for a long moment. ¡°I knew you would come right away. Come along, my father is upstairs.¡± ¡°I brought friends,¡± Liv said, stepping away from him. ¡°One of them, Arjun, is from a family of healers in Lendh ka Dakruim. He might be able to help.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring him up, and see the rest of them settled,¡± her father told her. ¡°Go up, now. Your grandmother is waiting for you.¡± Valtteri hurried past her down the stairs, leaving Liv alone again. She knew where her grandparents¡¯ rooms were, of course: down the hallway past her own and her father¡¯s. For a moment, she considered opening the door to her own chambers and pulling off her cloak, but any delay at all seemed unbearable. Instead, she charged ahead. The door was ajar, but Liv called in anyway. ¡°Grandmother?¡± ¡°Come in, Livara.¡± Liv passed through the sitting room, where a fire blazed in the hearth, and from there into the bedchamber. Her grandfather lay swaddled in blankets and furs, his hair spread out around his head on the pillows like gossamer webs. Her grandmother, Eila, sat in a chair at the old man¡¯s side, holding one of his hands in her lap. Her midnight-blue hair hung loose, giving the impression she had more important things to do than to worry about it, and Liv could feel the buzz of mana in the room, making her own hair stand on end where it met her scalp. ¡°How is he?¡± Liv asked, her voice little more than a whisper. ¡°I am keeping him alive,¡± Eila said. ¡°Come closer, dear. Take your father¡¯s seat.¡± Liv unclasped her cloak, finally, and threw it aside. She collapsed into the empty chair next to her grandmother. ¡°He looks like he¡¯s sleeping,¡± she said. Now that she was close enough, however, she could see that his skin was slicked with sweat. ¡°Wyrm venom,¡± her grandmother explained. ¡°The Iravata coated their arrows in it. I¡¯m doing everything I can to slow the spread, but I can only delay things.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± Liv asked, leaning forward in her chair. ¡°What¡¯s the antidote? Do we have to go get it from somewhere, cook it up, enchant something?¡± ¡°The Lady of Wyrms designed her creations to kill,¡± Eila said. ¡°She gave them scales strong enough to turn a sword aside, and the most deadly venom in all the world. If I knew a way of helping him, Liv, I would be doing it.¡± The older woman¡¯s voice broke on her words, and Liv saw that her eyes were wet. There was movement at the door, and then Liv¡¯s father led Arjun in. ¡°Good,¡± Liv said, rising from her chair. ¡°This is Arjun, he¡¯s a friend, and a healer. Can he take a look?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see any harm in it,¡± Eila said. ¡°But be gentle, please.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Any nerves Arjun might have had did not show in his face: he crossed the room and approached the other side of the bed, where he carefully pulled back the furs and blankets, exposing linen bandages beneath. The smell of pus and blood billowed up like a cloud, and Liv flinched back from it. ¡°I¡¯m going to unwrap the wound,¡± Arjun explained, as he set to work. Liv¡¯s father came up behind her, and set a hand atop her shoulder. She watched as the bandages came off, revealing a portion of skin that had turned utterly black, like a hole straight through her grandfather¡¯s body into the night sky. Arjun held his hand over the wound, muttering beneath his breath. ¡°The poison attacks his muscles, his lungs, even his mind,¡± Arjun said. Liv was amazed at how calm and even his voice was. ¡°I can ease some of the damage, I think. It might be enough to allow him to wake, for a little while.¡± ¡°You can save him, then?¡± Liv asked, unable to keep the desperation from her voice. ¡°He used a lot of magic, didn¡¯t he?¡± Arjun asked, looking between Liv¡¯s father and grandfather. ¡°More than I¡¯ve ever seen him use before,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°For a moment, he stopped everything. Froze hundreds of arrows in the sky, and collapsed them into nothing but powder and dust.¡± ¡°If he was younger,¡± Arjun said. ¡°Or not so exhausted by what he had done - maybe. I¡¯m not certain even then, Liv,¡± he admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It will be all I can do to take some of the pain away, and help him wake a bit before the end.¡± Liv struggled to keep her face from crumpling, her mouth working against her will, and she blinked away tears. ¡°He just needs more mana then, right? To circulate?¡± she scrambled at her arm, pulling off her rings and the bracelet they were attached to. ¡°I haven¡¯t used any of this, he can have it.¡± ¡°There are some things that can¡¯t be healed,¡± Arjun said. ¡°Should I wake him?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Liv¡¯s grandmother said. ¡°We would be very grateful for that, young man.¡± Liv had felt Arjun¡¯s healing before: she could imagine the soothing warmth that poured through her grandfather¡¯s body as the boy from the east worked. The old man drew in a deep breath, and opened his eyes. For a moment, he stared around the room as if uncertain where he was, and then Auris found his wife - Kwenim, Liv remembered, was the Elden word - and smiled. ¡°Eila,¡± he said. ¡°Did I save them?¡± ¡°You saved a great many people, my love,¡± his wife said, leaning forward and pressing her lips to the hand she held. ¡°Your son is here, and your granddaughter.¡± ¡°Valtteri,¡± Auris said, his voice half a sigh. ¡°Livara. Good. You¡¯re all safe - as safe as anyone can be, now. Eila, you will lead the family¡¯s council of elders in my place,¡± he continued. Liv saw Arjun frown; she would explain it all to him later. It was the least she owed him. ¡°My son, you must be our war-leader now,¡± the dying man said. ¡°A council can lead in times of peace, but against an enemy like this there must be a single commander. I wish I could take the burden from your shoulders, but I cannot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to Varuna myself and hunt them all down,¡± Valtteri promised. ¡°Everyone who had a part in this.¡± At his words, Liv saw that endless expanse of green forest again, and felt that horrible, crushing pressure. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Liv broke in. ¡°Livara.¡± Her grandfather lifted his hand away from his wife, and extended it to her. Liv reached out and caught it in her own: the skin of his fingers felt paper thin. ¡°I want you to promise me something, Livara.¡± ¡°What?¡± she asked. Vengeance? She was more than ready to promise that. ¡°You aren¡¯t ready for this, yet,¡± Auris said. ¡°You have no idea how powerful the old gods were, but you need to learn. I see so much potential in you, and we are going to need that. But if you go west now -¡± he was interrupted by a fit of coughing ¡°- you may be killed before you¡¯re able to grow strong enough. Promise me you will finish your training at the Lucanian school. Your father won¡¯t have the time to teach you, now, and I¡¯ll be gone soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not weak,¡± Liv told him, pressing his hand to her cheek. ¡°I can fight.¡± ¡°Of course you aren¡¯t,¡± he told her, with a gentle smile. ¡°I never said you were. But indulge me. Learn everything you can before leaving that place, and then come north. There¡¯s something you need to get from the tomb of my father.¡± ¡°Auris, no,¡± Eila broke in. ¡°I thought we had won this battle, so that our children could be spared it,¡± the old man said. ¡°But I was wrong. Evil does not die - it only sleeps for a while, to one day come back. Do what I ask, Livara. It will help me to go on my way. Promise me.¡± ¡°I promise,¡± Liv said, and then she couldn¡¯t hold it in any more. Her lip trembled, tears flooded her eyes, and she felt her face twisting no matter how much she tried to keep it under control. ¡°I only just found you,¡± she cried out. ¡°I thought we were going to have years together!¡± ¡°Come here, sweet girl,¡± her grandfather said. He was too weak to pull Liv into his arms, but she leaned over the bed, resting her head on his chest. His arm settled around her shoulders, and she felt the touch of her grandmother and her father both, warm and alive. Liv couldn¡¯t say how long they remained like that, huddled together at the side of the bed. She squeezed her eyes closed and let the tears come, and listened to her grandfather¡¯s breathing. Each inhalation was a struggle, and each exhalation seemed like it might be the last. Finally, the old man¡¯s chest moved no more. After more than a thousand years, Auris Ka Syv?, son of Celris, was still. 105. May Not Feed the Wicked It was dark by the time Liv went downstairs to join her friends, and the oil lamps had been lit. Someone - Liv wasn¡¯t certain who - had settled them all in a sitting room, and the girls were nestled under a mass of warm furs, all on a cushioned bench. Arjun must have slipped out, after Auris had passed, because he¡¯d taken a seat in a nearby chair. There was a pot of tea on the table, and Liv poured herself a cup in something of a daze. The only person she did not see was Keri. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Liv,¡± Rosamund said, pushing aside the furs to rise and embrace her. Sidonie and Tephania followed in turn, and for just a moment, Liv allowed herself to close her eyes and be comforted. Then, she took a deep breath and stepped back. ¡°Oh! Your cheek,¡± Liv exclaimed, reaching out to touch Tephania¡¯s face. The small cut she¡¯d picked up during their flight from the shoals was now a crust of dried blood. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Tephania said. ¡°No, Liv¡¯s right,¡± Arjun broke in, draining his cup of tea and setting it aside. ¡°I just needed a moment before working on it.¡± ¡°Do you have enough mana?¡± Liv asked. It was good to have a problem in front of her, something small and manageable that she could solve. ¡°I have a bit stored...¡± She dug around in her purse, and pulled out two black pearls, one of which she offered to Arjun. ¡°That will help,¡± he said, and cradled it in his palm. Small wisps of blue mana floated off it, then fell into his hand, before Arjun passed the pearl back to Liv. ¡°I actually intended to give the second one to you,¡± Liv said, thrusting it at Rosamund. ¡°I noticed you didn¡¯t bring anything into our duel, and I thought it might help you out. You could have it set into a ring, or a necklace.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°My instinct is to tell you that you shouldn¡¯t have, and to keep it, but I suppose that¡¯s pride, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv made her way over to the couch, and settled herself into the blankets. Sidonie joined her, and put an arm around Liv¡¯s waist. ¡°I¡¯m guessing I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s ever actually been inside an eruption?¡± she asked. While she spoke, Arjun raised his hand to Tephania¡¯s cheek, murmured an incantation under his breath, and began the process of healing her cut. The injured girl gasped, and Liv realized that she¡¯d probably never been healed before. Rosamund shook her head, but Sidonie answered out loud. ¡°This year,¡± she said. ¡°Now that I¡¯m a journeyman. They keep us around for the first king tide of the year - sometimes the only one. But now, they¡¯ll send us off to get experience in culling teams. It¡¯s just a question of when the requests begin to come in, and where they send me.¡± Liv reached over and plucked her cup of tea from the table. Her eyes hurt from crying, and she imagined that she looked a mess. ¡°When you¡¯re inside it, you do what you have to do,¡± she said. Images of the giant stone-bat, beneath Bald Peak, surfaced from her memories. ¡°You use what you have to use, or someone is going to die. Pride¡¯s got no place in it.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Rosamund said, ¡°I¡¯ll just say thank you.¡± She joined them on the cushions, and after a bit of rearranging furs, Liv allowed her thoughts to drift. Two attacks on the Eld, now. She supposed it made sense: it had been her father¡¯s people - no, her people - who practically begged Lucania to help, after the Day of Blood. Her thoughts were interrupted by her father, who stepped into the sitting room. ¡°Thank you all for accompanying my daughter here,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°I apologize that we have not been the best hosts, and I hope you can understand what a difficult day this has been for us. But I would like to meet you all, and it means a great deal that Livara has friends willing to stay with her right now. My name is Valtteri Ka Auris k?n Syv?, and you are welcome in Kelthelis. My mother will be down shortly, but I believe I speak for her when I say that you are all welcome to remain for the funeral, and we will sort rooms for you shortly.¡± The funeral. Of course, Liv thought, dully. She felt as if she was walking about in a fog, but the idea of herbs for the pyre seized her. She would go down to the kitchens, she decided, and see what could be found. When they¡¯d burned Master Cushing, Gretta had sprinkled sage, lavender, rosemary, rose petals, and chamomile. Liv wasn¡¯t certain she could find all of that so far north, but she resolved to do her best. Liv shook herself; her friends had finished introducing themselves, and her father was talking again. ¡°I want to thank you in particular, Arjun,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°For easing my father¡¯s pain, and giving him a moment to speak with us. That is not something our family will ever forget. Know that you are always welcome here, and if we can ever offer you aid, we will do so.¡± ¡°I am a healer, Lord Valtteri,¡± Arjun said. ¡°It¡¯s no more than what I would do for anyone - what any of my jati would do. I¡¯m only sorry that I couldn¡¯t do more.¡± ¡°I want to know what happened,¡± Liv said, before she could second guess herself. Her mind was leaping from one thing to another, unwilling to settle. ¡°All of it. Keri said House Iravata, and something about wyrms, but I don¡¯t - I don¡¯t know who that is,¡± she admitted. Her father¡¯s gaze passed over each of her friends, as if assessing them. ¡°Perhaps it would be a good thing,¡± he decided. ¡°For more than one voice to bring word of this back south. Perhaps it will lend greater weight to the story. For I fear that Lucania will remain idle, until something terrible happens to stir them. But I would prefer to tell the story with Inkeris here, as well.