Chapter 36 — Encounters, Divined and Undivined
Tensley groaned and rolled his shoulders to loosen his sore muscles. He couldn’t believe the weighted training that Presius Novidus and the other members of the Silver Lions engaged in and required of all team members.
Nobles were mages not swordsmen!
His body servant, Eric, held up a bundled nightshirt, and with a grimace, Tensley held his arms forward for the embroidered cloth to be guided past his head and skillfully tugged so the fabric fell in place to make him properly modest.
The hot bath had helped, but he hadn’t felt this wrung out since the time his father insisted on hiring a tutor to teach him swordsmanship.
“I could send for a healer or… Alphan might have a salve for such aches.”
The gardener? Tensley gave Eric a look that made clear his opinion on that.
“As you wish, young master. If that’s all then, I’ll take my leave for the night.”
He dismissed the older boy with a curt wave and gingerly eased onto the bed that already had its covers turned down. Eric meant well, but he should be well aware by now that some things just needed to be endured. One of the disadvantages of having a smoke affinity was that it had poor compatibility with healing magics whether through spell or when cycling his energy to sore spots. The energy would be more efficiently put to use for his classes and improving his spells.
With a sigh, he pushed his remaining energy into the focus tool he wore on a gold chain. The smokestone figurine of a diving hawk—carved from the heart of a smoke elemental— was proof of his efforts and determination, a hard-won reward from his parents upon receiving the regional sponsorship. The success he’d earned was just the start, he couldn’t let up now if he was to improve his family’s meager status.
The sound of wings flapping against the air startled Tensley from his thoughts and drew his attention to the window Eric had left ajar to provide him with fresh air. A crow perched on the window’s sill.
As he stood up to shoo the bird away, a beautiful dress-wearing young woman with vaguely foreign features and brilliant white hair formed from the bird’s moon-cast shadow. The silver irises of the woman’s eyes, glowing vivid white along their edges, drew his attention for a moment before he came to his senses.
Fearing abduction, he sucked in a lungful of air to call for help, but the woman formed an air spell with a speed that could only be achieved by a master mage. As the magic settled over his room silencing the sounds of evening, he choked off the yell into more of an embarrassing yelp.
There would be no help that could save him from such a powerful and skilled mage; he’d only be putting his family at risk. And with air mages strong against his Suffocating Smoke spell, he wouldn’t likely be saving himself, either.
The young mage smiled at him, amused by his reaction. “Greetings, Tensley of the minor house of Exter. I have learned much about you over the last several days, and I have good news.”
The woman’s voice was that of a girl similar-aged to his eldest sister. The tone and manner were anything but.
“Have we met before?” he managed to ask, trying to project a confidence he didn’t feel.
Unless the woman’s appearance was an illusion, she had to be a foreign spy. With her skill at her age, there was no way he wouldn’t know about her—no way she wouldn’t be famous, unless… she was from a hidden bloodline. There were rumors—whispers—of powerful and dangerous bloodlines raised in secret by the High Council’s Inquisitors. The thought did little to comfort him.
The woman leisurely glided closer, her eyes carefully observing his reactions. “You needn’t worry; I’m certain that this is the first time we’ve met.”
Like that was a reason not to worry!
Taking a step back he calmed himself and asked with as even a voice as he could, “Why are you in my room? What do you want?”
“Why? To make a proposal of course!” the woman cheerfully announced, continuing past him to the small round night table beside his bed and placing a suspicious rune covered box and a black velvet draw-string pouch from out of what must have been a dimensional storage space.
“And what if I’m not interested?” he dared. Anything that required a box like that to store was surely restricted or maybe even a forbidden item.
“Oh, I doubt that will be the case. Or I wouldn’t have gone to all this effort.” The woman laughed and gave a knowing smile. “You see, I suspect our interests align in a way that promotes a mutually beneficial solution—a business proposition of sorts, a partnership.”
His eyes narrowed. For a mage of her obvious ability, what could he do that she couldn’t? It was suspicious. But… whatever scheme she was involved in, she had clearly chosen him and he doubted he would be allowed to refuse. “What do I get out of it?”
The woman’s smile turned up evilly in the perfect illustration of a grinning demon. “Yes, that is the correct question, young mage. And the answer is: greatly strengthened magic for yourself and better chances at victory for your Grand Games team.”
The Grand Games? Was that what this was about? Sure, he’d heard claims of Orders sabotaging other Orders’ teams. It was practically tradition. If that’s all it was, then maybe he wasn’t in as much danger as he had worried. And she was right that he would be interested. If he did well and the team did well, his standing with Presius and House Novidus would improve.
“What’s your angle here? Why help me?” Tensley queried. Even if he was at a disadvantage, he didn’t want to be anyone’s fool. “How are you planning to make my magic stronger?”
