had to ask one more question.
“ Magnes, what about Livie? Are you willing to leave her like this?” Magnes leapt to his feet and began to pace around the room. Jelena could sense the great tension within him as he appeared to struggle with some unresolved problem, a dilemma that weighed heavily on his mind. Finally, he turned to face Jelena, and she could see in his eyes that he had come to a painful decision.
“ I’ve loved Livie for as long as I can remember, Jelena. Truth is, though, the only way we could be together would be terribly unfair to her. She deserves a husband and family, a life that I can’t give to her now. If I leave, then she’ll be free to find a good man who can give her those things.”
Magnes’s words tore at Jelena’s heart. Why did the world have to be so full of cruelty to those who least deserved it? Jelena rose and embraced her cousin. They stood with their arms around each other for a long while, drawing comfort from the bond and closeness they shared. They had always been allies and would continue to be, well into an uncertain future.
“ There’s something else I need to tell you about,” Jelena said when they at last broke their embrace.
“ By the look on your face, I can see that, whatever it is, it’s big, and it’s got you worried,” Magnes responded. He sank back down onto the couch, pulling Jelena with him. “Tell me,” he prompted gently.
Jelena paused to gather her thoughts. How could she explain what she herself did not understand? For an instant, she was filled with uncertainty. What if her cousin reacted to her words with horror and rejected her? She didn’t think that she could survive that. Then, she looked into his eyes, so like the color of the rich Amsaran soil that he loved, and saw there only love for her. Her fear evaporated. Magnes would never judge her, no matter what.
Magnes remained silent, regarding her expectantly. If he had caught any hint of her momentary confusion, he gave no sign.
“ Something very strange happened yesterday,” Jelena began. As Magnes listened, Jelena related the incident with Ruby and the mysterious blue fire.
“ Gods!” Magnes croaked. He sat as if stunned, staring over the top of her head.
Jelena held her breath.
“ Jelena, you’ve…you’ve got
Jelena exhaled.
“ I’m very confused by it,” she said. “I have no idea how I called it up against Ruby and it hasn’t surfaced since. I thought for sure it would come when your father attacked me, but it didn’t.”
Magnes’s brow furrowed with the intensity of his thoughts. “Of course you’d have magical abilities. It’s in your elven blood.” He paused, then abruptly seized her hands, face clouded with worry. “This could mean very big trouble, Jelena. You know what will happen if it’s discovered that you have magic, even if you don’t know how to use it.”
Jelena nodded. Neither one of them needed to say the words. They had both been raised with the Soldaran state religion.
“ Do you think Ruby understood what happened?” Magnes asked.
Jelena shook her head. “Ruby is a stupid cow. Besides, if she did have any idea, I’d already be locked up in the castle jail by now.”
“ Hmm. I think you’re right, but I’d still better have a word with Ruby, just to make sure,” Magnes said.
“ No, Magnes, don’t do that!” Jelena pleaded. “If you start questioning Ruby, she might remember that she saw something odd. Best to let her be.”
Magnes looked unconvinced, but he finally nodded in agreement. “All right. I won’t question Ruby.” He paused. “Of course, it’s even more urgent that we leave Amsara as soon as possible. Since you have no idea when this ability of yours will choose to manifest again, we can’t take any chances that it will flare up in front of witnesses.”
“ How am I going to tell Claudia?” Jelena murmured sadly. “How can I tell her that I have to leave her?”
“ Just tell her the truth, Jelena,” Magnes responded. He reached out to tenderly stroke her hair. “She’ll be terribly sad, but she’ll understand.”
“ I know, but it’s still so hard. I don’t know if I have the strength.”
“ You are the strongest person I know, Jelena Preseren,” Magnes said. He leaned in and lightly brushed her forehead with his lips. “You’ll get through this, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“ I know you will,” Jelena said.
Chapter 6
Jelena did not feel steady enough to return to the kitchen until well past mid-day. Unable to conceal the ugly bruise that discolored the left side of her face, she endured the stares and whispers of the other drudges in cold silence. Her thoughts were consumed with escape-she would need to plan carefully if she were to succeed-and how best to break the news to Claudia.
Ruby steered clear of her most of the time, and when she did have to pass near, she pointedly refused to even so much as glance at Jelena. Jelena couldn’t tell if the other woman felt motivated by a newfound respect for her former victim or by fear of Jelena’s newly revealed abilities. If Ruby was aware of Jelena’s magic, she gave no direct sign.
The mellow gold light of late afternoon had faded to the purple shadows of evening by the time Claudia came to the kitchen in search of her foster daughter. “Gods preserve us!” she exclaimed in dismay upon seeing the bruise staining Jelena’s face. “What happened, child?”
“ Nothing, Heartmother. I fell, that’s all,” Jelena lied, unable to meet Claudia’s discerning stare.
“ Don’t lie t’me, child. Tell me what truly happened,” Claudia demanded, taking Jelena’s chin in her hand and turning her face first one way and then the other, as if hunting for clues.
“ Please, Heartmother, not here,” Jelena whispered imploringly. “After the evening meal…I’ve something very important to tell you.” Claudia frowned, clearly upset, but she did not press. Jelena gave her a quick hug and hurried off to fetch plates and cups for their supper.
When the last dish had been put away and the kitchen fires were banked for the night, only then could Jelena return to the small room she shared with Claudia. Her foster mother waited for her, nervous anticipation evident in the way she held her large body, much like a she-bear poised to leap against any danger that might threaten her cub.
Jelena sat down beside Claudia on the edge of her bed and in a soft voice told her all that had happened in the duke’s study that morning. “I can live as a kitchen drudge or a maid… even a stablehand if need be, but I’ll not live as any man’s slave, Heartmother.”
“ You’d have a far better life bein’ the concubine of a duke, child, than you’d ever have otherwise,” Claudia responded gently.
“ I’d still be a slave!” Jelena cried. “Duke Sebastianus would own me like he owns his horses or his cattle, and he would be free to use or abuse me however he wishes. No. I won’t let my uncle dispose of me like a spare piece of livestock!” Jelena paused, took a deep breath, and forged ahead. “I’ve decided to leave Amsara Castle.”
Claudia’s lower lip began to tremble. The fire hissed and crackled in the grate. The room suddenly felt overheated and stuffy. Jelena edged closer to her foster mother, and waited for the storm to break.
Claudia let out a wail and began to bawl uncontrollably.
“ Please, Heartmother, don’t cry!” Jelena begged as she fell into her foster mother’s arms. She tried to hold back her own tears, but she couldn’t-the pain of the moment overwhelmed her. She laid her head on the soft mound of Claudia’s bosom and allowed her foster mother’s grief to wash over her like a rain-swollen river, turbulent and strong at first, but gradually subsiding to a gentle flow, then to stillness.
Only when the storm had passed and Claudia calmed down enough to listen did Jelena tell her of what had happened during her run-in with Ruby.
