Magic Wielder Read online

  The last few weeks had all been the same. I would make it to bed at the end of the day exhausted, but even when my head hit the pillow, I couldn’t make myself sleep. Insomnia was new to me. The events of the last few months just passed through my mind over and over. I couldn’t let go of the guilt I carried for transporting my friends to Adylra. Even if it was inadvertent, it was still my fault. Murphy still wasn’t talking to me and no one had heard from John. I had been pouring over every document I could find to figure out a way to get back home. But even after months of hard study and trying to learn everything I could about Adylra and the magic that had just begun to reappear a generation ago, I was nowhere closer to getting back home. I kept telling myself there had to be something, that someone had to have the information I needed to get us back home. But the guilt just kept building, leaving me sleepless and lonely in the middle of the night.

  I eventually turned back onto my side and watched as the light of the moon moved across the room as the moon itself moved across the sky. My rooms became darker as it began to set on the other side of the castle. Just as the gray light of dawn was coming through the windows, I finally drifted off to sleep.

  4

  I woke up the next morning distracted thinking about my dinner with the king and it didn’t get any better as the day wore on. I was forced to attend staff practice with a group of young noblewomen first thing. It was an outdated tradition, and one I hated even when I wasn’t trying to get through the day as fast as possible. I kept getting hit and, by the end, my hand was swelling up from the repeated raps across my knuckles. I couldn’t help but think a couple of the girls my age were taking advantage of my distraction to get a couple of extra taps in. Not everyone loved my status as the Gatebreaker.

  My walk after practice with my new friends Annistyn and Maren was pleasant. They were both chatty and didn't notice that I remained quiet most of the time. We walked through the garden behind the castle. They wanted to stop at the benches beside the pond to have lunch but I convinced them to move on to the area with the most flowers. Aidric and I had shared one of our first intimate moments on one of the benches by the pond and I wasn’t interested in revisiting those memories today.

  After lunch Annistyn, Maren, and I gathered with a larger group of noblewomen in Lady Jaclyn’s chambers to sew outfits.

  “We should’ve gathered in Lady Lydia’s chambers,” Lady Jaclyn commented as everyone tried to find a seat. “They are the largest besides the king’s and the prince’s.” A few of the other ladies giggled at her joke.

  “You’re welcome, any time,” I commented offhand to Jaclyn. I had learned to take some of the other ladies’ barbs in stride. They got to me the first couple of weeks after I joined the nobility. Then, I decided I wasn’t going to be here long enough to matter so I quit caring what they thought. There were enough nice noblewomen to offset the annoying ones. One of the older ladies handed me a basket with material and some needles and thread.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I told her, trying to keep my voice down, “I’ve never sewn an entire outfit.” She smiled at me.

  “Sit next to me dear, and I will show you how it’s done,” she said. I thanked her and settled myself next to her. Her name was Lady Ingrid and she spent the next few hours teaching me how to sew. To my surprise the afternoon passed quickly and by the lady the gathering was over I had managed to sew a serviceable scarf. In no time, I was going back to my rooms to change and await the messenger who would take me to King Bleddyn.

  I didn't have to wait long before a young messenger came to escort me to the king’s private dining room. He led me down the stairs from my own tower rooms and across the castle to the tower that held the king’s chambers. The king occupied a huge expanse of rooms in the tallest tower of the castle. I had heard his rooms filled three stories. The set of rooms in the king’s chambers that most nobles were familiar with was the king’s private dining area. During the late autumn and winter social season, banquets were held almost every night in the throne room with parties and balls afterward, but occasionally King Bleddyn would invite a few people to dine with him in a smaller setting. Typically, this honor was reserved for people who were favored by the king. I could feel the palms of my hands getting sweaty as we arrived at a set of large doors and the messenger knocked and ushered me through.