“Oh? Are you worried about who sent me? How precious!” The woman walked over to her crow and, to the crows’ apparent delight, used a delicate finger to scratch under its beak. “Let’s just say, I’m wagering a fairly substantial amount of coin on your team’s success.”
Wagers? Coin? That was the extent of it? He didn’t know whether to be disappointed or not. It was true that substantial sums of coin could be gained betting on the games, so her story wasn’t altogether implausible. Presius’ Silver Lions were one of the favorites to reach the top four, but they were hardly the undisputed strongest team.
“Not impressed, huh?” she noted with amusement. “What if I told you I can provide you with elixirs to rapidly improve your energy reserves, your affinity, and your attunements?”
He snorted. “Every Lowtown alchemist claims that.”
The young air mage chuckled haughtily as she stopped pleasuring the crow and waggled a finger at him. “Tsk, tsk. My method has been perfected through a century of effort and is nothing so crude. But, I can understand your skepticism, which is why I brought proof that I can deliver on my promise.”
The woman’s eyes locked onto his as she used one hand to pull back her full skirts and leisurely began to draw near, a sinister smile on her face. Tensley found himself instinctively retreating backward with each of the woman’s steps but the edge of the bed behind him quickly blocked further retreat.
The power radiating from the woman froze him in place as she closed the remaining distance and brushed away a stray lock of still-damp hair from his forehead. “No need to be so anxious, young Tensley. I’ve brought you but a simple gift to help after your long afternoon of training.”
How did she know about that?
Before he could think too much about her words or her breath that was crisp and clean like pure mountain air, he felt her soft fingers press something hard and cold into his hand. When she drew back to a more comfortable distance, he found he could breathe again and he looked down to find a wax-sealed vial containing an iridescent liquid—a liquid imbued with dense energy of a type he wasn’t familiar with.
Tensley doubted it was poison. If the woman had wanted to kill him, he’d already be dead. But whether a potion to make him agree to anything she said or a potion to make him sleep so he’d be easier to transport… he was less certain. His gaze drifted to the rune-covered box. Was it for smuggling him out of the city?
“Well?” The air mage prompted, drawing his attention back to her and her raised eyebrow. “Are you going to make me wait?”
There was a chance she might simply leave if he refused, but upsetting the powerful woman was something that might not go well for him… and providing a potion with unknown energy did give credence that her boast might be true.
Deciding to risk it, Tensley broke the seal with his finger and downed the liquid. He barely noticed the taste like Elven confections as a feeling of vitality rapidly spread through his body, seeping into his muscles and making the sinew and bulk feel denser as it washed away the soreness. He marveled as the remaining energy flowed along his pathways, thickening them.
Tensley’s gaze snapped back to the woman who was smugly twirling a lock of her pristine white hair around a finger as she awaited his reaction. If this was just a sample to prove her words?!
“Oh! Now that’s a delicious reaction,” she mused before her eyes filled dramatically with an oppressive sense of presence. “But be warned, power is not so easily gained. Sacrifices will be required. And that’s where you come in, Tensley of Exter. You get to pick our targets.”
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Forbidden magic! Tensley tried to keep his face from showing the fear he suddenly felt. This woman was no simple air mage! And there was no way this was only about wagers for coin! For her to reveal this to him now, meant refusing was no longer an option—if it had ever been.
“W-what do I have to do?”
“The task will require some discretion on your part. The pouch contains astral beacons which you will activate with a small amount of your energy and place near where the target will be or, preferably, on their person. Then you will release the Astral Harvester Leech contained in the box to feed on them unaware and steal their bloodline essence. Keep the box sealed while the leech is feeding and it will be returned to the box sometime after the feeding is completed.”
After detailing the horrific task expected of him, she winked playfully and added, “I recommend that you choose troublesome members of opposing teams for your targets, of course, but be careful to avoid choosing any spirit mages or anyone that will draw too much attention.”
There were no signs the woman was an Oathbound, but in the corner of his mind, a warning that this might be a test—that she was an Inquisitor—gave him hope to give voice to his worry. “Will they die?”
The woman laughed and shook her head with bemusement. “I’d almost forgotten how soft this generation has become! No. You needn’t worry about that. They might not even completely lose their ability to do magic, but they will lose their affinities. Which should be good enough for your purposes, am I right?”
Pushing aside a surge of annoyance at being belittled, Tensley nodded. Without affinities a mage wouldn’t be strong enough to be a threat in the Games. The more he thought about it, the more he warmed up to the opportunity he was being offered. If it meant improving his power and his family’s standing, what did he care if some rich brats had their unfair advantages stolen away? Their Houses probably stole their bloodlines from demi-humans and other races in the first place.