¡± ¡°He said he was going to the stables,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°To see what he could do to help the horses. Most of them weren¡¯t doing very well.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not bred for the cold this far north,¡± Liv said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough heat to help them, not and keep you all warm as well. I¡¯ll go fetch him.¡± She extracted herself from the blankets and set off for the hallway that connected the main part of the palace with the stables. It was her fault, after all; she¡¯d known the horses weren¡¯t suited for the journey, but she hadn¡¯t been able to say no to her friends. She found Keri with his hands, outstretched and shining, in the stall with Sidonie¡¯s mare. Stepping into the light was like walking out into a summer day - warm, bright, the kind of magic that brought a smile to your face no matter how dark the rest of the world was. ¡°I¡¯d only ever seen you fight before,¡± Liv said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize your word of power could do this, as well.¡± ¡°Savel. It is the word for sun, given to us by B?lris, V?dic Lord of Light.¡± Keri glanced up at her, but did not move his hands. ¡°I¡¯m warming them as best I can,¡± he said. ¡°I think it¡¯s good they were ridden hard the entire way; it means they weren¡¯t out there for as long as they could have been. I¡¯m not certain they¡¯ll be ready to make the trip back, however.¡± ¡°We can borrow horses from my father, if we need to,¡± Liv said. ¡°I¡¯m glad they¡¯ll survive.¡± ¡°Your grandfather?¡± ¡°He¡¯s passed,¡± Liv said, and the words threatened to set her to crying again. ¡°My father was just about to tell us of the attack, and he thought you should be there as well.¡± Keri nodded. ¡°Yes, I think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± The sunlight dimmed, and Liv felt as if winter and night had returned all in a moment; there was a part of her that longed to ask him to bring it back. Instead, she led him out of the stables and back to the sitting room, where everyone else had gathered. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ? ¡°Calevis.¡± Liv repeated the name, tasting it. Before, it had no meaning: now, it burned and stung. ¡°That¡¯s one of the names - ¡° she almost said Wren¡¯s name, and then caught herself. No need to share that particular piece of information with anyone who didn¡¯t already know. ¡°- we were given. One of her commanders.¡± ¡°The House of Iravata was one of the Unconquered Houses,¡± Keri explained. ¡°Eld who never fought against the V?dim. My family is another, but for different reasons. B?lris stood aside from the conflict, and in the end he freed his servants and left our world, rather than be drawn into the fighting. But the Lady of Wyrms bred clutch upon clutch of monsters, and taught her most favored descendents how to command them. That is their word of power.¡± ¡°But from the description of what happened,¡± Sidonie pointed out, ¡°this man used a spell that combined the words for blood and fire. There are quite a few parts of that that are disturbing.¡± ¡°For one thing, three words is more than average, even among our people,¡± Liv¡¯s grandmother said. She¡¯d had a second pot of tea brought, as well as plates of caribou steaks, cooked in a mix of northern berries and nuts, and served with flatbread. Liv decided she would try to remember to thank her grandmother later for not serving seal blood, or some of the other more peculiar dishes prepared at Kelthelis. ¡°And if he truly combined two words of power, that means he has a level of skill roughly on the level of an archmage,¡± Sidonie pointed out. ¡°I can see where he¡¯s imprinted the word for blood,¡± Liv said. ¡°Fire is another matter.¡± ¡°Not really,¡± her father said. ¡°It¡¯s a common enough word up here. He could have made some sort of bargain or arrangement long since, and it wouldn¡¯t have drawn any particular notice.¡± ¡°Remember Liv, things in the north are not like they are in Lucania,¡± Keri added. ¡°We don¡¯t hoard our words and punish those who learn them. I¡¯ve been putting some thought into a second word myself, lately.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know that you need one,¡± Liv said, before she could think better of it. ¡°Your word is amazing. Like a perfect summer day.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Rosamund said, ¡°it sounds to me like they caught you off balance. You being your whole society, I mean. You were still thinking that this place -¡± ¡°The Hall of Ancestors,¡± Eila said. ¡°Right, that.¡± Rosamund nodded. ¡°Point is, you thought you were safe there, but things had already changed. We¡¯re past the point of talking things out - it¡¯s time to throw punches. They hit before you were ready, and they hit hard. Now the fight¡¯s on, and you can¡¯t go on pretending that talking is still an option.¡± ¡°House Keria has volunteered to march on the Iravata holdings,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°Airis Ka Reimis?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Yes. You know him?¡± her father replied. ¡°Come to think of it, that¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve mentioned his name.¡± ¡°He came south once, after the eruption when I was little,¡± Liv said. ¡°I met him then. He told me a bit about my aunt, and I asked him to keep it our secret. I was a bit afraid of what would happen if word got out I existed, at the time.¡± ¡°He would have,¡± Eila said. ¡°He wanted Livara to be his kwenim. He was very persistent.¡± ¡°Regardless,¡± Valtteri said, ¡°I trust him to deal with the Iravata. In all honesty, they¡¯re fools if they haven¡¯t already moved their people out to Varuna. I suspect he¡¯s going to find nothing but empty buildings when he arrives. The real fighting will be over the ocean, and that¡¯s where I intend to be.¡± ¡°I want to go with you,¡± Liv said. ¡°We will speak of it after the funeral,¡± her grandmother declared. ¡°But remember what your grandfather wanted, Livara. He had very good reasons for asking you to wait.¡± Liv bit her lip, but Eila¡¯s words brought something else the dying man had said to mind. ¡°He told me that I needed to go down into the Tomb,¡± she recalled. ¡°And get something inside. What did he mean?¡± ¡°Rifts formed in places where the V?dim built, long ago,¡± Keri said. ¡°Their palaces, their workshops, their places of power. If you go in far enough - past the shoals, into the depths - you can find all manner of ancient things they left behind. The problem is getting out alive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same nonsense that got your aunt killed,¡± Liv¡¯s father said, his voice full of anger and pain. ¡°And it isn¡¯t worth throwing your life away, like she did. Our ancestors defeated the old gods at the height of their power. We can kill one who¡¯s just returned.¡± ¡°Perhaps we should get our guests settled in their rooms,¡± Liv¡¯s grandmother said, rising from her seat. ¡°Come along, girls. Valtteri, take the boys, please.¡± Liv accompanied Rosamund, Sidonie and Tephania up the stairs, and did her best to make sure they were settled, even after her grandmother had left them to their own devices. There was some doubt about sleeping in rooms made of ice, but Liv assured them they would be warm enough. ¡°And after all,¡± she said, when they¡¯d all gathered in her bedchamber, ¡°it will only be for a night or two. The funeral will be held tomorrow, I¡¯d guess.¡± ¡°Are you going to be alright to sleep alone?¡± Sidonie asked. ¡°I could stay with you tonight, if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°We all could,¡± Tephania offered. ¡°There¡¯s room enough in your bed.¡± ¡°No,¡± Liv said. ¡°But you¡¯re all sweet for offering. I think I just want a bit of space.¡± Once she¡¯d ushered them out, she undressed, setting her armor on the stand, and finding a clean shift from the clothing she kept at Kelthelis. Then, she sat on the bed, gathered the furs around her, and began to sing the Maiden¡¯s Charm. ? The next morning, Liv was up early. She found sage and sweetgrass in the kitchen, where the cooks were happy to let her help prepare sachets of herbs to be strewn into the pyre. She¡¯d been correct, when she guessed that the funeral would be held immediately, and the warriors of House Syv? were already building the pyre. Her father, Keri, and Arjun all helped. ¡°Wood is too precious to waste, this far north,¡± her grandmother explained to the girls over a morning meal. ¡°They¡¯ll lay down a lattice of bones, instead, and fill it with moss, cotton grass, and oil.¡± ¡°What has bones big enough to support a grown man like that?¡± Tephania asked. The poor girl¡¯s eyes seemed perennially wide with surprise and wonder. Liv suspected that, until going to Coral Bay, she¡¯d never left her home at all. ¡°Hastim,¡± Eila answered. ¡°Great, shaggy beasts that travel in herds, with ivory tusks that descend from their mouths. They¡¯re a terror when they wander into shoals, by the way. You¡¯re lucky you haven¡¯t encountered one yet, Livara.¡± When breakfast was finished, Liv and her grandmother left the girls behind. As the closest living women to her grandfather, they washed and dressed his body themselves. The sight of the black wound on his shoulder brought Liv to tears again, despite her best efforts. They dressed Auris in a fine gray robe, and braided his hair. It was harder work than Liv had been expecting: the body was heavy, and difficult to move. But like gathering herbs in the kitchen, it was good to be doing something. If she¡¯d been stronger, she would have offered to help build the fire, but one glance at her father, Arjun and Keri coming in to eat, exhausted, was enough to convince her that would have been a bad idea. By the time everything was ready, the sun was setting again. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how short the days are up here,¡± Rosamund murmured, as they trudged out through the gates onto the open plain together. Their boots crunched on the snow, and the wind whipped their cloaks about as if it wanted to tear the wool from their bodies. ¡°It happens in the very far north and south,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°Fascinating, really. I¡¯m told that in the winter there are days when the sun never rises at all.¡± ¡°When I come in the summer, it never sets,¡± Liv told them. ¡°At the darkest, its something like twilight.¡± To her surprise, there was no priest. Instead, her father spoke, while the warriors of the house held lit oil lamps, waiting to be thrown on the pyre. ¡°When my father was born,¡± Valtteri said, nearly shouting to be heard over the wind, ¡°he was born a slave, to a mother who was a slave. He died a free man, with a free family gathered around him. I think it is difficult for us to understand how important that was to him. We speak of the changes that Sitia brings over the course of a single life, but this man saw the liberation of our entire people. He is one of the last who remembers those days.¡± Liv watched her father take a long moment to compose himself, and she wondered whether he would be able to continue. With a few quick steps, she walked across the snow to join him at the head of the gathering, reached out and took his hand in hers. When he began the prayers, she said the words with him. ¡°What is death, but another change?¡± The words came to her without prompting. ¡°After a life wracked by storms, a life of striving to live up to our potential, Sitia welcomes us into her arms. Like any other change, death is frightening - but it comes to all of us. Remember, the Lady lends us strength. You who remain, send this man on his way with your love, and take comfort in each other. Auris Ka Syv?, we give your body to the fire, so that your mortal blood may not feed the wicked. May your soul be free at last.¡± The warriors of House Syv? threw their oil lamps onto the pyre; with a breaking of glass, the oil spilled and the flames spread. 106. A Voice in the Dark The morning after the funeral, Liv rose early and dressed in the winter things stored in her rooms at Kelthelis. The parka with an outer layer of seal fur, the boots, all of it. She didn¡¯t intend to have much waste heat to work with. She wasn¡¯t quite able to leave the courtyard alone; two of House Syv?¡¯s guards accompanied her out onto the frozen plain, out of caution. Liv began with the clouds, few and thin as they were. She still found it easier to manipulate ice crystals overhead and build a charge before calling upon it. While she worked, the sky passed from stars scattered on emptiness, broken only by the ring overhead and the dancing lights of the north, to a pre-dawn haze of blue on the horizon. Luc was like a willful horse. She fought with it, as much as she used it. In some ways, however, the tundra proved an excellent place to practice: with no nearby trees, mountaintops or temple spires, there were less distractions to lure the lightning bolts from the path Liv set out for them. She had the warriors mark targets for her in the snow, and by the fifth casting, she managed to strike true. Liv was tempted to build on that success, especially since it was so difficult to find a chance to practice the royal word of power while she was at Coral Bay. She also wasn¡¯t willing to traverse the shoals surrounding the Tomb of Celris without the ability to defend herself - or her friends. When she returned to the castle of ice, escorted by the warriors, Sidonie was waiting for her. ¡°Good morning,¡± Liv said. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°I did, thank you.¡± Sidonie watched her carefully. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that lightning storms happened this far north. I thought that required warmer air.¡± Liv shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never made a study of how the weather works.¡± She paused for a moment, waiting to see whether her friend would press the point, but Sidonie seemed content to leave the conversation there. Over breakfast, Keri announced his intention to leave that morning. ¡°I¡¯m pleased that I could help your family,¡± he told Liv¡¯s father. ¡°And honored to have been able to attend the funeral. But I have not returned to Mountain Home since the ambush, and I need to be certain that my family returned safely. ¡°Of course,¡± Valtteri said. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked more of you than I had any right to. We can send an escort of warriors to help get you to the waygate - in fact, I will go myself.