  A servant met me at the door as I was trying to wipe my hands on the side of my blue dress. I straightened when I saw him and he showed me in through a small sitting room and into a second room that held an ornate wooden table, large enough to hold at least sixteen people. King Bleddyn was already seated at the head of the table. He stood when I entered the room. I curtsied to him as he approached me. He came forward to greet me, kissing me once on each cheek.

  “Lady Lydia,” he said, offering his arm and guiding me to the table. “I am so delighted you chose to join me this evening, Come and be seated. We will be served shortly.” I curtsied again when we arrived at the chairs before taking my seat to the right of the king.

  “Thank you for the honor, Your Majesty,” I said as I sat down. “I’m looking forward to dinner.” It felt odd to be seated at such a huge table with just the two of us. I couldn’t help but admire the intricate carvings on the table and the chairs. “Will anyone else be joining us tonight?” I asked.

  “No, it's just going to be you,” the king responded. “I wanted to pick your brain about a few things and thought it would be best if we were in a more intimate setting than our typical evening banquets. First, some good news,” the king began as a couple of servers entered through a side door with our first course, “we have good intelligence that there are no more rebels within the castle or grounds so you won’t need a guard following you around all the time.”

  “That is good news,” I said. I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t say anything more about what he called me to dinner for.

  “So, Lydia,” he said instead. “How much have you learned about the customs of Adylra? Has anyone taught you about our history of banquets and why we serve our courses the way we do?”

  “I haven’t learned much yet, Your Majesty,” I admitted. “Many of the foods and ingredients I’ve eaten here are similar to the foods I eat back home, although the type of food you typically serve here in the castle is much fancier than what I'm used to eating.”

  The king smiled and began to regale me with the history of many of the dishes we were eating. Each of our courses highlighted a different region of Adylra. I realized that most of the banquets were set up that way, each meal was almost like a tour across the country. We had a fish appetizer with fish caught from Half-Moon Bay just outside the castle; an exquisite vegetable dish with tomatoes, basil, goat cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing from Orsa where the king told me they grew the finest tomatoes in the whole country. Our main dish was roasted duck in a sauce that was thick and rich. The king explained this dish was supposed to bring to mind the richness of the south and the Golden Forest. Our dessert was a delightful pear sorbet and pound cake made with pears grown on the southeastern coast.

  As dinner progressed, I felt myself relaxing in his presence. Even though King Bleddyn typically had a larger-than-life presence, as we sat and talked about food he seemed just like a regular adult. He asked a lot of questions about food and customs from my home. I told him all I could about food that was traditional in Tennessee. I was just walking through the intricate steps of making an apple pie from scratch when I suddenly felt an ache develop in the back of my throat. I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes and looked away from the king to try to compose myself.

  “I’m sorry,” I told the king. “I didn’t mean to get choked up like that. I was just remembering baking apple pies with my mother on the weekend.”

  “Please, don’t apologize,” King Bleddyn said. He reached out and gently took one of my hands. “I can’t imagine what it must be like for you, to be stuck in a different place like this. You must be terribly homesick.”

 
“It comes in waves,” I said. “I try not to think about home often, because it just makes me sad. Most of the time I can put the thoughts of it aside. I’m trying to just focus on the here and now to figure out how I get my friends and myself back home.” I remembered my conversation with Erin the night before. Working up my courage I said, “Your Majesty, have you any word of my friend John? I know he made a mistake, but he’s still my friend and I’m worried about him. Erin misses him too. I want to know he’s safe.” The king let go of my hand and sat back in his chair with a sigh. He sat in silence for a long moment. It was long enough that I began to get nervous I had made him angry.

  “I understand you’re worried about your friend,” he finally said. His voice sounded gentle, not angry. “I wish I could tell you I know where he is, but none of the outlaws we have managed to capture have given us any information about his or Reynard’s whereabouts. I’m sorry I can’t give you any good news.” Before I had a chance to reply to the king, the servant knocked to announce himself and approached the king, bending down to whisper something in his ear. It was just as well, the news about John was hard to hear and I needed a moment before I spoke again. A look of anger crossed the king’s face for an instant. He stood and motioned for me to stay seated as I began to stand too.

