Chapter 7
Sora would have been vastly surprised if the head mage of a clan didn’t question, however politely, a new mage in their clan.
And Lisette did not disappoint. He’d barely stood from the dinner table when she appeared quite smoothly at his elbow, all smiles but with an intent expression that meant he was not allowed to escape her.
Fair enough. Sora had questions for her, as well. Ones not so easily asked nor answered.
“Mage Vo, I wonder if you have a little time to sit and chat.” Lisette gestured at the door, indicating a more private spot.
In the same tone, he inclined his head. “Of course. I have a few questions to ask you.”
“Splendid. It’s always nice when two people are on the same page. Perhaps my workroom will be the best place to sit and talk.”
Private indeed and it would give Sora a glimpse into the clan’s inner functions. A mage’s workroom could say a great deal about the skill level of the wielder. Sora had no compunctions as he followed her out of the room.
As they walked, Lisette asked casually, “I hope that you’ve been properly welcomed here? We’re all a tizzy with so many new mages at once, and I don’t want anyone to feel left out or slighted.”
Two—three including him—new mages were so amazing to them? It wasn’t as if Sora saw new mages outside of his family come in regularly, but they had many born to them. Gaining new mages wasn’t something unusual. It segued nicely into one of the many questions he had.
“You don’t have new mages born in?”
Lisette shook her head with a sad smile. “No. Not for lack of trying. All of our mages are mated to dragons, you see. We had a few welcome surprises—Sasha, for one—but few births. And with no mages partnered with other mages, we had no new magic users born.”
Uh-oh. No wonder he’d seen so few, then. Sora had wondered at the dearth of magic here and had made a few guesses. But this made it much clearer.
“May I ask what the Burkhard specialty is?”
“Explosions, if you ask our dragons,” Lisette answered dryly.
Sora snorted a laugh.
“Our mages, well, we don’t really have one. We’re a hodgepodge of mages who married in from other clans, so we all bring something different to the table. The Nohs their seeking spells, Tori his herbology, Clara her potion-making. Does your family have a specialty they claim?”
“Yes, healing.”
Lisette blinked in surprise, eyebrows lifting. “Oh? That’s one of the things we’ve lamented, our lack of healing knowledge. I’m afraid we lost most of that skillset in the war.”
It explained so much. During Ravi’s tour earlier, Sora had met quite a few members of the clan.
While most were hale and hearty enough, there were small signs of ailments that should have been addressed.
Easily addressed, no less. Sora had wondered why so many were wearing glasses when a simple corrective spell would address sight issues.
That alone told the story of how much information this clan did not have.
And it was disturbing. Because those were rather basic spells.
Lisette led him into her workroom, gesturing him gracefully into a chair that looked plush and comfortable.
As he took the seat, Sora glanced around, getting his bearings and doing a discreet study.
The walls around him were filled with shelves, and he didn’t need the labels in neatly printed German to recognize the ingredients housed within the glass jars.
There was a stainless-steel table off on the other side of the room, a stove and refrigerator, all of the modern conveniences.
It was a very well-organized setup and an indication that this woman was head mage for a reason. She clearly knew what she was about.
At least one person in this clan knew what they were doing.
The greenhouses said that they had more than one competent mage, of course. But that wasn’t saying much. They should have had hundreds. Not a dozen.
Lisette settled across from him, shifting her skirts about for maximum comfort, still with that smile on her face. “Now, we should be able to talk without interruptions.”
Should Sora be worried? His instincts were suddenly sitting up, alert and focused.
“Tell me a little about yourself and your family, Sora. I’m avidly curious.”
Honesty, half-truth, or lie mixed in with truth…? That was the lightning-quick debate in Sora’s head. He decided on honesty only because he was a terrible liar, and it wouldn’t serve him well if he lied to them now. Not if there was a future connection to be had.
“I can’t tell you everything; I’m sorry. My family went into hiding at the beginning of the Dragon War, and they’re not compelled to leave it yet. But I’ll tell you what I’m allowed.”
To his surprise, Lisette nodded, as if she’d expected this. “That’s fine. Tell me what you’re comfortable saying.”
Sora had expected more resistance than this and couldn’t help but ask, “You’re alright with that?”
“We lost too much during the Dragon War, young mage. I know you’re too young to remember it.
But because I do, I’m more inclined to be lenient and patient with those who survived it.
Secrecy was the only thing that preserved some families.