“So, we have a deal then?” the woman asked, her amused eyes betraying that she already knew the answer he would give.
He nodded again, confirming his decision. “I’ll do it.”
“Excellent! One more thing before I leave you to your task: there’s one girl you must not allow our little friend here to feed on.” The woman paused and smiled a smile that made a chill run up his spine. “A witch-girl named Ria. Do you know her?”
“We’ve met,” he admitted. The foreign girl was involved with Presius’ disgraced cousin. That self-serving failure had intentionally goaded him to get back at Presius. Tensley still didn’t understand how the lying snake was still a part of House Novidus and still allowed to show his face in noble society.
“Oh? Are you not on good terms with her?” the woman queried, seeming to misunderstand his aggravation.
Tensley narrowed his eyes. “Do you need me to be?”
An airy chuckle slipped from the woman, and she leaned down to be closer to his eye-level as she cupped his cheek. “Oh no, my dear Tensley. My plans for her only require that she not be permanently harmed. You may make her life difficult to the full extent of your little heart’s desire. In fact, the more challenges she faces the better.”
A twist of renewed fear caused the sound and thumping of his heart echo loudly in his ears. Was this… witch? Was she the foreign girl’s master? There were stories of terrifying masters that would encourage trouble and misfortune to find their disciples. The strong get stronger and the weak fall by the roadside as useless trash, or such. Did she intend for him to be fodder for the witch-girl’s growth?
“Scared?” the witch mocked as she slid her finger down to languidly trace a circle over his heart.
“No.” His pride roiled. He didn’t dare push her hand away, but he wouldn’t abide being called a coward. He grit his teeth at the chuckle he received in response.
“Good. Do well and we’ll both greatly benefit,” she cooed, and when she stepped back, her glowing eyes followed down his bare legs as if savoring the sight of an anticipated meal before returning to his face. “Impress me, and there are a great many things I can teach you.”
The smile the witch gave him as she sank into her crow’s shadow made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
He gulped.
Had he just survived an encounter with a witch like the ones in the children’s tales that his older sisters used to read to him when he was little?
The rune-covered box and the velvet sack sat on the night table as proof that it hadn’t been an illusion.
The strength he felt still surging through his body and the empty vial clutched in his hand were proof that the witch could deliver on her offer.
Tensley opened his hand and looked down at the vial, still containing a small ring of liquid at the bottom. He knew it was dangerous, but if he could become as strong as a Novidus… or a Vesali…
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The morning sun pleasantly lit the colorful spring hues of the Grand Academy’s Garden of Elements. Ria ducked under a low branch and crossed a boundary into a gloomy space enclosed by vines only to note it was already occupied by a classmate. Making an apologetic gesture, she continued on.
The scheduled focus of Ria’s elemental class on each Silverday was improving one’s attunements, and to that end, they were expected to spend the class period meditating and practicing simple spells, with each student making use of one of the garden's features as determined by the weekly sign-up sheet.
Naturally, having been late to class that first day (and pretty much every day since, thanks to Researcher Shadwich), all the best places had already been chosen by the time she checked—not that she would have known which were the best for her until after exploring the garden herself anyway.
So, here she was, wandering the garden with Ranger at her side, aimlessly exploring its varied and elementally-inspired features, letting her senses expand and taking in the feel of one interesting Source after another while trying her best to not disturb the other students.
It was only because of Soulkeeper Renard’s manual of specialized spirit-energy-enhanced meditation techniques that Ria had been able to undo the damage of her failed attempt at soul cultivation and could even consider using attunement-improving meditation like normal again. Though… ‘undo’ might be an optimistic assessment. She still wasn’t fully back to normal.
After returning back to the Vorshan Estate the prior evening, a calming tisane prepared by Ana’s mom using energy-infused herbs and flowers from the estate’s garden had helped Ria focus long enough to memorize the concepts of the recommended technique—a dual-element technique using water and spirit energies called Lu Xi’s Tranquil Pool of Gently Rippling Calm.
Of course, using spirit energy meant learning the spirit energy transformation—a task that went smoother than expected due to her improved awareness of her bond with Ranger and, apparently, her strong divine affinity. Even as a novice, her natural ability to create and control spirit energy was to an extent that scared her and again reminded her of the unbridgeable difference between having an affinity and not.
Getting a feel for the technique had required her to sit on the small bridge that straddled the fish pond in the estate’s garden, listening to the ripples formed on the crystal-clear pond’s surface by the falling flower petals. The occasional swirling breeze did also disturb the water, but it was the fluttering petals gently striking the water that gave her the insight needed.