¡± He glanced over to Liv. ¡°When do you intend to return to Coral Bay?¡± There was a part of Liv that wanted to stay a few more days, but she couldn¡¯t see what there was for her to do which would be useful, now the funeral was over. If her father wouldn¡¯t let Liv go to Varuna to help there - and if neither he nor her grandmother was willing to explain to her just what was so important about the Tomb of Celris, she couldn¡¯t stand the thought of just waiting around, idle. ¡°Today, I suppose,¡± Liv answered. ¡°Unless there is a reason for me to stay longer?¡± She met her father¡¯s eyes and held his gaze, hoping that he would change his mind. ¡°I think that is a good idea,¡± her grandmother said. ¡°You need to get your friends back, in any case, and it is safer to travel in a group.¡± Liv pushed aside her plate and rose from the table. ¡°I¡¯ll be in my bed chamber then, getting my things together.¡± It didn¡¯t really take her all that long; Liv was surprised to find that someone had cleaned and oiled her leather armor, while she was otherwise occupied. She managed to get most of the pieces on herself, over a clean dress, but was just struggling a bit with the cuirass and backplate when a knock came at her chamber door. ¡°Come in,¡± Liv said, expecting Sidonie, or perhaps one of the other girls. Instead, the door opened to reveal her grandmother. ¡°Let me help you with that,¡± Eila murmured, and crossed the fur-strewn floor to Liv¡¯s side. ¡°Don¡¯t feel left behind dear,¡± she said, once she had the first buckle secured. ¡°Once your father is off for Varuna, I¡¯m going to go stay with my brother for a while. I don¡¯t want to be alone here without your grandfather. I don¡¯t think it would be good for me.¡± ¡°I could go with you,¡± Liv offered. ¡°I could go with him.¡± ¡°I know you want to,¡± her grandmother said. ¡°And I hope you can forgive us for wanting to keep you safe for just a little while longer.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be four years,¡± Liv promised her. ¡°I¡¯ll learn everything I can learn, and I won¡¯t stay a moment longer.¡± Her grandmother finished with the last buckle, and moved around to stand in front of Liv. ¡°It¡¯s natural to be angry after someone we love dies,¡± Eila said. ¡°Even more so when there¡¯s someone to blame. And it¡¯s fair blame,¡± she continued, before Liv could interrupt her. ¡°But don¡¯t do something foolish out of that anger, Liv. I couldn¡¯t bear it if something happened to you, too. It¡¯ll help me to stand knowing your father is in danger, if I also know you¡¯re at that college, away from the fighting.¡± ¡°How long do you really think it will be before they do something in Lucania, as well?¡± Liv asked, her tone sharper than she¡¯d intended it to be. She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandmother. None of this is your fault. But I don¡¯t want to be shoved off to the side. I¡¯d rather be with my father. Wouldn¡¯t we be safer together than we will be alone?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Eila admitted. ¡°But then again - your grandfather told me enough stories about brothers dying side by side in battle, or parents and their children, that I think I would rather not have the two most important people left to me in the same place right now. Even if something happens in Coral Bay, Archmagus Loredan is there.¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± Liv asked. ¡°He may be the only human both brave enough, and polite enough, to have travelled the north in the past hundred years,¡± Eila said. ¡°I¡¯ve met him twice, briefly. Both times at Al¡¯Fenthia. And I¡¯m going to give you a letter to hand to him. If there¡¯s anyone in the south I trust to both keep you alive, and to teach you, it¡¯s him. I¡¯ll write to you, as well, have no fear of that. Whenever I have word of your father.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t like this,¡± Liv said, reaching out for her belt and sheath. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to,¡± her grandmother said. ¡°Go and see your friends get back safely. Can you cast silently, yet?¡± Liv shook her head. ¡°I expect you to show me a silent spell when next we see each other,¡± Eila told her. ¡°And ask Caspian Loredan what Authority is, when next you see him.¡± She grinned, though her eyes remained sad. The journey back to the waystone was not taken at quite the breakneck speed with which they¡¯d arrived at Kelthelis, but it was significantly more safe. Liv and the others rode with a dozen Elden warriors, and her father besides. Sidonie, Arjun, Tephania and Rosamund were all given seal skin parkas, and northern horses to ride. ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to send your southern horses back,¡± Valtteri promised. ¡°Blankets enchanted to keep them warm, perhaps, or we¡¯ll wait until the summer. But I don¡¯t want to risk their health further by running them across the tundra again before they¡¯ve even had a chance to recover.¡± Once, he stopped to point out a herd of Hastim in the distance: great, shaggy beasts that moved ponderously across the snow. Liv had only ever seen them at a distance, though she¡¯d occasionally eaten their meat, during her visits. Sidonie wanted to stop and sketch the animals in one of her journals, and practically had to be dragged away. When they reached the edge of the shoal, Liv reined in Steria, and turned to Arjun. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think to ask,¡± she said. ¡°Was anyone suffering from mana sickness, after our arrival?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Only very minor cases,¡± the dark-haired boy said. ¡°And our journeyman was able to drain the excess mana.¡± He nodded his head to Sidonie, who smiled and waved. ¡°In fact, the only one I didn¡¯t check was you, Liv.¡± ¡°That kind of short exposure isn¡¯t enough to cause me problems,¡± Liv told him. ¡°But lets make certain we check everyone once again once we¡¯re back in Coral Bay.¡± She addressed Keri next. ¡°Are you coming to Coral Bay with us, or waiting to use the waystone yourself?¡± ¡°It seems more prudent to go with you,¡± Keri said. ¡°That way, I can make certain you arrive safely, and then leave without being under attack from mana-beasts.¡± ¡°Safer for my men, as well,¡± Liv¡¯s father said. ¡°The less time we need to remain inside the shoals, the better. Is everyone prepared? Let us do the fighting for you on the way in, and ride at the center.¡± Liv drew her wand anyway, just to be prepared, but she needn¡¯t have bothered. With such a large force, and the speed at which they travelled, the party managed to either outrun or fend off first a curious white fox, then a maddened elk of enormous size, and finally a small pack of wolves that shadowed their passage for half a bell, and then turned aside, thinking better of their prey. When the hooves of their mounts clattered onto the icy stone, Liv immediately slid down out of her saddle, strode to the sigil for Coral Bay, and pressed her hand there. The waystone needed only a little mana to begin the process; she could feel that it was positively brimming with magic from being located within the shoals of the rift. Blue light began to gather around them, and she hurried back to Steria so that she could get into the saddle. ¡°Be safe,¡± her father called, from where his horse pranced just outside of the gathering magic. ¡°You can join me in Varuna when you¡¯ve completed your studies, but not before.¡± ¡°Make certain you¡¯re still there when I arrive,¡± Liv called back to him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose anyone else I care about.¡± Before Valtteri could call back, Liv¡¯s sight of him was blotted out by blinding white light. This time, she was in no hurry to be gone from the vast, endless darkness. The distance it gave her from the world also seemed to push her emotions to arm¡¯s length, and the knot of grief that had been screaming from the center of Liv¡¯s chest dwindled. Something brushed at the edge of her consciousness. ¡°Come here, sweet girl,¡± her grandfather said. If Liv had a body, she would have spun around, but it was like the teasing of a playful kitten at the edge of her awareness. The tag of a soft paw, and then gone, scampering off again. The darkness was empty. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to get from the tomb of my father.¡± There it was again, and more: a glimpse of a silver band, plain and unassuming, resting on the temples of a yellowed-skull. The world returned abruptly, and Liv nearly fell out of the saddle. ¡°Grandfather!¡± Her hand was extended, searching, before she could stop herself. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Rosamund asked, riding closer to her. ¡°I thought I heard something,¡± Liv told her. ¡°In the place between.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing there,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°It¡¯s just the mortal mind can¡¯t cope with a complete lack of the senses, and so we begin to hallucinate.¡± ¡°Journeyman Corbett!¡± a voice called, from the road that led down to the waystone. There, Liv recognized Turstin, one of Professor Norris¡¯ enchanting students, from when he¡¯d helped unload her casque when she¡¯d arrived. Sidonie kneed her borrowed northern horse forward off the waystone, and the rest of the party followed, save for Keri. ¡°Yes, Turstin?¡± ¡°The professors are waiting for you and this lot,¡± the muscular young man said. ¡°I¡¯m to escort you all up, and make certain no one wanders off.¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯re all safe enough now,¡± Keri said, swinging one leg over his saddle and dropping down to the ground. He paced over to a particular sigil and kneeled there. Liv made certain to mark it: as soon as she had a moment to sit down with one of her journals, she wanted to write down which symbol would take her to Mountain Home, in the event she ever needed to go there. ¡°Safe travels,¡± she said. ¡°And give your son a great big hug for me. He looks very sweet.¡± Keri rose from the waystone and turned back to her as the blue light built. ¡°When did you ever meet my son?¡± he asked. Then, a column of white light erupted from the stone, shooting up into the sky as if it would touch the ring, and he was gone. ¡°So, how much trouble do you think we¡¯re in?¡± Rosamund asked, with a wide smile. The prospect didn¡¯t seem to bother her at all. ¡°Trouble?¡± Liv frowned. ¡°Did you all not ask permission to go?¡± ¡°Wait, you did?¡± Rosamund shot back. ¡°I just assumed they would say no.¡± ¡°I told you we should have asked!¡± Tephania said, riding up and slapping the short-haired woman on the shoulder. ¡°And as wonderful as these - parkas? - are up north, here they¡¯re going to bake me like a loaf of bread.¡± She began to struggle out of her sealskin. ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± Liv said. ¡°All of you. I wasn¡¯t certain when I saw you waiting, but it was better than going alone. I¡¯ll tell the archmagus that, though I don¡¯t know if it will make a difference.¡± ¡°You were right about the cold,¡± Tephania said. ¡°And the fighting. I - I think I need to learn a word,¡± she admitted. ¡°I felt useless. Like everyone else had to carry me along and protect me.¡± Liv bit her lip: she wasn¡¯t sure what she could say that would both be truthful, and also not hurt the other girl¡¯s feelings. She was grateful when Arjun spoke up, so that she didn¡¯t have to. ¡°I wish I could have done more,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t help but wonder if Professor Annora could have, in my place.¡± Turstin led them right into the great hall, past knots of students who stared and whispered as the group passed. Liv guessed that their absence had been noted, and wondered just what sorts of rumors might have gotten started. She couldn¡¯t find it in her to care very much. They were left to stand outside of the archmagus¡¯ study for a few moments before being shown in, and even though she couldn¡¯t see how she might be in trouble herself, Liv was reminded of the times when her mother or Gretta had gotten out a wooden spoon. This room was full of the same foreboding atmosphere. Archmagus Loredan rose from his desk. ¡°Thank you, Journeyman Turstin,¡± he said. ¡°Your presence is no longer required. Please close the door behind you on your way out.¡± There was only silence until they all heard the door latch with a soft click. ¡°Apprentice Brodbeck,¡± the archmagus began, ¡°Professor Jurian informed me of your family¡¯s loss, and his assurance of the college¡¯s permission for you to travel north for mourning. You may leave, if you wish. You have our deepest condolences, and you have done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not quite true,¡± Liv told him. ¡°I made the decision to take them all along. I could have said no.¡± Loredan tapped his finger against the polished wood of his desk. ¡°You wish to be included in their punishment, in that case?¡± Liv took a deep breath, and looked around at her friends. Despite the fact most of them had only known her for a few weeks, they¡¯d insisted on going along to support her. Into danger, no less - just because none of them had been seriously injured, didn¡¯t mean there¡¯d been no risk. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Very well. Journeyman Corbett.¡± Sidonie flinched at her name. ¡°I am rather surprised at this behavior from you. I cannot recall a single other instance of you violating even a minor rule, during your entire tenure here.¡± ¡°My apologies, Archmagus,¡± Sidonie said, lowering her eyes. ¡°And yet, if there is any good reason for breaking a rule, it must be compassion,¡± Caspain Loredan admitted, with a sigh. ¡°You should have asked permission to depart, all of you. It would likely have been granted, if you¡¯d only shown a bit more patience. Your punishment is twofold. Firstly: visiting the north, anywhere outside of Al¡¯Fenthia, is a rare privilege. The group of you will compile your observations on the flora, the fauna, and the rift, in a volume to be stored in the university library. Apprentice Brodbeck, I expect your knowledge of the far north to be on full display. Journeyman Corbett, I expect to be impressed by those illustrations that Professor Blackwood praises you for. You all have until spring to complete this assignment. Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Archmagus,¡± the group chorused. ¡°Very well. The second part of your punishment is this: since you¡¯ve all obviously decided that you function best as a team, I expect every one of you to be prepared for the second king tide of the year. Journeyman Corbett, you will teach them, outside of their classes, for however many hours are required. I expect every one of these students to be in an advanced combat class - which one I do not care - by the time teams for the next tide are made. Are these punishments understood?¡± Before anyone else could open their mouths, Liv answered: ¡°Yes, Archmagus Loredan. Thank you. If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯ll step out to begin arranging our schedules to get everything done. Oh, and my grandmother sent this for you.¡± She set the letter on the desk, hesitated, and then decided that she would ask him the question later, without so many people present. ¡°Good. Off with you, then,¡± the archmagus said, taking his seat again. He picked the message up, but seemed to be waiting to unseal it until he had privacy. ¡°An entire book!¡± Rosamund complained, as soon as they were out the door into the hallway. ¡°How are we possibly going to write an entire book?¡± ¡°He could have done a lot worse,¡± Liv said. ¡°There wasn¡¯t even a warning about sending anyone home. I think he¡¯s not really very angry, but had to do something or the other students would get the wrong idea.¡± ¡°An advanced combat class, though?¡± Tephania complained. ¡°You don¡¯t understand Liv, I¡¯m hopeless at that sort of thing.¡± ¡°Then it''s a lucky thing we¡¯re going to help you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv said. She couldn¡¯t quite find it in herself to smile, so she put her hand on the other girl¡¯s shoulder, instead. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do.¡± 107. Spirited Debate ¡°Where are we headed?¡± Tephania asked, as the group spilled out of Blackstone Hall into the courtyard at the center of campus. ¡°The landing of High Hall,¡± Liv answered. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of room up there, and a table we can use. Sidonie glanced over to Arjun. ¡°Rosamund is fine,¡± she said, ¡°But we aren¡¯t really supposed to have boys up there.¡± ¡°You can blame it on me,¡± Liv told her. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it will make the rumors any worse, after the other morning.¡± They nearly made it up the stairs without being interrupted, but Cade must have been waiting for her - or set someone to watch for Liv¡¯s return. He rushed out of one of the side wings and tromped up the stairs behind them, calling out Liv¡¯s name. She felt her stomach drop at his voice. ¡°You all go on up,¡± Liv told them. ¡°This will just take a moment.¡± Then, she turned to face down the stairs, and waited until he¡¯d gotten close enough to speak to without shouting. Above, the sound of boots and the creaking of wood told her that they would have at least a modicum of privacy. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re back safely,¡± Cade began, placing one hand on the wooden rail. ¡°I wanted to apologize for the other morning; I shouldn¡¯t have argued with you, and certainly not in front of all of those people. I hope you can understand that I was speaking from a place of concern for you, and forgive me.¡± Liv sighed. ¡°In all honesty? Yes, I think I can,¡± she said, and then winced at the clear relief in his expression. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change anything.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cade asked. ¡°I¡¯ve really enjoyed our time together, Cade,¡± Liv said. ¡°You were the first person who ever showed any interest in me, do you know that? Sometimes it felt like a dream, that anyone would. Like at any moment I¡¯d wake up and find out it was all a joke, or something. Back in Whitehill, I was always the bastard halfbreed, too old or too young for anyone, just looking on while the girls mooned over my - my brother.¡± ¡°I did like it,¡± she continued. ¡°Quite a lot. Which is probably why I let it go on so long, and I shouldn¡¯t have. It wasn¡¯t fair to you.¡± ¡°Liv, I -¡± Cade began, but she cut him off. ¡°Let me finish,¡± Liv said. ¡°It¡¯s hard enough trying to get this all out at once. I¡¯m not going to be your wife, Cade. There were times I thought maybe I could be,¡± she admitted. ¡°In a few years, after I¡¯d had time to go north for a while. That maybe you could have come with me, and then we¡¯d both go back to Bradon Bridge. I would have liked to see it with you, honestly. And I would have liked to show you the mountains. But that¡¯s not going to happen, now.¡± ¡°My grandfather is dead,¡± she said, and had to look away from him, turning to look over the railing at the wall, so that she could blink away tears. ¡°They killed my grandfather, and not just him. They attacked my people, and I can¡¯t pretend it''s just going to go away, or that it won¡¯t reach me. Maybe you can, maybe Lucania can for now, but I can¡¯t. I should have done something years ago, when I first saw her, and I didn¡¯t, and that¡¯s my fault, but I¡¯m going to do something now,¡± she rambled, half-aware that she wasn¡¯t being entirely coherent. ¡°Who?¡± Cade asked. ¡°Liv, I can help you.¡± ¡°Ractia,¡± Liv said. ¡°The Lady of Blood. No, you can¡¯t. You are your father¡¯s only heir. You need,¡± she continued, turning back to him, and taking a step down the stairs, ¡°someone who¡¯s going be a wife, and a mother, and that isn¡¯t me. I¡¯m sorry, I should have stopped this sooner. I guess I was just enjoying it too much. You¡¯re caring, and honest and loyal, and you¡¯re going to make someone very happy, but it isn¡¯t me.¡± She turned around and hurried up the stairs, pausing for just a moment to shove the heels of her hands into her eyes and rub away the wetness she found there, before continuing up to the landing. ¡°Everything alright?¡± Rosamund asked. Liv¡¯s friends had gathered around the dining table, with Tephania and Arjun sitting on the side nearest the windows, with Rosamund and Sidonie facing them. Edith was lingering in the doorway of their rooms like a hungry ghost at the edge of a battlefield. ¡°Yes,¡± Liv said. ¡°I sent him on his way.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Edith asked, then lifted her hand and pointed at Arjun. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to have boys up here, though I suppose for you it hardly matters anymore. The rest of us have some care about our reputations, at least.¡± ¡°Cade,¡± Sidonie answered her. ¡°You broke it off, then?¡± Liv nodded, watching as the news struck Edith like a wolf picking up the scent of prey. ¡°That poor man,¡± Edith murmured. ¡°After all that, you threw him away? Perhaps I should go make certain he isn¡¯t too upset...¡± ¡°You can feel free to chase after him,¡± Liv said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to me, now. But don¡¯t be surprised if he sends you right back, Edith. You¡¯re a nasty piece of work, and he¡¯s smart enough to see it.¡± With a glare, Edith rushed down the stairs, and Liv waited until her footsteps had receded before she took a seat and began. ¡°The book is probably the easy part,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s just a matter of writing down what I already know, and Sidonie doing the sketches. Moving everyone up classes is what¡¯s going to take the most work, honestly. Rosamund, how do you feel about Tephania joining us for practice? If she''s willing, that is.¡± ¡°Fine by me,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°I can throw around three people as easily as I throw around two.¡± A hurried rush of footsteps sounded from the direction of the staircase, and Liv glanced over to see Thora hurrying up to the landing. ¡°You¡¯re back, m¡¯lady!¡± the maid exclaimed. ¡°Do you want to get that armor off?¡± ¡°Not quite yet,¡± Liv said, though she did remove the leather helm and set it aside. ¡°But perhaps a pot of tea, or even some snacks to go with it? We¡¯ve ridden quite a long way and only just sat down.¡± Thora curtsied and dashed back downstairs; it was only after she¡¯d gone that it occurred to Liv that she should have asked where Wren was. ¡°I told you already, I don¡¯t want to be useless,¡± Tephania said, after a moment. ¡°If that means letting Rose knock me around a little bit, I guess I can put up with that. But I don¡¯t have a word of power.¡± ¡°Which means we need to get you tested up to apprentice as soon as we can,¡± Liv said. ¡°Which is my goal, too. Honestly, that¡¯s where everyone but Sidonie is at. What I figure is this: every evening, after dinner, we meet up here to study, or down at the training yard to practice. We can set up a schedule. Arjun, can you lead the study group for healing?¡± The young man from Lendh ka Dakruim nodded. ¡°Easily.¡± ¡°Good. Rose for non-magical combat,¡± Liv repeated. ¡°Guild Law and History - Sidonie, can you help us out there? You¡¯re a journeyman, after all.¡± ¡°I can,¡± she agreed, adjusting her spectacles. ¡°You probably need my help for Enchanting, as well.¡± ¡°And between the two of us, we can help everyone else with grammar,¡± Liv said. ¡°Which leaves only Magical Combat and Beasts. I can help with both of those, I think, so we aren¡¯t overloading Sidonie. The goal is for everyone to test out of the basic courses as soon as possible.¡± She looked around the table, taking a moment to meet the eyes of each one of her friends. Not one of them looked away; instead, they returned her glance with nods or smiles. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s a plan,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°So let¡¯s get to it.¡± ? They began with Grammar and Spellcraft, over tea. Thora had managed to get them a tray of pastries to go with the pot, which were devoured in short order, and it was a good thing, because between everything, they¡¯d all missed lunch. Classes had resumed, and that meant they split up at third bell, so that the entire day wasn¡¯t missed. For Liv and Rosamund, that meant Basic Guild Law, back in the ballroom with Journeyman Barnabas. When they walked in, Liv felt that sensation she¡¯d always hated: the feeling that people were staring at her. She did her best to ignore it, and the two of them settled into their seats in the front row. Before the king tide, they¡¯d been reviewing the laws regarding under what circumstances a guild member was excused from their duty to aid in the culling of a rift, and Barnabas picked right back up where the class had left off. ¡°Most exemptions are medical,¡± he explained, sketching out a list on the slate board at the front of the room as he went along. ¡°Incapacitated sickness, for example, as attested by a chirurgeon of the guild. If you¡¯re unconscious with a fever, no one¡¯s going to try to wake you up and throw you at a horde of mana-beasts. Loss of one or both legs gets you permanently excused,¡± he continued, and Liv raised her hand. ¡°If the legs are still there, but non-functional?¡± she asked, thinking of Baron Henry. ¡°Treated the same,¡± Barnabas said. ¡°But losing an arm doesn¡¯t get you out of your service; you have to lose both for that.¡± ¡°What about pregnancy?¡± Arianell Seton asked from somewhere behind Liv. ¡°That¡¯s not even an excuse, it¡¯s mandatory,¡± Barnabas answered. ¡°No one wants an unborn child exposed to the wild mana of an eruption. In fact, a guild member who knows she¡¯s pregnant and deliberately conceals it to enter a rift can face a tribunal of masters.¡± Liv nodded, recalling how frustrated Julianne had been that she couldn¡¯t go with her husband. ¡°Now, a subject of some debate at the last great council was to what extent these obligations apply outside the borders of Lucania,¡± the journeyman continued. ¡°The way the laws were originally written, a member of the guild visiting Lendh ka Dakruim, or up north with the Eld, or even in Varuna was still obligated to offer aid. But there¡¯s a lot of people arguing the guild is a Lucanian organization, and should only be concerned with Lucanian eruptions.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Arianell broke in. ¡°We¡¯ve lost far too many people wandering around Varuna doing trinity knows what. It¡¯s a waste. Let the Eld or whoever else handle their own problems, it isn¡¯t our responsibility.¡± ¡°Eruptions don¡¯t care about lines on a map,¡± Liv said, before she even realized that she was talking. ¡°If a rift on the northern border doesn¡¯t get culled because we didn¡¯t help, those monsters could overwhelm one of our towns. If fields of peppers and dye get destroyed in Lendh ka Dakruim, they won¡¯t have as many to sell us, and the prices will go up.¡± ¡°That sort of argument is the reason the laws haven¡¯t yet been changed,¡± Barnabas said, before Arianell could respond. ¡°That, and the fact one of our teams recovered a lost word of power from Varuna a few decades back. But it''s an ongoing debate, and that means we should all be aware of it.¡± ¡°I think it should change,¡± Hubert Carver said. ¡°I don¡¯t mean we should just ignore them other sorts, but we should focus on Lucania first. This is our home, after all. We shouldn¡¯t waste our people somewhere else if we need them here.¡± Liv heard something snap, and looked down to see that she¡¯d broken her quill. ¡°It isn¡¯t a waste,¡± she said, setting the two broken halves of the quill on her desk. ¡°Just because something starts outside Lucania¡¯s borders, doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t affect us. Look at the Day of Blood, or the wave of eruptions across the north this year. All of these things are connected.¡± ¡°Look, we understand it matters to you because you¡¯re half Eldish,¡± Arianell said. ¡°But the rest of us are never going to go north. It¡¯s none of our concern what happens there. We should look to our own people before we worry about yours.¡± ¡°Are you only accidentally stupid, or is it deliberate?¡± Liv shot back, and the classroom filled with murmurs. ¡°The Cult of Ractia¡¯s already attacked the Eld twice, and you think they won¡¯t come here too? They¡¯re not going to leave Lucania alone just because you don¡¯t want to deal with it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Barnabas shouted. ¡°While I normally encourage a spirited debate, my job is to drill these regulations into your skulls. If you girls want to argue over this any further, you can do it after class. And without the insults, Apprentice Brodbeck.