and the sweet tea tasted good.
He looked up and found Idalia gazing at him, obviously waiting for more. The story had seemed complete to him in that sentence, but Idalia apparently felt it wasn't, so haltingly, Kellen began to tell her the rest. He hesitated about telling her why he'd been Banished, but Shalkan would not have brought him to this particular place if anything bad could happen to him here, and he had already begun to suspect that nothing he could tell Idalia could possibly surprise her. So he took a deep breath and told her everything—about finding the three Books of the Wild Magic; his first hesitant experiments with them; being brought before the Council when the Books were discovered in his room; casting a Calling Spell to gain Shalkan's help in exchange for a year of continence; their fight against the Hounds.
'I don't remember much after that. And I'm not sure it could have all happened the way I remember, because all the bites and everything are gone,' Kellen finished, confused again.
'Oh, they were there, right enough,' Idalia said. 'Bites—gouges— lacerations—bruises—scratches—broken bones—you looked like you'd been through—well, an Outlaw Hunt. Lucky you were near to my cabin here, when you crossed the border; I'm the only one out here who could have put you two back together again.' She tilted her head a little and looked thoughtful. 'The unicorn probably had something to do with that; it's no secret where I live, and he must have known that after that last border increase, you two would have to face the Outlaw Hunt, and afterward you'd need help, and I was the logical person to offer that help.'
'I don't understand,' Kellen replied, shaking his head. 'I mean, I understand that we'd need to find someone and quickly, but I don't understand why it particularly had to be you—'
She raised an eyebrow. 'I'm well known as a Wildmage and a Healer out here; it would make the best sense for Shalkan to head straight for me—especially once you were actually injured.'
Kellen stared. Idalia… a Wildmage? A female Wildmage? But women couldn't do magick!
Or could they?
Was that just another of the Mages' lies?
What if it was?
Idalia didn't seem to notice his shocked expression, any more than she'd shown any particular surprise or amazement at hearing about his involvement with the Wild Magic, although he supposed she'd had plenty of time to get used to that idea already, since he'd come in riding Shalkan, something only a Wildmage would be likely to be doing. He regarded his newfound sister with increased respect.
His sister was a Mage… a Wildmage!
'How did you think all your injuries disappeared so fast? I healed you—yes, with genuine, women-can't- possibly-do-it magic,' Idalia said. 'Wild Magic.'
Kellen gaped blankly at her, still trying to get used to the idea of meeting a Wildmage. Another Wildmage.
'Of course,' Idalia went on, 'it was only Wild Magic, so I suppose that doesn't count for the Council's purposes…' she added mockingly.
'And now I suppose you have a right to hear my side of the story,' Idalia continued, 'but to tell it properly I'll have to go back a good deal further than you did.'
She brooded for a moment, and Kellen took the opportunity to drink as much of his tea as he could before his hand began to shake.
'I suppose it begins with our mother, Alance. Father didn't need to tamper with your memories to make you forget her. She left when you were still a baby, and from what little I remember of those days, he never let her see much of you at all. I suppose after he saw how I turned out, he was afraid her Mountain blood would contaminate you.' She sighed. 'Sometimes I wonder what the two of them ever saw in each other, but I suppose everyone wonders that about their parents. Still.'
She shook her head. 'I would like to believe that at least at some point they loved one another, but for all I know, it was a political alliance for him.'
'But you were old enough to know her—' Kellen ventured cautiously. 'He always said my mother was dead…'
Idalia grimaced, dismissing Kellen's half-voiced question. 'Here's what I do know for sure. Alance was the daughter of a Trader from the Mountains. The Mountain Traders used to come right down into the City, but after Alance left the City again they stopped and started trading only through Nerendale village. I'm not sure why, or if her leaving had anything to do with that. I'm also not really sure why Father didn't try to make me forget her, either—maybe he thought it wasn't worth bothering with, me being a mere female. And then again, perhaps he was right about the 'bad blood' in both of us coming to us through her: if Mother really was a Wildmage, perhaps she was able to cast a spell to make him simply forget about it. Anyway, no matter how it came about, I remember her, and what she told me about how they met.