With each of the patiently timed and gentle pulses of water-property spirit energy, the roiling heat and pressure building inside her calmed, realigned into a temporary harmony. Whether the result was entirely beneficial, Ria had some doubts. The properties of water were in opposition to her own innate affinity, and she noted her available power lessened as her angsts and unstable passions cooled.
Resorting to such a technique was frustrating when growing her power even at risk to herself was her immediate goal, but she had clearly reached too far too fast, and dealing with the instability had become necessary and more important for at least the near future.
Alert and with more modest ambitions, Ria’s second attempt at soul cultivation went much better. She followed the Soulkeeper’s advice and left regrets for the future, focusing only on overcoming fears, starting with weaker ones. Achieving even a minor victory was still fraught with difficulty as many of her minor fears quickly led to dread about the expectations of the gods and the consequences of failure, but... facing such terror did have the advantage of making fears of creepy-crawlies and worries about her physical appearance pale in importance. However ‘overcoming one’s fears’ was measured, the session left her with a sense of progress.
A bark from Ranger brought Ria’s attention back to the garden. One of the practice cubes for the body-strengthening spell was going unused and he wanted to try learning the spell again.
With her newly improved earth affinity thanks to Ranger, improving her own earth attunement probably wasn’t a bad idea either.
Ria shrugged. “I guess that’s fine. Do your best, buddy.”
While Ranger got to work, Ria found a nice spot nearby to sit and meditate. Elder Genwald showed up after a while to check on her progress and was impressed with her efforts. He gave some useful pointers on further improving her earth attunement before moving on to help other students.
The rest of class went well enough, and Ria was pleased enough with her progress—more pleased than Jax and Ellen were about theirs. Both her classmates were glad to see that Ria was in a better mood than the prior day. Even if they didn’t say so, Ria expected that her unstable aura from the prior day was the reason they had avoided offering to let her share either of their selected meditation spaces.
A small surprise came when she was exiting the gardens and her two classmate friends were heading off to their next class. For some reason, Orlisi was the friend waiting to escort her to her next class rather than Zena, which was odd since she had abjuration class together with Zena next.
Ria was a little anxious about facing her attackers for the first time since the ambush, but even if her friends thought she’d need more protection because of what happened, wouldn’t they send both Zena and Orlisi?
When asked, Orlisi assured her it was nothing so planned out, relaying that Zena was busy and she had offered to cover today’s ‘Ria duty.’
Ria rolled her eyes at the appellation. She did appreciate her friends working together to keep her safe, but honestly, they didn’t have to take it so seriously! Ranger was with her, and it wasn’t as if some disaster would happen if she walked to class on her own once in a while!
Not that she minded the company. Orlisi was rather excited about how much progress they were making on the mystery of the Moon Elf gardens. The suggestion to check for outside sources had already borne fruit, and if negotiations went well, the enthusiastic elf girl expected to have her hands on a copy of the needed book in the next day or two.
Ria was glad and felt herself getting caught up in the excitement, insisting that Orlisi invite her to the big event when it happened.
In fact, she was excited enough about the possible adventure that she was caught by surprise when forward progress toward her second-floor classroom was obstructed by dozens of her classmates and what appeared to be onlookers standing around one of the two entrances to the room.
Stopping short, Ria stood on tippy-toes to see past the congestion to get a glimpse of what was going on, but there were too many taller students in her way. Judging by the hushed murmurs, something had happened.
Ria tilted her head as a thought niggled at her. Wouldn’t Orlisi have normally foreseen this and have them arrive by the other door? Suddenly, remembering the High Priestesses’ advice about Elven friends, suspicions about a certain divination-specialist elf’s intentions began to grow in the pit of her stomach.
A glance in Orlisi’s direction showed a worrisome full toothed grin on the damnable elf’s face, and Ria knew she was about to become part of that ‘something that happened’ without a doubt. The air magic the elf was weaving all but confirmed it.
Before Ria even had time to slump her shoulders in dismay, the air currents wrapped and lifted her above the heads of the students blocking their way and deposited her in a clear space by the door—a gap in the crowd that placed her directly facing three Vesalis!
While a ruckus kicked up at her dramatic air-facilitated entrance, Ria quickly took in the surprised but sour faces of Ophesia and Nielle before noting Phaelys’ calm demeanor and the sealed letter in his hand.
“Oh, hello Phaelys,” Orlisi cheerfully greeted, the elf lightly landing beside Ria. “Hope we’re not interrupting anything. The way was blocked for some reason.”
“Morning, Orlisi of the Nurturing Tempest,” Phaelys returned with a flicker of relief. “Your intervention was timely, as Ria here is the person I was waiting for.”
“How coincidental!” Orlisi chirped and patted Ria’s back. “Well here she is!”
Ria mentally groaned. There was no way it was coincidental! Orlisi must have somehow divined this event ahead of time!