¡± Liv sighed, fetched her spare quill, and went back to taking notes. She managed to keep her mouth shut until the end of class, through a supreme act of will, and had calmed down enough to decide she should apologize to both Barnabas, and Arianell. ¡°I¡¯ll be just a moment,¡± Liv told Rosamund, gathered up her things, and walked up to the slate at the front of the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for speaking so bluntly and interrupting your lesson,¡± Liv told the journeyman, while the rest of the students began making their way out of the ballroom. ¡°I understand that was a topic on which you have strong feelings,¡± Barnabas said, adjusting his spectacles. ¡°I was informed that you¡¯d gone north to attend a funeral, and that you might miss a class or two. You have my condolences. However -¡± A crack of flesh on flesh and a cry echoed across the ballroom. Liv spun around to see Arianell Seton on the floor, hand to her face, with Rosamund standing over her, fist clenched. ¡°Miss Lowry,¡± Barnabas said, ¡°what is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°Just teaching a lesson,¡± Rose said. ¡°That words have consequences. After all, we¡¯re here to learn, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you ladies would care to share what was said, would you?¡± Barnabas asked. He was met only with silence. ¡°Very well. Miss Seton, to the infirmary. Rosamund, you¡¯ll walk with me to visit the archmagus¡¯ office. Come along.¡± Liv watched the two of them leave, feeling as if she¡¯d missed something important. Why had Rose hauled off and hit the girl? She was obnoxious, that was true, but Rose hadn¡¯t even taken part in the argument. She didn¡¯t have another class, so she decided to follow them and wait. ¡°She won¡¯t always be around, you know,¡± Arianell said. Her nose was bleeding, and looked like it might be broken: it lent an odd quality to her voice. ¡°And she can¡¯t punch everyone who says it.¡± ¡°Says what?¡± Liv asked. ¡°That you¡¯re gutter trash,¡± the other girl said, getting to her feet. ¡°And you¡¯ve gone and proved it. Sleeping with a man you aren¡¯t going to wed? It¡¯s one thing to have a kiss and a cuddle here or there, or get ahead of yourself when the date¡¯s set. I guess like mother like daughter, is it?¡± Liv reached for her wand, then stopped herself. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Arianell said. She shook out her arms, and the silver bracelets clacked against each other. ¡°Let¡¯s have a rematch, then, and see what happens.¡± It would be so, so satisfying. To punch a spike of ice right through the girl¡¯s stupid face. To grab her with a hand made of ice, and just squeeze, like Liv had done with the great bat beneath Bald Peak. She took a deep breath, like Master Grenfell had taught her, and let her eyes half-close while she held it for a moment, then let the air out. By the time Liv had done it three times, she was confident that she could walk out without committing murder. ¡°I¡¯m trying to tell myself that you aren¡¯t really the person I want to hurt,¡± Liv told the girl with the broken nose. ¡°There¡¯s a lot worse people in the world than you. But I have to say, if that nose heals crooked, you deserve it.¡± Then, she rushed out of the ballroom and down the hall, making for the stairs which would lead up to the second floor, where the professors¡¯ offices were. Barnabas had already gone by the time she arrived, but Liv could hear the archmagus¡¯ raised voice through the door while she waited. When it finally opened, revealing Rosamund standing with a carefully straight back and a rebellious expression, Liv stepped over. ¡°I suppose I should not be surprised that you are here, as well,¡± Caspian Loredan said. ¡°Your friend will be washing dishes in the kitchen for the rest of the week, Apprentice Brodbeck. Best you get her out of here before I make it a month, I think.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just be going, then,¡± Liv said. She took Rosamund by the hand, practically pulling the larger girl away. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m supposed to ask you, Archmagus, but -¡± ¡°Come back tomorrow,¡± Loredan told her. ¡°You can sit with me for lunch, as there are a few topics I wish to address with you as well. Now. This is the second time you¡¯ve both come before me in one day. Do not allow there to be a third. Is that understood?¡± Liv nodded, tugged Rose out the door, and shut it behind them. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± Liv said, once they were alone in the hall. ¡°No regrets here,¡± Rosamund said. ¡°Except maybe that I stopped after one punch. Come on, then. Let¡¯s round up the others.¡± 108: Authority The first few weeks at Coral Bay, with the giddy joy of new friends, evening meals at the Crab and Gull, and the pleasant distraction of Cade Talbot, now seemed to Liv like not only a dream from which she¡¯s woken, but in fact a waste of time that bordered on irresponsible. While she¡¯d been drinking too much wine and giggling, her people had been attacked and killed. From now on, Liv resolved, there would be nothing but work. If her father and grandmother didn¡¯t think she was ready to be part of the fight against the Cult of Ractia, she would simply show them that they were wrong. After a quick dinner, she spent the warm dusk down at the training grounds with Rosamund, Arjun, and Tephania, working with blunted weapons or wrestling in the dirt. Sidonie brought a blank journal down to the stands, and began to outline the organization of their project on the wildlife of the far north, hounding Liv for material in between every bout or demonstration. Wren joined them as the sun touched the horizon, painting the clouds in shades of scarlet and purple. The purple streak in the huntress¡¯ hair had begun to fade out, and she smelled of a pungent combination of sawdust and mildew. ¡°Where¡¯ve you been?¡± Liv asked, taking a gulp of watered wine ¨C very well watered, she¡¯d had Thora see to that ¨C from the leather skin she¡¯d brought along. ¡°Watching and listening,¡± Wren said. ¡°I told you that I¡¯d see to things while you were gone. I¡¯ve spent most of my time in the rafters of a certain warehouse, since you left. Only came back in the mornings to check in with Jurian, and when I needed to get a bit of food or to sleep.¡± ¡°The mercenaries,¡± Liv guessed, collapsing onto the bench next to her supposed bodyguard. As if the conversation was an excuse to take a break, the others gathered around, as well. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Wren said. ¡°That warehouse has been turned into something like a barracks for them. They¡¯ve got bunk beds framed in green wood, cheap mattresses and pillows, and cheesecloth tacked up to keep the bugs off. They didn¡¯t bother fixing the windows or anything, and the roof leaks ¨C we got a bit of rain yesterday.¡± ¡°That sounds perfectly miserable,¡± Tephania said. ¡°And not safe for any length of time,¡± Arjun added. ¡°Sounds like the sort of place that¡¯s crawling with rats, and rats bring disease.¡± ¡°I¡¯m less worried about their well-being than what they¡¯re actually doing,¡± Liv said. ¡°Particularly the one with the mustache, he seemed to be in charge. What was his name, Rose?¡± ¡°Bill Skinner,¡± Rosamund said, plopping herself down on the bench next to Liv. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like he cared much what happened to his men, honestly.¡± ¡°These are the ones you met out during the king tide?¡± Sidonie asked. ¡°I heard a little bit about that from Venetia. It sounded like they didn¡¯t know what they were doing.¡± ¡°More they didn¡¯t care about getting a good catch, I suspect,¡± Liv said. ¡°I think they were looking for something out by the reef. Did you manage to learn anything, Wren?¡± ¡°The merchant who hired them - Cartwright - is using them to escort deliveries, guard his stores, that sort of thing,¡± Wren told them. ¡°Skinner¡¯s got them going out in shifts, two at a time. But I really got the impression they were just killing time until the next king tide.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an awful long time to be waiting around,¡± Tephania said. ¡°Which is funny to say, because it seems like a very short time to get out of all our basic classes.¡± ¡°Just over eight months,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°Who¡¯s going to pay these men to just sit around and do busy work that entire time? It¡¯s expensive.¡± ¡°I asked Jurian if we could just round them up,¡± Wren broke in. ¡°But he said nothing they¡¯d done was against the law.¡± ¡°Can you continue to keep an eye on them?¡± Liv asked her. ¡°It¡¯s easy enough,¡± Wren said. ¡°No one notices one more ¨C no one notices me up in the rafters.¡± Tephania leaned forward. ¡°Are you some sort of spy?¡± she asked. ¡°She¡¯s my bodyguard,¡± Liv broke in, before Wren could answer. ¡°And she¡¯s pretty good at not being seen. Let¡¯s leave it at that, for now. It sounds like we can¡¯t do anything until either Wren overhears something we can take to Master Jurian, or unless we can figure out what they¡¯d be looking for. Sidonie, do you know anything about V?dic ruins in the bay - out by the reef?¡± ¡°Advanced Guild Law and History,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°None of you are in it, are you?¡± The rest of the group shook their heads. ¡°Alright, then. Coral Bay was a food production site over a thousand years ago - the waystone was used to ship shellfish and the like as far as Varuna, for the V?dim and their servants. But of course, the old gods didn¡¯t just send slaves to go fishing - they used magic to bolster production. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a rift out in the bay.¡± Liv nodded along as she listened. ¡°Like how Bald Peak was a mine for mana-stone,¡± she said, then frowned. ¡°And something about power.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Sidonie agreed. ¡°So the reason the Blackstones settled here was two-fold. First, to manage the rift, so that it wouldn¡¯t endanger everyone in the area ¨C¡± ¡°Standard reason for setting up a barony,¡± Rosamund broke in. Sidonie nodded, then continued. ¡°There¡¯s been a few research projects into the whole thing, but it¡¯s difficult to actually get into the ruins and get a look at anything, given the entire thing is, first of all, underwater for most of the year, and then it seems like the coral has actually grown on top of the ruins.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why they were poking about,¡± Liv reasoned. ¡°They were looking for a way in.¡± ¡°Indulge me for a moment,¡± Sidonie requested. ¡°What are the odds these people really are just a bunch of mercenaries hired as guards, and being out so far during a rift is due to incompetence, not anything nefarious?¡± ¡°When I find a jaguar¡¯s track in the mud,¡± Wren said, ¡°I don¡¯t tell myself, ¡®oh, it probably came by yesterday, I¡¯m fine.¡¯ I check.¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s been assuming that nothing was going to happen to them,¡± Liv said. ¡°The Eld assumed it at the Hall of the Ancestors, and look what it got them. Attacked. I¡¯d rather look into this and find nothing, than wait around and watch the college burn.¡± ¡°When a patient complains of a symptom, a good chirurgeon listens,¡± Arjun said. ¡°If you ignore the signs of a disease, you miss the chance to catch it early, and that makes it even harder to save someone¡¯s life. Which is to say, let¡¯s not dismiss a symptom. Let¡¯s figure out what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a feeling those guys were up to no good, and I tend to trust my feelings,¡± Rose said. Liv looked to Tephania. ¡°Oh!¡± the blonde girl exclaimed, upon realizing that everyone was waiting for her to speak up. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve really got no experience in this sort of thing. But my father¡¯s a knight, and he always said it was better to be too cautious than to be dead. So let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Alright, then,¡± Liv said, looking back to Sidonie. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re agreed. Is this research in the library?¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I believe so,¡± Sidonie said. ¡°We should probably begin by speaking to Professor Every. She¡¯d know where to begin.¡± Liv had only really seen the professor once or twice; at the convocation that welcomed the first years to Coral Bay, and when she¡¯d eaten at the professors¡¯ table. She had never actually spoken to the woman, and only had the impression of a face both thin and severe, and dark hair. ¡°Could you introduce us?¡± she asked Sidonie. ¡°Probably best not to bring the whole group,¡± the girl in the spectacles decided, after a moment. ¡°Let me approach her first, and set up an appointment, and we can go from there. Give me a day or two.¡± ? Liv slept well that night; whether it was from being worn out by Rosamund¡¯s exercise and sparring session, emotionally exhausted by her grandfather¡¯s death and funeral, or some combination of the two was difficult to tell. As Thora helped her to dress in the morning, she resolved to not simply slide back into the routine of her first few weeks of classes, but to turn every waking moment toward moving forward. When she came out for breakfast, Edith immediately pushed her plate aside and stood up. Without a word, she walked across the landing and headed down the staircase, pretending that Liv didn¡¯t exist. Digging into a breakfast of sausage and crab cakes, Liv decided that she couldn¡¯t have cared less. In fact, it was far more pleasant to have the other girl out of the room than to have her in it. Florence and Helewise were a bit awkward and quiet, afterwards, but Sidonie and Tephania made up for it. When Liv headed out for her basic Armed Combat course, Teph walked along with her, and Wren met them in the courtyard, already drenched in sweat. ¡°Are you going to keep meeting Master Jurian in the mornings?¡± Liv asked her, and Wren nodded. ¡°For an old man, he can fight,¡± the huntress admitted. ¡°Starting to slow down, though. If he doesn¡¯t win quick, I can outlast him every time.¡± The journeyman ran the whole crew of first years down the road and out into the country like usual, but once they¡¯d made it back, and before the classes could split up, the last voice Liv wanted to hear interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ve got a challenge to make,¡± Merek Sherard said. ¡°To move up out of remedial.