“…As I said, I have nothing but praise for the child.”
“Thank you, Angela. And what do you think, Madeline?” said Caedmon, moving on from Mrs. Dawn. “He seems most taken with you and Patricia, after all.”
“He’s such a sweet boy,” came the house servant’s heartfelt words. “Just like Elly said earlier, he’s very helpful around the house. It’s been over a year since he started living here, yet he still helps with laundering clothes and setting them out to dry.”
Elly was the head cook, who had taken to teaching Alistar how to prepare certain meals in recent months. This had greatly benefited Anice, as he usually asked her to taste his practice dish of the day.
“And anything else that needs doing,” agreed Patricia in her melodic voice. “Tidying up rooms, making beds, cooking meals, cleaning dishes—he does everything, even though we never ask him to help us.”
“Just the way the boy is.” Anice recognized the rough voice of Calub, the head gardener of the estate. “From what I can tell, he just wants to learn as much as he can.”
“I agree,” said Stason, who was hovering around Patricia as he had been doing a lot as of late. “He’s already a good enough rider that I don’t have much else to teach him. I’ve never met a kid that picked up on things as fast as he does. When I think of it, I don’t know anyone with such a clear memory.”
Several others murmured in agreement, which made Anice feel a bit frustrated. She had lived with these people all of her life and had never received such praise from any of them. Was Alistar really so much better than she was?
“Hold on,” said Caedmon, who suddenly raised his voice. “Anice, I know you’re out there. Why don’t you come in here and talk with us for a bit?”
Blushing vigorously, Anice berated herself for forgetting how acute her father’s senses were. Hanging her head as if she had just been caught stealing from a street stall, she shambled in and found a place at her father’s side, though she opted to remain standing like many of the servants in attendance.
“Silly girl,” said Madeline, who retrieved a cloth from the table, wet it with water from a cup and then immediately set about dabbing the dirt from her dress. “You only just got dressed an hour ago. How did you dirty your clothes so quickly?”
Anice grew embarrassed as her appearance was considered by many eyes.
“It’s just a bit of mud,” snickered Tramon, whose ratty facial hair appeared as if it had received a partial combing. “Kids will be kids, eh? Just leave the lass alone.”
For the first time since she’d met the man, Anice’s impression of him softened. Still, she was quite annoyed that he hadn’t attended Alistar’s Name Day, which she could tell had bothered her cousin quite a bit even though he had never brought it up.
“Tramon’s right,” said Caedmon, who waved Madeline off with a dismissive hand. “She can always change into another dress.”
“If it’s all well to you,” said the young woman, puffing up her large chest in evident annoyance. “I’ll not have the lady of this house walking around in muddy clothes.”
Her father gave in with a sigh and allowed Madeline to continue fussing about with her dress, though the woman was quick to give up when the dirt refused to come out.
“You came at a good time, Anice. We were just talking about Alistar and how he’s been getting on since he started living with us.” Her father was dressed in his usual silks, his hands dark with ink and charcoal from the many hours he’d spent locked up in his study. “You spend the most time with him. How do you think he’s gotten along this past year?”
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“I…he’s been fine.”
“And how has he been getting along with your friends?”
She crossed her arms, pouting. “He only ever hangs out with the boys anymore. All they do is beat each other with sticks, so I don’t understand the fun of it.”
Tramon let out a suspicious grumble, helping himself to a glass of wine as he considered her words with thoughtful eyes.
“And what of the girls? Does he not get along with them?”
Even though Alistar spent most of his time with Zech and Jaden, it didn’t mean that he neglected the others. She had exaggerated out of annoyance, for in reality he hung around the rest of the group at least twice a week.
“He does. He’s still shy around them, though. I think it’s because they tease him.”
“In what way?” asked Patricia, long, black hair framing the beautiful frown that visited her angular face. “To think that someone would tease a boy like Alistar…”
“Well, they poke him a lot since they know it makes him blush. They pinch him, too.”
The worry in Patricia’s gaze was quickly replaced by amusement. “Oh, then it’s all in good fun.”
Not for Alistar, she wanted to say, for she knew that her cousin didn’t like to feel flustered. It was then that she noticed a new face in the room, a man with short, black hair who was about her father’s age. He wore a long robe the colour of pine needles, the same shade as his eyes. Peculiarly enough, he was the only one in the room that she couldn’t detect with her sixth sense. On top of that, he looked inexplicably familiar.
Pointing at the man, she said, “Who is he?”
“Now, Anice. You know it’s impolite to point at people.” Her father placed a hand on hers and lowered her arm. “You might not remember him since it’s been a very long time since you’ve seen him, but this is Mr. Albeck, an old friend of mine and Alder’s from our days at the arcannia in Valay.”
Valay? That was the principal city in the duchy of Vern, which was ruled by her eldest uncle, Antoine. “Weren’t you only there for a short time? I thought Grandfather didn’t let you leave the capital city.”
Alder and Mr. Albeck shared a frown.
“It’s true that I had to leave around the time that I was about fifteen, but I still spent many years in Valay back when one of my uncles was the lord of that land.”
“Oh.” Recalling all the times that Alistar had felt the need to remind her of her manners, she tugged at her dirt-flecked dress, blushing, and curtseyed to the man. “I—it’s nice to meet you. I’m Anice.”
“Jin Flores Albeck,” nodded the man. “How do you do, Anice?”
“I’m doing fine.” Recalling what had just happened out in the field, she was overtaken by a fit of excitement and turned to her father with a giddy smile. “Papa, I was just outside and took my earrings off so that I wouldn’t get them dirty while I was—while I was reading the scripture, and something incredible happened! The air began to heat up, and then Alistar ran outside and told me about my earrings. He said that they were limiters, and that I had already come into my magics!”
“I told you not to take those off, Anice,” sighed her father, his voice stern yet forgiving. “Though it’s all the same, I figure.” Clearing his throat, he nodded toward his old friend and said, “Mr. Albeck here has agreed to teach you and Alistar magic, so from today onwards he will be staying here at the estate and tutoring the two of you for a few hours each day.”
Excited as she was, her first thought was that she would have even less time to hang out with her friends now that another time-consuming task had been added to her schedule.
“When will we start?”
“Tomorrow. Is that okay? You don’t look too pleased.”
Just as she was wondering how to word her anxieties to her father, a great tremor shook the estate as the sky let out a bellowing roar.
“I just… No, it’s fine.” The sounds of wild winds began hissing through the window frames, which reported the pattering of a growing army of raindrops. “Will I need anything?” She had been saving up her allowance for the past two years in the hopes of buying a pretty staff from a reputable salesman in the marketplace. If she needed one to help her practice in the coming lessons, perhaps she could get her father to purchase it for her? If he did, then she could buy all sorts of treats for her friends with her savings.
“For now, you simply need to attend your lessons and memorize what Mr. Albeck teaches you.”
“Worry not, dear girl,” said the man, whose hazel eyes took up a reassuring air. “Tomorrow’s lesson will be an easygoing one. All we’ll be doing is checking to see what sort of magics you’re more in tune with.”
Tingles ran down Anice’s spine as a very warm, attention-grabbing sensation suddenly besieged her sixth sense. She wasn’t the only one to notice it, as her father, Alder, Mr. Albeck and Tramon all turned their heads in the direction of the central courtyard at the same time. As they did so, the house servants and other workers all turned pale, many of them shivering as if caught in the battering cold of a violent blizzard.