  “I’m sorry, Lydia, but will you excuse me for a moment? There’s something I need to attend to,” the king said as the servant left the room.

  “Of course, Your Majesty,” I said thankful to have a moment to myself.

  5

  The king returned after a few minutes. Something had occurred to me while he was gone.

  “If I may ask,” I said once the king was settled at the table again, “I keep hearing about the Gatebreaker prophecy, but I haven’t actually heard what the prophecy states yet. Do you know?” The king seemed eager for the change of subject. He sat forward and propped his elbows up on the table as he began to talk.

  “I’m glad you asked, Lydia. The Gatebreaker prophecy has been around for hundreds of years. But every time you ask someone about it, they have something different to say. That’s the trouble with word of mouth prophecies. Olma has taken it upon himself to find where the prophecy was originally written down and bring it to you when he finds it.” That was interesting. I figured there was a reason I hadn’t heard the whole prophecy yet. I did wonder why Olma had taken such a special interest, but before I had a chance to ask the king to elaborate he continued on.

  “Since you brought up mention of your powers, I wanted to check in with you about them. I know the adventures in the forest this past autumn took quite a toll on you. How are you feeling now?”

  “I feel much better,” I said. “Physically, I'm back to normal. My magic is growing stronger each day and now I’m able to complete a few different spells.”

  “That is excellent. When you told us the story about the battle, you mentioned you saw all the different magic around you. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. I could see the colors of all the different types of magic. That’s how I knew Reynard was using air magic over the clearing to hold everyone down.”

  “Fascinating. We have people here at the palace who can sense magic, but I’ve never heard of someone who can actually see it. If you needed to, do you think you could do that again?”

  “Yes, I think so. If I can remember how I did it the first time.” A little nervous laugh escaped me as I attempted to make a joke. The king didn’t seem to notice. He rang a bell sitting to his left. The servant reappeared from the side doorway and came to stand by the table in front of me.

  “Do you feel up to try it right now?”

  “Well—sure, I will try.” I gave him and the servant a fake smile of confidence. I wasn't sure why the king was trying to get me to do this, but I would give it a shot anyway. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember what I had done in the forest that enabled me to see other people’s magic. I reached into the well of magic at my core and mentally pulled forward a strand of aether. I thought about what I was trying to accomplish and I opened my eyes.

  Once again, I could see the magic around me. I looked down at my hands and could see the gold threads of my magic running through them. They were bright while everything else besides the magic was dull. I looked over at the king. He didn't glow with any sort of magic. I turned my attention to the servant. I suspected he was in here for a reason. As I looked at him, I could see the glow of magic throughout his body, but it was faint. I had to squint to be able to tell the magic was green.

  “You’re an Earth Wielder,” I said to him. He bowed his head in my direction. The king grinned broadly.

  “You are correct,” the king said. “Now, can you tell how much magic he possesses?”

  “Well, the glow of his magic is faint. I’m not sure what that means exactly but maybe that means he doesn’t have a lot of magic?” I was just guessing, but it seemed like as good a bet as any.

  The king clapped his hands, startling me out of my focus. I blinked a couple of times as everything turned back to normal.

  “You are absolutely right,” King Bleddyn told me. “Falir here is an Earth Wielder, but just barely. He typically uses his magic to grow and enhance the plants in his garden.” The king waved his hand to dismiss Falir. With a bow to me and to the king he took his leave. Once he was gone, the king turned his attention back to me.

  “How do you feel after doing that?” he asked.

  “I feel fine,” I told him honestly. “Using my magic to see things rarely uses much of my energy.”