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Gamel said, watching the blond boy with narrowed eyes. Liv knew what was coming even before Sherard had a chance to say it out loud: people like him were never content to just let things lie. Out of some misguided sense of self importance, her very existence was now some kind of affront to him. ¡°I challenge First Year Brodbeck,¡± Sherard said, lips curled in a cruel smile. ¡°No,¡± Journeyman Gamel told him immediately. ¡°Absolutely not. Not after what happened last time.¡± ¡°I thought challenges couldn¡¯t be refused?¡± Sherard asked. ¡°Unless I misunderstood, Journeyman.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t misunderstand,¡± Gamel said, shaking his head on the treetrunk he called a neck. ¡°She ain¡¯t refusing. I¡¯m telling you no. Challenge someone else.¡± ¡°I accept,¡± Liv said. Murmuring broke out among the other students, and she found both Arjun and Tephania by her side, as if they were trying to protect her. ¡°It¡¯s my choice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv asked Gamel. ¡°I accept.¡± The journeyman ground his jaw. ¡°A moment, Brodbeck,¡± he said. ¡°Sherard, you get your gear on and find a weapon.¡± With only three steps, Gamel had covered the distance to Liv, taken her by the elbow, and pulled her away from the crowd, leaving the other journeymen to hustle the lower classes onto the stands. ¡°You looking for revenge?¡± he asked her, once they were out of earshot. ¡°Something like that,¡± Liv said. ¡°Just a little. More that I need to move up to the advanced course, yesterday. If I can¡¯t beat a rat like Sherard, how am I ever going to do that?¡± Gamel released her arm, and reached up to massage his temples. ¡°You¡¯re going to cost me all my hair before I¡¯m thirty, aren¡¯t you? Fine. But now you know what sort of little shit he is, don¡¯t let him catch you off guard again, you hear me?¡± Liv jogged over to the trunks where the practice equipment was stored, and found herself a blunted rapier and a leather fencing mask. The girls helped her strap her armor on, and not five minutes later, she was once again facing Merek Sherard across a space of beaten earth in the center of the training yard. This time, hers was the only match happening, and even the advanced students with Master Jurian had paused in their exercises to watch. Liv ran her eyes over them, nodding once to Rosamund, and tried to pick out which of them she¡¯d challenge when she was ready. Then, she forced the thought aside and settled into the same stance she¡¯d used against Merek the first time: First Guard. She wasn¡¯t overconfident enough to think she¡¯d gotten better than him in such a short time - but she did have an idea. ¡°Begin!¡± Gamel shouted. For a moment, nothing happened, so Liv let the tip of her sword dip, just a little bit. Merrek lunged, but this time she was ready for it. Again, Liv used the same parry as she had on the day the boy had broken her arm, then lunged. There it is, she thought, with no small amount of satisfaction. Perhaps Sherard believed she¡¯d only trained enough to know a few rote exchanges; perhaps he simply wasn¡¯t thinking at all. Regardless, she¡¯d lured him into the same exchange as before. When he stepped inside her guard to disarm her and take the arm, she dropped her sword immediately, continued forward, and kneed him between the legs as hard as she could. Merek Sherard¡¯s eyes bulged out like those of a particularly panicked frog, and he made a sound like the hiss of steam escaping a boiling kettle. He dropped his sword, clutched his hands to his groin, and fell to the ground. ¡°I believe that¡¯s match?¡± Liv asked Journeyman Gamel. ¡°The challenge is failed,¡± Gamel announced. ¡°Sherard remains in the remedial course. In your groups, everyone! Back to work!¡± As Liv walked over to the chests of equipment and stripped off her borrowed fencing mask, she couldn''t help but smile when the journeyman called for a healer. ? After her shift with Arjun in the infirmary - during which Liv quite deliberately did not chill a compress for Merek Sherard - Liv walked up to the second floor of Blackstone Hall to join the archmagus for lunch. When she knocked on the door to his office, Caspian Loredan answered immediately. ¡°If that¡¯s you, Apprentice Brodbeck, come in.¡± Liv opened the door and slipped inside. The archmagus¡¯ desk had been cleared ¨C well, mostly cleared, save for a stack of papers off to one side, weighted down by a small book. Two sets of bowls and spoons had been set out, as well as a bottle of red wine and two goblets. There was a steaming loaf of fresh bread, a plate of butter, and a pot of what smelled like rabbit stew. ¡°You¡¯ll find,¡± Archmagus Loredan said, spooning out a generous helping of stew into each bowl, ¡°that you can get sick even of seafood, if you have it everyday. Lobster, especially. Those things breed like ¨C well, like rabbits. I thought we might enjoy something that ran around on land, for a change. Have a seat.¡± Liv tucked her skirt in, settled herself in the chair at the front of the desk, and tore of a hunk of hot bread, which she slathered with butter. When she took a bite, she recognized the warmth of mana spilling into her body. ¡°Grain from a shoal, or was it an eruption?¡± she asked. ¡°Eruption,¡± Loredan said, having finished serving the soup. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to have farmers constantly in the shoals trying to grow a crop.¡± ¡°We sold a good deal of this sort of thing to the Eld, the harvest after Bald Peak last erupted,¡± Liv said. ¡°The timing wasn¡¯t good this time around, though. I wonder how that will work out.¡± For a moment, she pictured Duchess Julianne, Baron Henry, and even Matthew and Triss gathered around the high table at Whitehill, planning what to do with the year¡¯s crop. She tried not to miss being there with them too much. ¡°Anyway, Grandmother told me to ask you about Authority.¡± ¡°Your grandmother tasks me,¡± Loredan grumbled. ¡°Not only to keep you safe, but now this. You¡¯re certain the word she wanted you to ask me about was Authority?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Liv said, then paused to take her first spoonful of soup. It was all she could do not to let her eyes roll back in her head at the taste. ¡°Mmm, this is good. She told me to show her a silent spell next time I saw her, and to ask you what Authority was.¡± ¡°Not normally the sort of thing I would discuss with an apprentice,¡± the archmagus said. ¡°It¡¯s of no practical use until you have more control.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to be an apprentice for long,¡± Liv told him. ¡°Test out of those three basic courses before you talk like that,¡± Loredan advised her. ¡°Alright. When you form your blades of ice ¨C what do you call the spell?¡± ¡°Frozen Shards,¡± Liv answered. ¡°Your shards, then. When you form them, they appear in front of you, and then are propelled forward at your target, yes?¡± Liv nodded. ¡°Have you ever wondered why they form a foot or so in front of you, and not, for instance, thirty feet away, behind your target?¡± Liv shrugged. ¡°It just feels comfortable. But I can create things far away - my flowers and vines, or the soldiers. And I can launch shards from something I¡¯ve already created.¡± ¡°But if I asked you to form one down in that courtyard,¡± the archmagus said, pointing at the window, ¡°I doubt you could hold it there, hovering above the ground. Do you know why?¡± ¡°Well, first of all, I haven¡¯t tried,¡± Liv protested. ¡°So I don¡¯t know if I could do it. But alright, you¡¯re clearly going somewhere. Why?¡± ¡°Because that courtyard is outside of your fledgling, very weak, unconscious Authority,¡± Caspian Loredan explained. ¡°The extent to which you are most easily able to take control of mana external to your body. The further away from your Authority you work your magic, the more difficult it is, the less control you have, the more mana you waste. You¡¯ve never been taught to wield it, to strengthen and extend your Authority, so you use it only out of instinct. But with training, it is one of your most powerful weapons ¨C or defenses. Tell me, have you ever wondered how your aunt managed to control all those swords?¡± 109. Faramond Blackstone Liv realized that she was holding her spoon halfway between her bowl and her mouth, forgotten, so she set it back in the soup. ¡°I have, actually,¡± she admitted. ¡°I can make a sword. I can fling it forward, if I want to. Honestly, I could make half a dozen swords and fling them at an enemy. I also don¡¯t have a problem animating a construct of ice and then sending it off to attack, but once I infuse it with that intent, I don¡¯t have any more control over it. It always seemed to me - from what little I¡¯ve heard - that she was in full control of something like a hovering cloud of swords. And I just can¡¯t see how to make that work.¡± ¡°Think of it like a puzzle,¡± the archmagus said. ¡°If you¡¯re missing half the pieces, of course you can¡¯t put the rusted thing together. It¡¯ll be nothing but frustration. Authority is the piece you were missing - and that¡¯s no shame on you. It¡¯s an advanced concept, and difficult to train. Here, let me show you. I am going to impose my Authority on the room; tell me what you feel.¡± Suddenly, a great pressure bore down on Liv, and it was all she could do not to fall out of her chair. She gripped the armrests and struggled to hold her head up. ¡°Try to cast something simple,¡± Archmagus Loredan commanded. ¡°Celet Belia,¡± Liv gasped. She couldn¡¯t reach her wand, but she didn¡¯t need it for a spell this minor. The word of power woke in the back of her mind, and the mana spilled up from within her at the incantation, out to the tip of her finger, stretched toward the desk. But instead of a frosted blue columbine, sculpted of ice, nothing appeared on the polished wood. She felt like she was pushing herself against a massive boulder, sunk into a mountain slope and half-covered with moss. Its weight was immeasurable, beyond her ability to shift. Then, suddenly, the weight vanished, and the form of a delicate flower solidified between Liv and Caspian Loredan, just as she¡¯d pictured it. ¡°That,¡± the archmagus explained, ¡°is what happens when you pit yourself against someone else¡¯s Authority. In this case, someone much stronger than you. You¡¯ve gotten a bit ahead of yourself, Apprentice. Mastering Authority is one of the prerequisites to be awarded the rank of archmage.¡± Liv slumped back in her chair, relieved by the absence of weight. As her mind whirled, connecting disparate pieces of information, she reached out for her goblet of wine and took a sip. ¡°I¡¯ve felt that before, you know,¡± she said. ¡°That pressure.¡± The archmagus¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°When? From who?¡± ¡°Ractia.¡± Liv set her goblet down, and met her teacher¡¯s eyes. ¡°In a vision.¡± Loredan nodded. ¡°That makes a good deal of sense. If one of the V?dic Lords - or Ladies, in this case ¨C truly has returned, it would be only reasonable to expect her to have mastered every aspect of magic that we are aware of.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe she¡¯s back, then?¡± Liv pressed, challenging him. The archmagus drummed his fingers on the desk. ¡°My brother has made no statement on the subject - nor will he, I think. Roland is not long for this world.¡± A shadow passed over Caspian Loredan¡¯s face, and was gone just as quickly. ¡°I would not expect Prince Benedict to recognize such a threat publicly. It is certainly not for me to contradict them. I believe you were at the conclave in Freeport, however. You know that the guild has not been idle.¡± ¡°You sent teams to Varuna to investigate,¡± Liv remembered. Loredan nodded. ¡°And we have submitted reports of their findings to the palace. Nonetheless, we cannot compel action. And there is a strong urge toward isolationism among the barons,¡± he explained. ¡°Even among the majority of the guilds. I am afraid, Apprentice, that there is no political will to take action against such a threat at this time. It has not struck Lucania, and so, in the minds of most of our leaders, it is not our problem.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± Liv protested. ¡°Ignoring a threat doesn¡¯t make it go away. If we don¡¯t help now, when she¡¯s done with Varuna, or the Eld, or whoever is next, it''s just going to be even harder to fight her.¡± ¡°I do not disagree with you,¡± the archmagus said plainly. ¡°But that is not how most people think. The idea of a goddess returning is terrifying - were they to admit it was true, people would panic, or despair. So long as they can ignore it, they will. The majority of people in the world, Liv, want only to get on with their lives, and not be disturbed, not risk losing what they have. It is only a very small number who are ever willing to stand up and risk everything.¡± He sighed. ¡°How can I practice that?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Authority. Or at least, how to not be stopped by someone else¡¯s.¡± ¡°Test out of my advanced course, and I will teach you myself. Until then ¨C¡± the archmage considered the question. ¡°The best method would be to subject yourself to someone whose word of power already functions by imposing their authority on you. I doubt she has the language to describe it, but that is what young Miss Ward is doing, with Ven. If you can train yourself to resist her spells, you will have made a good beginning.¡± Liv didn¡¯t like the sound of that, but before she could object, the first bell began to sound, and the archmagus rose. ¡°I suppose this once you won¡¯t have to worry about being late,¡± he pointed out, with a smile. ¡°As you¡¯ll be arriving with your professor. But we should get down to the library.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Liv rose, and followed the archmagus out the door and into the hallway. ¡°Only, you said that you had something to talk to me about, as well. And I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve said what that was.¡± ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Caspian Loredan said, leading her down the stairs. ¡°After class, I would suggest that you borrow a particular volume from the library, one that I think you will find of interest. Look under the name Blackstone ¨C Faramond Blackstone. One of the ancestors of our founders, who made a detailed survey of the bay and the reef during the sixth century. The dialect is a bit old and difficult to parse, but it should be within your abilities.