The next two weeks passed surprisingly quickly. Alicia fell back into the routine of her life, and at times it seemed as if nothing had changed. In the mornings, Lucille would help her get dressed, although the clothes now felt somewhat restrictive in comparison to Christine’s memories of throwing on jeans and a t-shirt. She would eat breakfast alone before attending lessons with Miss Hartwright, which would continue with a brief break for lunch until nearly seven, at which point she would join her family for dinner. It was often the only time that she saw her family during the day, and although it was nice to see her brother, she found the silence of her father and the cold criticism of the Duchess as unpleasant as ever. After dinner she would retire to her quarters with Lucille, where she would bathe and then typically spend the evening reading or drawing. Saintday was the only reprieve from the schedule, when her family and the servants all gathered at the estate’s Chapel for the weekly service.

Her lessons themselves had both grown more intense and, paradoxically, more tolerable. After the embarrassing morning in the library, Miss Hartwright had spent the rest of the day testing Alicia’s newfound mathematical ability. They discovered that she had experience with concepts up through differential calculus, although she had begun to struggle with integration; it seemed that Christine’s memories were not an infinite source of knowledge. She had been irrationally disappointed to run up against a limit, even if she knew she ought to be grateful for the gifts she had been given.

True to her word, the governess seemed to have not mentioned the embarrassing incident to the Duke. At least, there had been no scolding from either of her parents over her conduct. Instead, Miss Hartwright had seen fit to test the rest of Alicia’s abilities. Unsurprisingly, several skills showed no improvement; her knowledge of history, etiquette, theology, and foreign language were entirely unchanged. However, she was surprised to discover that Christine had a wealth of knowledge in the physical sciences (not including magnoliology), as well as more than a passing familiarity with singing and the pianoforte. Alicia had attempted music before, but the errors in her playing were too obvious and grating for her to get very far; now she could sight read simple pieces, although anything very difficult was still beyond her skills.

Yet perhaps more importantly, Alicia discovered several less obvious changes as well. Her reading speed seemed to increase as well as her comprehension, and new information seemed easier to process. Even when she was studying the various kings of Estelar or the proper steps for a waltz, she was more interested in the subject and less frustrated when she made mistakes. She had never enjoyed studying before, avoiding work wherever she could, but now it was as if that weight was lifted. Part of it was learning that her governess seemed to genuinely care for her, that the lessons were not meant as punishment but as a way to help. Another part of it was a newfound understanding that failure was not antithetical but rather necessary for success, although knowing that didn’t fully take away the sting of failing.

Now, Alicia was taking a turn through the lower garden with Miss Hartwright. The path cut through the trees and grass, heading downhill from the estate and toward the training field beside the lower lake. The day before, Doctor Hadwick had visited to make sure Alicia was alright, and had given her a clean bill of health. That in turn meant that she could finally learn to channel.

“What is magnolic power, my lady?” Miss Hartwright asked her as they walked.

Alicia started to reply, and then paused. The governess often liked to ask leading questions, and the obvious answer was not always correct. She took a moment to think through and craft her answer.

“I would say it’s the power created by thaumic plants, which can be used by people who have Bloomed and by magnolic circuits to create various effects,” she carefully said.

“That’s generally correct, and what most people say when you ask them that question,” the governess replied.

“I take it that’s not the answer you were looking for,” Alicia said.

Miss Hartwright gave a small smile. “I wasn’t looking for any specific answers, my lady,” she said. “But I suppose my question was somewhat leading. You told me where we get magnolic power and what we do with it, but that doesn’t answer the question of what it really is.”

Alicia gave this some thought as they walked. It was a bright day and there was a simple pleasure in being outside. She thought back to everything she knew about magnolic power and the magnolic circuits that she had used, and gradually she came to an unpleasant realization. “I don’t think I know what magnolic power is, then,” she said at last.

“I would be quite surprised if you did know,” Miss Hartwright replied. “After all, even the best scientists are only working with theories.”

“You tricked me, then!” Alicia said, her frustration evident in her voice.

Miss Hartwright gave a little laugh, although it was not unkind. “Only a little. It’s a very important question to think about, though; after all, so much of our country and science depends upon using magnolic power. It’s worth asking ‘why’--why do some flowers become thaumic blooms, while others of even the same species stay mundane? Why can some people channel that power while others Wilt? Why are there nine different aspects of magnolic power, and why do they correspond so neatly with Enneadic doctrine? These are all big questions with no simple answers.”

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The governess continued, smoothly transitioning their conversation into a lecture. “There were however two misconceptions in your original answer. First, thaumic blooms do not create magnolic power; the blooms absorb unaspected power from the sun and refine it into a form suitable for our use. Second, it is not only humans that can Bloom; many animals are capable of it as well, although it is far less common that they do so.”

Alicia felt her cheeks flush as the mistakes were pointed out. “I apologize for my errors,” she said, looking down at the path.