  “Lydia, are you aware of how Magic Wielders have been treated here in Thavell over the past couple of generations?” the king asked me. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this question. From what I had learned so far, most people didn’t speak of how Magic Wielders used to be persecuted by King Bleddyn’s father. It scared people to discuss it.

  “I’ve heard it wasn’t very well,” I said. My response startled a wry laugh out of the king.

  “Well, yes, but that’s an understatement. I won’t go into it now, but suffice to say the treatment my father made Magic Wielders endure has bred a lot of distrust for the Crown. I am not my father, and I welcome all Magic Wielders with open arms, but I do not blame people from being distrustful.

  “The problem now is, I’d like to identify the strongest Magic Wielders throughout the kingdom and invite them to join the Scholars. Most of our noble families have embraced our little school of magic, but we’ve only had two commoners come through since it opened. There are many Magic Wielders who can get by well enough on their own, they possess little magic, but for those whose magic is rich and expansive, it’s in their best interest, and the kingdom’s best interest, to see them fully trained to use that magic.

  “This is where you come in, Lydia. As the Gatebreaker, you can help the kingdom by identifying Magic Wielders and telling me how much magic people possess, we will know who needs to join the Scholars and who doesn’t. And we can create a census of all the Magic Wielders in the country. Would you help me with this task?”

  “You want me to help you identify all the Magic Wielders in the country?” I asked the king slowly. I didn’t understand. Why would he need me to identify people? “Wouldn’t it be easier to create a way for people to just report if they have magic and be tested somehow to see if it’s enough to join the Scholars?” I asked.

  “Well, yes, we have tried that. Unfortunately, because people are distrustful, they have been prone to lie and hide their magic,” the king shifted in his seat and reached over to take both my hands in his. He locked eyes with me as he continued to speak. “This grieves me, Lydia. It grieves me to know my subjects do not trust me to do right by them. If you will help me, I can show them that being a part of the Scholars is a good thing. Of course, if you’re uncomfortable with this idea I certainly won’t force you. But I do need your help in this. Will you please think about it? You’re the only one who can do this.”

  The king’s vulnerab
ility startled me. King Bleddyn always put on such a grand show and I had no idea he would be worried about something like a few people not trusting him. It made me realize the enormous weight of responsibility he must feel being the king of Thavell. And he needed me. I was the only one who could lift this worry from his shoulders.

  “Of course, Your Majesty,” I told him, touched he had asked me for help. “Of course, I will help you.”

  6

  After my dinner with the king I didn't think much about our conversation. Relaying the news to Erin that there was still no sign of John was hard, but when I didn't hear from the king for the next few days, I figured he had changed his mind about needing my help.

  I continued to use my afternoons to study magic on my own. I had just made it back to my rooms one day as the late afternoon sun shone through my window. I took off my Scholar robe and threw it across a chair before throwing myself onto the nearest chaise. I felt mentally and physically drained. I had just drifted off to sleep when a loud rapping at my door startled me awake. I opened my eyes to see the black uniform of the castle’s messengers. I groaned inwardly.

  “My lady,” the young boy began, “King Bleddyn requests your presence in the throne room.” I sat up and nodded my head.

  “Give me just a moment,” I told the young boy. I went to the mirror in my bedroom and made sure I looked halfway presentable. That morning Gabrielle had tied my hair back in a series of intricate braids on top and left the bottom free. I ran a brush through the loose part quickly, marveling at how long my hair had grown in the months I had been here. It hung almost all the way down my back now.

  I was wearing a white shirt with full sleeves that were tied back at my elbows and a green overdress that laced up the front. I knew I wouldn’t be expected to be in full court regalia this early in the afternoon, but I knew my presence in the throne room would be conspicuous and I needed to wear something more than just a simple work dress. If I had known this was going to happen today, I would have told Gabrielle about my afternoon. She typically walked me through acceptable outfit choices. I had quickly learned that court life was fraught with ways to offend people by what you were wearing. I missed the days when I was just an army recruit and could wear pants every day.