Magic Study - Study 2

Damn it! No! I scrambled for a while, but it was just a matter of time. In the end, I let the wall dissolve. But, with a sudden rush of energy, I created a curtain of green-veined marble, cutting her off.

I pressed myself to the smooth stone and held on with all my might. Exhaustion pulled at my mind. In pure desperation, I used the last of my power, calling for help. The marble transformed into a statue of Valek. He looked at me in concern.

“Help,” I said.

He wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. “Anything, love.”

With nothing left, I clung to him as darkness descended.

I awoke in a narrow room; my head throbbing. Looking up at the ceiling, I realized that I was on a bed. It had been pushed against a wall under an open window. When I moved to sit up, my stiff legs protested. I felt raw and violated as though someone had scrubbed off my skin. My throat blazed with thirst. A pitcher of water sweated on a night table, an empty glass beside it. I poured a large drink and downed the cool liquid in three gulps. Feeling a little better, I examined the room. An armoire stood along the opposite wall with a full-length mirror on the right and a doorway on the left.

Cahil appeared in the doorway. “I thought I heard you.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“First Magician tried to read your mind,” Cahil said. He looked embarrassed. “She was extremely annoyed by your resistance, but she did say you weren’t a spy.”

“Peachy.” Sarcasm rendered my voice sharp. I crossed my arms over my chest. “How did I get here?”

Splotches of red spread on his cheeks. “I carried you.”

I hugged myself. The thought of being touched by him made my skin crawl. “Why did you stay?”

“I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“Now you’re concerned about me? I find that hard to believe.” I stood on sore legs. They felt as if I had run too many laps, and my lower back ached. “Where am I?”

“In the student’s quarters. Apprentice wing. You’ve been assigned these rooms.”

Cahil retreated into the other room. I followed him into a small sitting area with a large desk, a couch, table and chairs and a marble fireplace. The walls were made of light green marble. My pack rested on the table with my bow.

There was another door. I crossed the room and opened it. Beyond the threshold was a garden courtyard with trees and statues. Through them I could see the setting sun. I stepped outside, glancing around. My rooms were at the end of a long one-story building. No one was in sight.

Cahil joined me outside. “The students will be back at the start of the cooling season.” He pointed to a path. “That leads to the dining hall and classrooms. Want me to give you a tour?”

“No,” I said, going back into the sitting room. I turned around in the doorway. “I want you and your toy soldiers to leave me the hell alone. Now you know I’m not a spy, stay the hell away from me.” I closed the door and locked it, leaving Cahil outside. Just to be safe, I wedged a chair under the doorknob.

I curled up on the bed. The desire to go home racked my body. Home to Valek. To his strength and his love. Just that brief contact with him made me miss him even more. His absence left an emptiness that burned deep inside me.

I wanted to leave Sitia. I had gained enough control of my magic to avoid a flameout. I didn’t need to be here with these horrible people. All I had to do was head north, and I would reach Ixia’s border. I planned the journey in my mind, making a list of provisions, and even considered horse-napping Topaz to make my escape. When the room grew dark, I fell asleep.

When the sun woke me, I rolled onto my other side, weighed my chances of escaping the Keep without anyone knowing, and realized I knew nothing of the layout of the Keep. I could make a reconnaissance of the area, but I had no desire to see anyone or be seen. So, I stayed in bed all day and went back to sleep that night.

Another day passed. Someone rattled the doorknob then knocked, calling out to me. I shouted for them to go away, and was content when they did.

Eventually, I lay in a stupor. My mind floated and reached some creatures in the garden. I flinched away from even that light contact, seeking a peaceful place.

Then I found Topaz. Peppermint Man had come to visit, but the horse wondered where Lavender Lady was. I saw a picture of me in Topaz’s mind. Lavender Lady must be the name he had given me. It was funny that Topaz called me Lavender Lady. Traveling with Cahil left little time for bathing, but I had managed to find some privacy to freshen up and apply a few drops of my mother’s Lavender perfume.

Go smooth and fast, Topaz thought.

Would you take me far away to the north? I asked.

Not without Peppermint Man. Smooth and fast with you both. I am strong.

You are very strong. Perhaps I’ll stay with you.

No, you won’t, Yelena. You’ve sulked enough, Irys’s voice said in my mind. Her contact was like a thick cool salve rubbed on an open wound.

I’m not sulking.

Then what would you call it? Irys demanded with annoyance.

Protecting myself.

She laughed. From what? Roze barely got through.

Roze?

Roze Featherstone, First Magician. And she’s been in a rage ever since. You’ve weathered worse things, Yelena. What’s the real problem?

I felt helpless and alone with no one to watch my back. But I buried that thought deep, unwilling to share it with Irys. Instead, I ignored her question. Knowing my mentor was back, I rallied. She was the only person I could trust in the Keep.

I’m coming with some food. You will let me in and you will eat. Irys ordered.

Food? Topaz thought hopefully. Apple? Peppermints?

I smiled. Later.

My stomach grumbled. As I moved to sit on the edge of the bed, a wave of dizziness overcame me. I had lost track of the days and I was weak from hunger.

Irys came as promised, carrying a tray laden with fruit and cold meats. She also brought a pitcher of pineapple juice and some cakes. As I ate, she told me about her trip to May’s home. May was the last of the kidnapped girls to find her lost family.

“Five sisters just like her,” Irys said, shaking her head.

I grinned, imagining May’s homecoming. Six girls squealing with delight, laughing and crying as they all talked at once.

“Their beleaguered father wanted me to test all the girls for magical potential. May has some, but I want her to wait another year before coming to the school. The others were still too young.” Irys poured two cups of juice. “I had to cut my visit short when I felt your call for help.”

“When Roze was invading?”

“Yes. I was too far away to assist you, but it seems like you managed on your own.”

“Valek helped me,” I said.

“That’s impossible. I couldn’t reach you. Valek’s not a magician.”

“But he was there and I drew on his strength.”

Unwilling to believe me, Irys shook her head.

I thought about how Irys had found me in the north. “You felt my power when I was in Ixia,” I said. “It’s the same distance for Valek to reach me.”

She shook her head again. “Valek is resistant to magic so I think you used his image as a shield against Roze. When I felt you last year, you had no control over your powers. Uncontrolled bursts of magic cause ripples in the power source. All magicians, anywhere in the world can feel that, but only Master Magicians will know from which direction it comes.”

That worried me. “You felt my call for help when you were at May’s home, though. Was I out of control to be