Miss Hartwright stopped, reaching out to take Alicia’s hand and force the girl to face her. “There is nothing to apologize for, my lady. Ignorance is nothing to be ashamed of; rather, it is those who are so afraid of seeming ignorant that they never challenge their beliefs who ought to be ashamed. If you do not know something, it is merely because you have yet to learn it.” She released the hand and began walking again. “Everyone knows that there are monsters in the wild--hydra, dire wolves, drakes, leviathans, all manner of chimera--but those who are neither scholars nor hunters often don’t realize that most monsters are just animals who were overexposed to magnolic power.”

Alicia knew that hydras and drakes existed, of course, but only as a distant concept--the same way she was aware of the existence of elephants and tigers in the Sindhi continent. The idea that they were caused by the same process that she had just gone through was unsettling. “Why do they change their form, and humans don’t?”

“That’s another one of those big questions, my lady,” the governess said, sighing. “The church teaches us that it’s due to humans being uniquely endowed by our creator with souls, and that protects against thaumic mutation or corruption. I’ve also read some reports from L’institut Medical that speculate it may instead be due to the physiology of our highly developed cardiothaumic system, which can channel more energy without risking corruption than lower life forms.”

“Have any humans ever... mutated, then?” In her mind, she saw the illustration of herself from her dream, with those lines of black lightning tracing all along her skin.

“A few, but it is very rare. Most people would perish from thaumic overload well before showing symptoms,” Miss Hartwright replied. She looked over at Alicia, seeming to suddenly realize that the girl looked terrified and trying to hide it. “But you don’t need to worry about that, my lady. It would require the presence of far more thaumic power than you will ever be exposed to, by an order of magnitude. I assure you, my lady, channeling is perfectly safe on that front.”

Alicia could still see that image--the burned skin like streaks of charcoal, that awful red light surrounding her, the face warped into a twisted grimace of torment and despair. She felt herself beginning to panic and quickly pushed it down, forcing her breathing to stay steady and relaxing the tension that had gathered in her shoulders. “I wasn’t worried, Miss Hartwright,” she said, although it didn’t even sound convincing to her ears. The governess didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t comment on it either.

They reached the bottom of the path, and now the garden opened up into a large field. The carefully managed greenery of the estate’s grounds had been cleared out, leaving a circular open space around twenty yards in diameter, with a floor of packed dirt. On the other side of the ring, the ground gave way to a small lake. In front of that, someone had dug out holes for three training dummies, padded wooden cylinders that had been carved into a rough approximation of a human, all of them showing signs of heavy use. Alicia knew that her brother and father often trained here, as did the members of the household guard, but she had rarely been down herself. Now, though, the area was empty except for Miss Hartwright and her.

“In any event, it’s vital that you learn how to properly channel.” From her satchel, Miss Hartwright pulled out two small glass vials, each stoppered with black rubber. They were each half-filled with a viscous liquid that seemed to glow. “I’m sure you’ve seen this before; it’s a standard way to preserve magnolic power. The technical name for this substance is magnolium, although you’ll also hear it called slick. The flower is alchemically processed into a paste and then suspended within a neutral oil.” She handed one of the vials to Alicia.

Alicia carefully took the vial, looking at the silver-green liquid within. It was bright even in the sunlight, and she could feel it call out to her in a way that now felt more ominous than comforting. There was something that didn’t quite make sense about this situation. “Miss Hartwright, if channeling is safe, why didn’t we conduct this lesson in the library?”

The governess shook her head. “Channeling is not a safe action, my lady. It is a powerful tool, but it is also a powerful weapon. Never forget that.”

“You just said it was safe,” Alicia said. She held the vial up, keeping it an arm’s-length away.

“You’re fully safe from magnolic corruption, but that doesn’t mean the library would be safe from you,” Miss Hartwright said. “That being said, you yourself are in very little danger. The vial I gave you is Energy aspected, but it is quite diluted; it would be difficult to light even a page on fire, much less burn yourself.”

“Oh,” Alicia replied. She brought her arm down, feeling somewhat foolish; she was a member of the nobility, of course she wouldn’t be put at unnecessary risk.

For the past two weeks, Alicia had been growing increasingly excited to learn how to channel. The conversation about mutations had been quite frightening, however, and had put something of a damper on those emotions. If she believed the memories of Christine, magnolic corruption would cause her downfall, regardless of what Miss Hartwright said. Christine’s knowledge was no help here, either, and she was afraid that she was stepping down the path of her own destruction.

At the same time, she needed to be able to at least prove she hadn’t Wilted, otherwise her fragile social position would certainly be destroyed. What’s more, this was a form of power that could be fully in her control. If she could harness this power, perhaps it would be the first real step in achieving independence and control over her own destiny. She closed her eyes and made a decision.

Miss Hartwright uncorked her own vial and brought it close to her chest. “Now then, my lady, are you ready to learn magic?”

“Yes,” Alicia replied, nodding with a newfound conviction.

The governess breathed in and Alicia could sense the magnolic power flowing out of the vial and into the woman. To Alicia’s sight, the woman began to glow slightly, a light blue like the sky. “Then watch carefully.”