“ Oh, I am. It’s just…” she bit her lip and tugged nervously at a stray coil of hair. Magnes raised his eyebrow questioningly. “Why would he invite me now, after all these years? What’s so different about this Sansa? It just makes me a little scared, is all.”
“ Jeleeenaaa!!!” a voice cried out from the yard below.
“ Oh shit! I’ve got to go!” With a quick wave, she turned and scrambled back down the steep stairs to the yard.
When she emerged from the stairwell, she saw Ruby, one of the scullery drudges, standing outside the kitchen door, hands cupped to mouth. She was just about to give another shout when she spotted Jelena jogging towards her.
“ Hey, where’ve you been, then? Tryin’ to duck out of your fair share of the work, I’ll reckon, you lazy good for nothin’…” Ruby stood, hands on hips, a belligerent expression twisting her bovine face.
As aggressive as she was stupid, Ruby had always been one of the worst of the castle bullies. Jelena loathed her with a particular passion.
“ Shut up, Ruby,” Jelena spat as she tried to brush past the other woman.
“ Why, you little tink bitch!” With startling swiftness, the back of Ruby’s hand slammed across Jelena’s mouth, snapping her head to the side. Jelena gasped in shock, and her own hand flew up to her stinging lip, coming away with a smear of blood. The two of them stood staring at each other in silence for several heartbeats.
Something in Jelena tore loose then; all the pent up rage from years of abuse boiled up from her deepest core and spilled forth in a bitter wave. As it came, it released something else, something completely outside of anything Jelena had yet experienced.
What happened next left her even more stunned and shaken than Ruby’s unexpected assault.
A tingling sensation in her right hand caused Jelena to raise it up to eye level. She cried out in fear. Her fingers seemed to be on fire; each digit was haloed with pale blue flames that flowed down her forearm like water, and yet her flesh was unburnt. How could this be?
Ruby let out a strangled cry and rushed forward. Instinctively, Jelena threw up her hands in defense. The two collided, and a shockwave blew through Jelena’s body, rocking her backwards. Ruby was lifted off of her feet and flung through the air, arms and legs flailing. She slammed into the dirt of the yard with a heavy thud and lay still.
The blue fire died away.
On trembling legs, Jelena approached the fallen Ruby, who lay sprawled untidily on her stomach, her skirts flung up around her waist to expose her naked backside. Gingerly, Jelena knelt down and peered into the other woman’s slack face, and breathed a sigh of relief. Ruby was still alive.
Still reeling from shock, Jelena sat back on her heels and tried to calm her frantic heart.
Ruby groaned and began to stir.
Jelena gently probed her split lip with the tip of her tongue and felt a new wave of anger building within. Quickly, she squelched it. Whatever had happened, whatever this was that she had summoned, she realized that she had no idea how to control it, but Ruby needn’t know.
The other woman groaned again, then rolled over and sat up, rubbing at her dirt-streaked face. Jelena remained crouched where she was and allowed her face to settle into what she hoped seemed like an appropriately menacing expression.
“ You’d best leave me alone from now on,” she warned, her voice low and dangerous. “I’m through taking your shit!” Ruby’s eyes widened and Jelena saw uncertainty and yes, a little fear within them. Wordlessly, Ruby scrambled to her feet and fled, disappearing through the kitchen door.
Jelena rose, dusted off her knees, and followed, a wicked sense of satisfaction adding a little swagger to her gait.
“ Girrrrl!!!” Cook shouted as she entered. “Get over here an’ start on them turnips!”
“ Yes, ma’am,” Jelena answered, her newfound confidence evaporating like frost on a sunny windowpane. She grabbed a paring knife and, seizing a root, began furiously peeling.
Later that day, when she had a few moments to herself, she sat and turned over in her mind the extraordinary occurrence of the blue flame. What exactly was its nature? What had triggered it? Anger, perhaps? She’d been angry plenty of times before. No, there had to be more to it. Most importantly, could she learn how to summon it at will and control its effects?
The word whispered through her mind, conjuring up images both seductive and terrifying. Only a tiny fraction of the human race had any innate magical abilities, and those that practiced openly were more often than not shunned or punished for it. Powerful magic had always been the province of the elves.
All elves were born with magical abilities-an inheritance from their demon progenitors, or so the priests taught, and because their magic came from the demon realm, it was inherently evil. A favorite bogey of all priests was the elf witch, a creature whose beauty ensnared righteous men and whose magic corrupted their souls.
Jelena’s stomach clenched with dread. What if Ruby denounced her as a witch to the castle’s resident priest, Father Nath? What would happen to her then? The people of Amsara barely tolerated her as it was, and only because of the very thin mantle of protection her blood ties with the Preserens afforded her. If she were accused of witchcraft, she would be driven out and possibly worse, blood ties notwithstanding.
Still, the mere fact that she seemed to have inherited at least a little magic from her unknown sire instilled in her a new sense of courage. She decided not to live in fear of denunciation. Ruby was so stupid that no one would believe her anyway.
Jelena determined to keep the blue fire a secret at least for now, until she could figure out a way to call it forth again. Eventually, she knew that she would confide in Claudia and perhaps Magnes. This was too important a development to keep from them for long. Perhaps, between the three of them, they could figure out what it all meant.
Reluctantly, Jelena rose from her seat outside the kitchen door and returned to her duties.
“ Well! You are a sight, my lamb. As beautiful as yer dear mam, I reckon.” Claudia stood with hands clasped beneath her chins, a look of pure delight suffusing her heavy features. She gestured with a forefinger in a circular motion, indicating that Jelena should spin around again for a second viewing. The girl obliged, laughing a little despite her attempts to keep a tight leash on her excitement.
The gown she had chosen consisted of a cornflower blue overdress with a matching pale blue undertunic. Both garments were of silk, and to Jelena, who was used to the rough feel of coarse wool, cotton gauze, or plain, serviceable linen against her skin, the whisper-soft way the fabric glided over her body seemed almost obscenely luxurious. High-waisted, with a tight fitting, scandalously low-cut bodice and a full, slightly flared skirt, the gown had last seen use several seasons ago-out of fashion, but still beautiful, nonetheless. The oversleeves were slit from shoulder to wrist to reveal the fine embroidery of blue flowers that embellished the sleeves of the undertunic. Embroidery also decorated the neckline and hem of the overdress, carrying through the floral motif. Matching blue slippers completed the ensemble.
“ Humph,” Claudia rumbled, tapping a stout finger against her jawline thoughtfully. “That neck of yours needs summat to set it off. It be too bare…Ay! O’ course! I’ve got just the thing!” Jelena watched with growing curiosity as her foster mother went over to the large wooden chest at the foot of her bed and began rummaging through its contents. After much digging, she brought forth, with a small crow of triumph, a little box made of cedar.
“ I want you to have this, my love. It’ll go just perfect with the dress,” Claudia said as she pressed the box into Jelena’s hands.
Jelena sighed with wonder. The box was exquisitely crafted, with an inlay of different colored woods forming an interlocking pattern of vines upon its lid. Jelena had never seen the box before and had no idea Claudia even owned such a fine object. She lifted the lid.
Nestled within its lining of black velvet rested a strand of blue beads.