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Liv said, following the professor into the library. While he strode forward to his board of slate, she found her usual seat, but her mind was not on the lesson. If she was understanding things correctly, the archmagus wanted to help her. He¡¯d not only suggested a way for her to begin training against Ractia¡¯s power, but he was also pointing Liv toward information on the v?dic ruins out in the bay. For a moment, she wished that she could have a conversation with Duchess Julianne. It would go a long way toward convincing Liv that she was interpreting things correctly if she could talk it out with someone who was an expert in reading meaning into the nuance of what people said, or left unspoken. It certainly sounded like the archmagus felt constrained in what he could do or say publicly. Liv hardly paid any attention to the archmagus¡¯ lecture, but as soon as the class was dismissed, she gathered her things and dove into the stacks. The books were arranged alphabetically, by author, and that meant she found the journals and records of the Blackstone family on the first floor of the library, on the lefthand wall from the entrance. It was a massive section, containing everything from tax records, to legal rulings, to land surveys. The Blackstone family had ruled Coral Bay for centuries, and the mages¡¯ guild seemed to have absorbed every record in their collection, once the family was defunct. There was even a genealogy, with chart upon chart of parents, children, and cousins. Finally, Liv found the volume which the archmagus had recommended: Beinge a Survie of Coral Bay, as Conducted in the Year 587 - Faramonde Blackstone. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Liv winced at the spelling of the words, and the flowery structure of the sentence. The archmagus had not been exaggerating when he warned her it would be difficult reading, but she wasn¡¯t going to let that put her off. Liv brought the book over to the journeyman working the desk, and was somehow not surprised to find that they already had been given a note, approving her to borrow the volume. ? With no further classes that day, Liv dropped the book off in her rooms: she would begin studying it that evening, she decided, perhaps with Sidonie after dinner. In the meanwhile, she intended to make use of the light and the afternoon. Liv gathered her bracelet and rings, as well as her new pearl from the bay, and dragged a chair into the bath chamber, past the basin and the half wall that separated the portion of the room that had a drain in the tilted floor from the rest. There, she sat down, took her wand in hand, and began sculpting herself swords. With each casting, Liv tried to lower her voice further, until she was only whispering. After a bell of practice, she had half a dozen swords, all of which she¡¯d thrown onto the tiled floor to melt in their own time. Still, whenever she tried to move her lips without speaking at all, nothing happened. The word at the back of her mind roused, the intent formed, but Liv couldn¡¯t make the spell begin. It was intensely frustrating, and it reminded her of how much she¡¯d struggled to form adamant ice for the first time, under her father¡¯s instruction. ¡°Trinity, I hope it isn¡¯t going to take that long,¡± Liv complained, rolling her head to stretch her neck in between attempts. ¡°What in the world are you doing?¡± Edith asked, leaning around the half wall. ¡°Practicing silent casting,¡± Liv said. ¡°Some of us need to use the bath chamber,¡± Edith complained. Liv sighed, and stood up, squeezing past Edith on her way out. ¡°He¡¯s left, by the way,¡± the other girl said. ¡°If you wanted to know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best,¡± Liv said, without turning back to face her roommate. If she had any regrets, she couldn¡¯t afford to feel them. ? That wasn¡¯t the last time that Liv took over the bath chamber: it became one of her favorite places to work on her silent casting. For one thing, she could bring a chair in and be comfortable; for another, it was mostly private. Best of all, when she was finished she could turn on the hot water from the tap and let it wash away her pile of swords. It was better than leaving a mess in the training yard. The chief limiting factor, of course, was mana. Liv would practice until she¡¯d exhausted half of the rings she could hold, and then turn to some other sort of productive study. There was no shortage of things she needed to be doing. If Rosamund was free, they went to the training yard - or, if there was no room there for other classes being in session, to the smaller practice ground behind Blackstone Hall, or even down to the beach. Arjun and Tephania joined those sessions whenever they were free, and Wren could generally be counted upon for help, as well. Of course, the huntress hadn¡¯t forgotten her own assignment: she seemed to take inordinate pleasure in catching Liv by surprise at every opportunity, with a blunted dagger to the throat, the kidney, or some other vulnerable spot. In the weeks that followed her return to Coral Bay, Liv only managed to block a single surprise attack, and that was because she heard Wren¡¯s boot crunch a shell beneath her heel. She half-suspected that Wren had done it on purpose, just to encourage her. And of course, she¡¯d had to speak aloud to summon a blade for the parry. Still, progress was made - if not in all areas, then at least in some. Storms rolled in over the bay more frequently as Harvest Season passed into the first week of winter. Rather than snow, this far south the storms brought only rain. Every time the weather turned, Liv took Steria out, and Wren came with her to keep watch. They would find an isolated stretch of beach where Liv could call down lighting, scorching the sand and leaving hot, smoking patches of ground fused into glass. She was getting better about hitting the marks that Wren drew with the toe of her boot, and Liv felt reasonably confident that if she had to use the royal word in a fight, she wouldn¡¯t kill anyone by accident. Probably. In Enchanting, she¡¯d been drafted to help Professor Norris and his journeymen design a defense system for the campus, using the massive stone-bat casque that she¡¯d brought from Whitehill. ¡°You brought the piece,¡± the professor told her, in a gruff voice that always sounded irritable. ¡°You might as well help us do something with it.¡± She¡¯d actually originally asked him for tutoring, in return for letting the school use the casque, but apparently in Norris¡¯ mind that meant throwing her directly into the fire. With Journeyman Turstin ¨C Genne was stuck teaching the rest of the first years ¨C Liv, Norris and both Arjun and Rosamund carved sigils into the massive, v-shaped casque. When she¡¯d suggested her friends help with the undertaking, as well, Professor Norris had muttered something about more hands and light work, waved a hand in a noncommittal manner, and then never spoken of the matter again. The idea was to install the casque on the tower of Blackstone Hall, where it could be used to lower interlocking planes of hexagonal magical force in a dome that would enclose the entire campus. The amount of mana required for such a defense would be truly massive, but they¡¯d tested the casque out, and found that it could hold just under fifty rings. Professor Norris judged that would be enough, especially when connected to enchanted anchor points which were to be mounted on the old, crumbling walls of the former Blackstone estate. It was grueling, demanding work, but it also felt like if they managed to get through it, the three of them would be moving into the advanced course rather quickly - in some ways, working with Master Norris was like they already were, for practical purposes. Every evening, after dinner, Sidonie, Liv and Tephania would work on two books: the volume they had been assigned to compose and add to the library, and the maddeningly dense work of Faramond Blackstone. Even the spelling of the man¡¯s name had changed in the centuries between his writing and the present day. The only things in the book that didn¡¯t require translation were the actual maps - and then, only if you didn¡¯t care about reading the labels. ¡°I have to admit,¡± Sidonie said, one evening. ¡°I¡¯ve got no training reading nautical charts. I¡¯m fairly certain we¡¯re looking at records of depths in various places, but the notations make absolutely no sense to me.¡± ¡°Perhaps we need a sailor,¡± Liv proposed. ¡°Captain Ahearn did promise that he would be in port every few months; we could leave word down with the dockmaster for the next time the Annie Gallant comes by. I¡¯m sure it''s not the kind of help that he expected me to ask for, but I imagine he could tell us what to make of all this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± Sidonie said, rising from the bench and stretching until her back cracked. ¡°I think I¡¯m done for the evening. Don¡¯t stay up too late, Liv - your mind needs rest, just like your body.¡± Liv grunted in response: she intended to go over her notes for Guild Law and History before turning in. She thought that she might be close to being able to test out of the course, and the prospect of a few hours taking a quill and ink to paper was much less intimidating than challenging one of the students in the Advanced Armed Combat course. Rather than head across the landing to the rooms on the other side of High Hall, Tephania remained behind for a moment. At first, the girl was so quiet that Liv didn¡¯t even notice her, but finally she got her nerve up and spoke. ¡°I was wondering, Liv ¨C I mean, I wanted to get your opinion,¡± Teph said, stumbling over her words. ¡°Or ¨C well, do you know whether Arjun is betrothed to anyone, back at home? Or courting?¡± Liv blinked, and set Faramond Blackstone¡¯s abominable book down in her lap, wresting her mind out of it with an effort of will. ¡°Courting?¡± she repeated. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not even certain how that works in Lendh ka Dakruim. They¡¯ve got this whole other system, with the jati instead of barons or anything. Why do you ask?¡± Tephania reached up to touch the faint white scar that had been left on her cheek, after their journey to Kelthelis. The scar left by the wound that Arjun had healed. Everything fell into place in Liv¡¯s mind, then, before Teph even began talking. ¡°He¡¯s so gentle and kind,¡± the blonde girl began, and Liv observed that she couldn¡¯t keep a smile from her lips. ¡°Not anything like Duke Falkenrath¡¯s knights, or the barons¡¯ sons that I¡¯ve met. I think he¡¯s sweet. But I¡¯m afraid to ask him - do you think you could find out?¡± Liv took a deep breath, then released it, to keep herself from groaning. ¡°Well,¡± she said, after a moment. ¡°I suppose you all did put up with my romantic foolishness for days upon days. I¡¯ll ask him, Teph, and I won¡¯t even tell him why. But if you really like him, you¡¯re going to have to say something eventually.¡± Not, she realized, that she had any right to give advice. ¡°I will!¡± Tephania said, bouncing up from her seat. ¡°Thank you, Liv, thank you! I¡¯ll let you be now. Good night!¡± After her friend had gone, Liv rubbed her temple and closed her eyes. Whether it was from Faramond Blackstone¡¯s beastly writing, or the prospect of an awkward conversation with her friend, she had a headache. 110. The First Step Liv didn¡¯t end up finding a chance to speak with Arjun alone until two days later, when they were both leaving Professor Annora¡¯s healing class. One of the second-year students had been carried into the infirmary after taking a nasty knock to the head, which meant that all the advanced students had been called around to listen to the professor lecture while she drilled a small hole to relieve the swelling of the brain. It had been thoroughly terrifying, so far as Liv was concerned. She¡¯d never thought of herself as someone squeamish - she¡¯d gotten pretty good at dressing a kill, for instance! - but the idea of performing surgery on a living person''s head, while they were awake, was just too much. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will surprise anyone that I¡¯m done after we test out of that course,¡± Liv told Arjun, as they left the infirmary. Wren peeled herself off the wall of the building and followed the two of them out into the courtyard. ¡°No,¡± Arjun said, with a smile. ¡°I think the only question in anyone¡¯s mind is whether you''ll end up a journeyman to Professor Jurian, or to the Archmagus himself.¡± ¡°I actually don¡¯t know the answer to that,¡± Liv admitted. ¡°If they both offered - Jurian is probably the better choice for strictly learning how to inflict horrific violence, but the archmagus just knows so much, about so many different things...¡± ¡°I heard a rumor Jurian¡¯s going to test for archmage soon,¡± Wren broke in. Liv and Arjun both stopped walking, turning to face the huntress. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± Arjun asked. Wren shrugged. ¡°Here and there.¡± Liv narrowed her eyes, and wondered whether Wren had been hanging about Blackstone Hall in bat form, when she wasn¡¯t keeping an eye on the mercenaries. She also wondered how the woman got enough sleep to function during the day, but supposed that wasn¡¯t her problem. ¡°Anyway,¡± she said, ¡°will you come up to the landing for lunch?¡± ¡°I always feel a bit odd going up there,¡± Arjun admitted, following her across the courtyard toward High Hall. ¡°I know it''s not like I¡¯m going into your rooms, and I¡¯m invited, but boys still aren¡¯t really supposed to be up there.¡± ¡°We need someplace to work on our assigned projects,¡± Liv pointed out, which was the same reasoning she¡¯d given anyone who complained. ¡°Anyway,¡± she remarked, thinking herself particularly clever, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re betrothed to someone back in Lendh ka Dakruim anyway, so I can¡¯t see how there¡¯d be any reason for scandal.¡± Arjun winced. ¡°That¡¯s - well, all marriages are arranged by matchmakers in Lendh ka Dakruim, so yes, technically I am supposed to wed someone.