If your family needs to test the waters before revealing themselves, then I’ll patiently wait them out while dangling a carrot or three. ”
Sora snorted at the imagery. Carrots might actually work on his mother. She liked to snack on them.
“Alright. My parents are both mages, and I’m their only child.
My family’s knowledge was kept intact, and it’s been passed down from one generation to another, parents teaching children.
We’re all trained in the healing arts, each gravitating to our own specialties.
In modern lingo, you’d say I’m something of a physical therapist. I like restoring full function to damaged nerves and muscles. ”
Lisette took all of this in with a calm poker face. Sora had no idea what she really thought about it all. He made a mental note to never play cards with her. He was sure to lose if her poker face was that good.
“Can you tell me how many are in your family?”
“I cannot, I’m sorry. Nor where we are living now. I can tell you what I know, however. I’m happy to pass along what knowledge I possess while I’m staying with you.”
Her caution lifted, and she smiled brightly at him, almost joyous. “That would be wonderful. And it’s very generous, thank you. I will pick your brain as much as I can.”
“I’m happy to be picked. Um. I feel that didn’t come out right.”
Lisette threw her head back with a laugh. “No, but I take your meaning. Can we—”
Someone knocked urgently before bursting in. The man, who Sora had not yet met, looked a touch frantic, his platinum blond hair flying in a mess around his head. He hastily shoved it out of his ice-blue eyes with an impatient hand.
“Lisette, one of the newbies burned herself rather badly,” he blurted out. “Fire spell that backfired.”
Sora and Lisette were both out of their seats in a heartbeat, Lisette immediately grabbing elements from her shelves. “Is someone bringing her here?”
“Yes, Dieter has her. I ran ahead to warn you.”
Lisette gave him a nod. “Good.”
This seemed a chance to make good on his promise and perhaps further open communication between them. “Mage Lisette, allow me to treat her.”
Lisette paused with her hands full, giving him a sharp look. “You think you can treat this?”
“I’m not inexperienced with such burns, shall we say. Product of a misspent youth.”
“Heh. You sound like a Burkhard. Alright, I’ll be happy to watch and learn what I can.”
“Let’s start here.” Sora gently tugged one jar out of her hands and put it back. “Untouched snowflake might soothe a burn but it hampers the healing process of the skin, too. Best not.”
She yielded without a fight, surprise on her face. “So, what do you suggest?”
“Nectar of Japanese honeysuckle, to start with.” Sora turned to the man and said, “I’m sorry, what is your name?”
“Ah, Gunter, Gunter Burkhard. Nice to meet you. Mage Vo, correct?”
“Correct. Nice to meet you. May I ask that you fetch my black bag from my room? I have a few elements in there that will aid this process.”
Gunter didn’t seem bothered by this request, just gave a sharp nod and was out the door in a flash.
Lisette followed Sora as he went for the more kitchen-esque side of the workroom. “What do you need?”
“Two small bowls, a mortar and pestle if you have something that is glass. I can’t use porcelain for this. And a large bowl, something that we can set her damaged limb in, as I’ll need to pour this over whatever area has been burned.”
Lisette opened up cupboards, fetching what he needed without pause. Sora accepted each, laying them out in his preferred arrangement. He had the bowls in place, a towel nearby, when his patient arrived.
She was young—that was Sora’s first impression.
Perhaps nineteen, and clearly too untrained to know better, as the fire spell had backfired magnificently.
Her entire hand was bright red, touches of third degree burns on her fingertips.
Her face, arm, and neck were also streaked red, a clear indication that the spell had gone winging off and over her head.
Oh yes, Sora had seen this exact injury before. Even as he shook his head at the foolishness, he had sympathy for her, as silent tears of pain traced down her cheeks.
“Come, sit here,” Sora directed her in a calm, soothing tone. “Let me assess what you’ve done to yourself. I’m Sora, you are?”
“Alice,” she responded, voice hoarse. “Can you fix me?”
“You are unfortunately not the first patient I’ve had who has used a fire spell in a strong wind. That is, I assume, what happened?”
She looked abashed. “Yes.”
Lisette sighed wearily. “I told you magic lessons would start tomorrow. The primer book was to read tonight.”
Sora felt a moment of déjà vu. He was quite sure he’d had this exact conversation with his aunt and mother when he was a child.
“The very young do not always do as they are told. But that’s how they become wise, is it not?”