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like you really want to,¡± Liv prodded him, as they crossed through the foyer of High Hall and started up the stairs. ¡°Chandrika is a perfectly nice girl,¡± Arjun said. ¡°But -¡± he stopped halfway up, glanced both above and below to make certain there was no one close by, and then lowered his voice. ¡°I never really understood it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Liv leaned against the railing and frowned. ¡°Sexual attraction. I mean, yes, intellectually I understand it. We were designed by the V?dim to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye - not quite so much as the Eld, but the old gods certainly seemed to have a preference for pretty slaves. And because we reproduce sexually - not just humans, but all the races - we¡¯re supposed to be physically attracted, men to women and so forth, so that each generation creates the next. But I just don¡¯t - look, why were you always cuddling Cade so much?¡± Liv couldn¡¯t help but blush. ¡°Because it felt good,¡± she said. ¡°Not just the attention, but - you know. Kissing, and touching and all that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I don¡¯t understand,¡± Arjun said. ¡°Chandrika kissed me once before I left, and it just felt like -¡± he shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Not exciting, at any rate. And the whole idea of actually sleeping with another person -¡± he winced. ¡°Maybe it''s because I know too much about how we¡¯re all built, underneath? There¡¯s nothing very romantic about muscle and bone and fat, all layered on top of each other.¡± ¡°I guess I just don¡¯t think about that part,¡± Liv said. ¡°But you don¡¯t ever look at a girl, and think, ¡®she¡¯s beautiful?¡± ¡°A tapestry might be beautiful,¡± Arjun said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to have sex with it.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Liv said. ¡°Let¡¯s stop lingering on the steps, then, and get something to eat.¡± Of course, then she had to watch Teph sitting next to Arjun for an entire meal, with the blonde girl doing her best to flirt with a boy who was, at best, oblivious, and at worst, completely uninterested. There was no time to tell the girl what Liv had learned until much later that evening, after another frustrating lecture on silent casting from Archmagus Loredan and an afternoon of rolling around in the dirt of the training ground. In between bouts, while Liv sipped from a skin of watered wine, she plied Rosamund for information. ¡°The worst student in the advanced class?¡± Rose repeated, sitting down next to Liv close enough that their hips bumped. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a few second years who never tested up by beating anyone; they just took the basic course for a year and scraped by the final examination from the journeymen. If I were you, I¡¯d look at Giles Cutler.¡± ¡°Tell me about him,¡± Liv asked. ¡°He¡¯s one of those merchant kids whose parents have enough coin to send him here, whether he has any talent or not,¡± Rose began. ¡°He¡¯s been cozying up to some of the girls with connections, but not a lot of money. Not that he¡¯s necessarily the bad sort; at least he¡¯s honest about it. But he didn¡¯t have the kind of training a baron¡¯s son gets, you see? Maybe a few pointers from hired guards, but no real training until he got to Coral Bay. He¡¯s bigger than you, but basically everyone will be.¡± ¡°Do you think I can beat him?¡± Liv asked. Rose blew a long breath out as she considered it. ¡°On the one hand, you¡¯ve clearly had prior training, and from people who knew what they were doing. That¡¯s obvious to me. On the other hand - you never really took it all that seriously, did you?¡± ¡°Baron Henry¡¯s men,¡± Liv confirmed. ¡°I got dragged into a lot of Matthew¡¯s lessons. He¡¯s - well, my brother now, I suppose. But he took to fencing like a duck to water, you know?¡± Rose lifted her eyebrows and shot Liv a glance. ¡°What? People say that. My mother says that.¡± ¡°Old people say that,¡± Rose teased her. ¡°Well, I was always tiny, and I had magic anyway,¡± Liv said. ¡°And then for years my bones were no good. So mostly I made targets for him. It was never my plan to get up close and stab things.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got the edge on him in training, he¡¯s got the edge in reach and strength,¡± Rose concluded. ¡°You¡¯re also tough as last year¡¯s jerky. There, see, I can use silly expressions, too. Come on, get up and let''s go again.¡± ? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. It was long after dinner, when Sidonie finally disappeared into her bedchamber to work on a new draft of her caribou sketch, that Liv was finally able to snatch a private word with Tephania. ¡°Don¡¯t go yet,¡± Liv said, once Sidonie¡¯s door had clicked closed. ¡°Here, come in my room.¡± She gathered up her own books, quills and inkpot, and held the door open for Teph to enter, then closed it for privacy. ¡°My maid will be up in a moment, I¡¯m sure,¡± Liv said. ¡°But I did what you asked. I talked to Arjun. I don¡¯t think - I don¡¯t think he likes girls, Teph.¡± The blonde girl¡¯s face fell. ¡°Boys, then?¡± Liv opened her mouth, closed it, then tried again. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the impression he liked boys either, honestly,¡± she said. ¡°He told me that he¡¯s engaged to a girl back home, and that the jati arrange all the marriages. But he also said he just didn¡¯t feel that way about basically anyone. He went on about how we¡¯re all made up of blood and bones and gristle, and he didn¡¯t find people attractive. Didn¡¯t even enjoy it when this girl kissed him before he left.¡± Tephania chewed her lip for a moment. ¡°Bad luck two ways, then,¡± she said, finally. ¡°He¡¯s already promised to someone, and he doesn¡¯t even like her. That¡¯s common enough, I suppose. If it were a story, and he fell in love with me, he¡¯d put her aside. But I guess that¡¯s too easy for real life, isn¡¯t it?¡± Liv set her things down and gave her friend a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Teph. I know it wasn¡¯t what you wanted to hear.¡± ¡°Better now than if I¡¯d spent months and months pining after him,¡± Tephania said, finally, after giving Liv a long squeeze. She sniffled a bit. ¡°And you kept me from embarrassing myself. Thank you. At least now we can still be friends without it getting very awkward.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Liv said. When the two girls released each other, Tephania wiped her eye with a sleeve, then put on a bright smile. ¡°Goodnight then, Liv. Thank you again. I¡¯ll just head off to bed.¡± Teph slipped out of Liv¡¯s bedchamber, leaving her alone until Thora came in to help her get undressed. Liv managed to keep her thoughts to herself until the maid was half done with brushing her hair. ¡°Are there boys who like other boys, instead of women?¡± she asked. ¡°Sometimes I forget you grew up all the way out in Whitehill,¡± Thora said. ¡°The absolute edge of the wilderness. Yes, m¡¯lady, there are boys - and men - who sleep with other men. And for that matter, women who sleep with women.¡± ¡°I feel silly for not knowing that,¡± Liv admitted. She thought back to her duel with the dark-haired Celestria Ward, and how it had felt when the girl¡¯s word of power fell on Liv like an avalanche. She¡¯d thought the desire to touch and kiss had been the magic, and the magic alone. And when the archmagus had mentioned Celestria¡¯s name as someone to train against, Liv had put the thought aside. She couldn¡¯t imagine going through those feelings over and over again, day after day, without exploding. Firmly, she shoved those thoughts aside. ¡°The day after tomorrow,¡± she told Thora, ¡°I¡¯m going to challenge one of the second years. Please make certain my armor is ready.¡± ? Through Advanced Magical Combat, the next morning, Liv stood aside as much as she could, conserving her mana. She helped carve the casque during Enchanting, and practiced filleting a sand shark under Professor Blackwood¡¯s guidance. It was different in the particulars from dressing the carcass of a stag, but the general principles were familiar. Rather than take part in the sparring with Rose, Arjun, and Teph, Liv contented herself with stretching and a bit of light exercise, and then practiced cuts and thrusts on one of the straw practice dummies in the training yard. The last thing she wanted was to sprain an ankle, break a finger, or do something else that risked putting her at anything other than her best in the morning. As a result, after a morning meal of crisp and juicy bacon from a wild boar that must have wandered into a shoal somewhere, alongside toasted bread slathered with mana-rich strawberry preserves and two soft-boiled pheasant eggs, Liv felt about as fit as she could ever remember being. She knew that she shouldn¡¯t need mana for the bout, but after how Merek Sherard had caught her by surprise, Liv wasn¡¯t going to let herself be vulnerable, either. If Cutler tried some sort of underhanded trick on her, Liv intended to give him a very cold surprise, and she would deal with an angry professor afterward, if she had to. Liv was the very first one down at the training grounds, running on nervous energy, with only Wren trailing behind her. She took a practice mask and blade from the storage chests, and began stretching to loosen herself up. It must have been pretty obvious what she was planning on doing, because rather than separate into remedial, basic and advanced classes, the other students gravitated to the stands as they arrived. ¡°Who is it then, Brodbeck?¡± Journeyman Gamel asked her, ambling over like a hairless bear. ¡°Giles Cutler,¡± she answered. ¡°Give the wand to one of your friends, then,¡± Gamel instructed her. ¡°Not that I think that would stop you, but it''s expected. No magic in the challenge, you understand?¡± Liv nodded, and strode over to the stands, finding her knot of friends. Not so long ago, she would have handed her wand to Cade. Now, if Edith was to be believed, he¡¯d left Coral Bay behind. She pulled the length of bone from her sheath, hesitated, and then handed it to Tephania. ¡°Could you do me a favor, and hold onto this?¡± Liv asked her. Teph had been a bit down since their conversation about Arjun, and Liv thought that showing some trust in her might help. ¡°Of course, Liv!¡± Tephania said, accepting the wand and cradling it carefully in her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll make certain nothing happens to it. I promise.¡± ¡°I know you will,¡± Liv said, grinned, and then put on the leather face mask. ¡°We have a challenge this morning!¡± Journeyman Gamel announced. ¡°Cutler, get some gear on. Brodbeck¡¯s challenging you.¡± Liv had seen the boy around - even run next to him once or twice, for a few moments, in the mornings. He was skinny in the way of young men who hadn¡¯t filled out yet, with close cropped hair the color of sand, and a smattering of small scars across his cheeks. She wasn¡¯t certain whether they were from the pox, or just too many pimples. Since she was already dressed, Liv waited for Giles Cutler to get ready and join her in the center of the training ground. Then, she saluted him with the blunted sword as she¡¯d been taught, and settled into Third Guard, weight on her rear leg, blade extended out in front of her. ¡°I¡¯d prefer not to take a knee to my nuts,¡± Giles said, settling into fourth guard. ¡°I¡¯ve got no quarrel with you,¡± Liv said. ¡°I just need to get into that class.¡± Master Jurian and Journeyman Gamel prowled around them for a moment, and Liv could see they were coordinating where to stand so that each could watch from a different angle. ¡°Begin!¡± Gamel shouted. Liv stamped her foot, as if to lunge, but kept her place, and watched Cutler flinch. After only a year and change at Coral Bay, his form was good, but he clearly still wasn¡¯t comfortable with actually fighting. That was to her benefit; Henry¡¯s guards had always said that in the moment, people forgot everything fancy, and fell back on what they¡¯d drilled over and over again. She was willing to bet that she¡¯d drilled more than Giles ever had. He attempted a lunge, and Liv beat it aside before launching a riposte. Again, he moved well, but seemed hesitant to commit. Cutler scrambled back: she hadn¡¯t been close enough. His extra reach was a problem; she needed to find a way to get close enough for one of her lunges to land. At the same time, the last thing she wanted was to end up in a wrestling match, where the boy¡¯s size and muscle would easily outclass her. Liv advanced, and Cutler retreated. She circled, and noticed that his footwork was hesitant. Another sign that he simply hadn¡¯t been practicing for long enough, yet. She slowed her movement, then suddenly accelerated, making him scramble to maintain position, and cross his feet. The moment he did, she launched off her back foot, extending her arm in a lunge. Giles Cutler tried to parry, but got tangled up in his own feet, and lost his balance. The padded tip of Liv¡¯s sword took him in the shoulder of his padded doublet, and she froze there, waiting for the match to be called, while her opponent recovered his balance. ¡°Brodbeck,¡± Gamel said, looking to Master Jurian, who nodded. ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯re in the advanced course now.¡± Liv nodded, pulled off the leather mask, tucked the practice sword under her arm, and stepped over to Cutler. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked him. Giles pulled off his own mask and nodded. ¡°I knew I was in trouble the moment you started circling,¡± he admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve been drilling that footwork over and over, but when it comes time to actually do it in a match, it seems to always fall apart. Well, congratulations.¡± The classes began to split up, so Liv dashed over to Tephania to reclaim her wand and sheathe it. Then, she followed Rosamund over to Master Jurian. ¡°That¡¯s one,¡± she said, as the two girls crossed the training grounds. ¡°Now it¡¯s just Enchanting, and Guild Law.¡± ¡°Trying to set the record for quickest first year ever to get out of the basic courses?¡± Rose asked her. ¡°Trying to get ready for that next king tide,¡± Liv answered. ¡°And what happens after.¡± For a moment, her thoughts flew to her father. Had he made it to Varuna already, or had it taken longer than he¡¯d expected to organize the House¡¯s men and supplies? She tried to imagine the man in that endless expanse of green jungle, the heat and damp of it, rather than the cold north, and just couldn¡¯t make the two things fit together in her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll join you there soon enough,¡± Liv whispered, a promise to herself as well as to her father. She¡¯d just taken the first step, after all.