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While there has been some success in tracking magic through family lineages, there is no exact formula. Two magical parents may have a higher chance of birthing a child with the gift, but that doesn’t account for the new magical lines that appear with every non-bloodline wizard who joins the Crux.
An Essay on Magic and Family by Lionel Lorne
THE STRAE DELEGATION has been given nearly an entire wing of the palace to call their own during the peace talks.
It’s big and lavish, with curtains of sheer linen diluting the sun that pours in through the tall, arched windows.
It sparkles across the mosaics of colored glass, the precious stones that make up the floor.
Elaborate chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and candles are set into the sconces instead of the light globes I’ve become so accustomed to.
The airy central room is filled with cushioned chairs and chaises, and hallways branch off to more private quarters of varying size and opulence.
And since I refuse to return to my old quarters in my family’s wing of the palace, I’m sharing a room with Alix. Allisande is housed just across from ours, though the abjuration keeping her door locked tells me all I need to know about how much say she has in being here.
From what we’ve gathered, the Immen delegation arrived only a couple of days after us.
The rumor is that King Luther of Immenbach is trying to delay the talks until his son and heir arrives, but the Shykhdar isn’t having it.
Though with the way the palace is laid out, none of the Strae delegation have actually crossed paths with the Immen party, and that is likely intentional.
No, the first time the two opposing parties are set to come together is tonight at the Shykhdar’s welcome dinner. Which I resolutely plan to avoid.
“How are you faring?” Alix asks.
“Oh, you know,” I sigh, rolling the sending Arlon gave me in between my fingers as I stare up at the arched ceiling. Alix is on the bed next to mine, legs crossed with a book in his lap, but at that nonanswer, he glances over at me, unamused.
“No, I don’t. That’s why I asked.”
I scowl, folding the focus into my hand. “I don’t understand why I can’t leave. I got us here, made my appearance. Arlon said my presence is required, but he didn’t say for how long.”
Alix sets his book aside with a snort, giving me his full attention. “Somehow, I think that you leaving would be frowned upon at best, catastrophic at worst.”
I’m sulking. I know I am, but the worry about what’s in store for me mixes with my worries about Dom, worries about the peace talks. Too many Goddamn worries. I sigh, rolling on the lush bed to face the wall, my back to Alix.
“We should get ready for dinner,” he says after a quiet moment.
“I’m not going.”
I hear him shift before his weight settles next to me. “So, what, you’re planning on spending the whole trip in this room?”
“So what if I am?”
He snorts at that. “Olbric, look at me.”
His voice holds that dangerous, authoritative tone I’m so familiar with. Before he was kidnapped by Diran, he was one of my more regular evocation casters, and a... devastatingly effective one at that.
Reluctantly, I roll, turning to face him. I’m met with an open-handed slap on the cheek. It’s not particularly hard, but it’s abrupt enough to send an unexpected shock through me.
“What the fu -” I start, but my outrage is cut short when his hand finds my throat. It silences me, and I’m given no choice but to meet Alix’s sympathetic gaze that stares me down.
“You needed that.” He squeezes gently, making my eyelids flutter as pleasure chases off some of my misery.
The gentleness in his voice is at odds with what his hand is doing.
“Look, I get it. You’ve got a complicated relationship with your father, and you don’t want to be here.
Frankly, I don’t want to be here, either.
Feels like I just got back to the Crux and Orabelle only to be pulled away again.
So, let’s at least be tolerable to each other, yeah? ”
I swallow as he loosens his grip on my neck. “I-I don’t want to see him tonight. Please.”
The hand on my neck travels up to cup my cheek. “You’re going to have to face him eventually.”
“I know.” I sigh and lean into his hand. “I... I know he’s going to try and keep me here. I’m just not sure what tactic he’s going to use yet. I’d... like to avoid him until I have a better idea.”
“See, now that’s an answer I can accept,” he says, tapping my cheek gently. “Just know I’ll slap you some more if you try to take your bad mood out on me again.”
I give a huff of a laugh as I flop back against the bed. “And if I take my bad mood out on you again, I welcome any and all slapping. God knows I’ll need the distraction.”
Alix’s smile is a little sharp. “Good thing I brought some casting supplies just for the occasion.”
The fact that Alix knew I might need his particular brand of stress relief makes warmth gather in my chest. “Thanks, Alix.”
He gets to his feet. “I’ll tell Arlon you’re not coming. Rest up, alright?”
I hug my pillow a little tighter. “I will.”
He sweeps out of the room, and I hear the chatter of the rest of the delegation gathering in the main room before that too fades.
I let out a sigh as I roll the sending between my fingers.
No doubt the Shykhdar has something extravagant and drawn out planned for tonight, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty of alone time.
I’m just about to release the spell and contact Dom when there’s a quiet knock on my door. I freeze, dread seeping like ice through my veins.
“Master Olbric?” One of the royal attendants. Who I guess are my attendants by proxy for this trip. “You have visitors at the door.”
I barely dare to breathe. “Who?”
“They say they’re your sisters.”
The dread vanishes, and I pull the door open so quickly I think I startle the bearer of good news. “Thank you!” I call and hurry past her to the main door. And when I throw it open, I’m greeted by Lavleen’s excited shriek.
“OLbrIC!”
My younger sister all but throws herself at me, and I gasp at the sudden and unexpected weight.
“Gods, what happened to you?” I crow as I spin her around.
I suddenly realize how long six years really is.
Lavleen was only twelve when I last saw her, but now...
“There’s no way that you are the same little tadpole of a sister I remember! ”
Lavleen laughs brightly as I set her back onto her feet. She’s got our father’s deep brown eyes. They’re as large as a doe’s on her face, but it’s our mother’s smile that beams up at me. “Your fault for staying away for so long.”
A smaller, but still bigger than expected figure grabs me around my waist. Jahanna, who was only six when I left. “You’re going to stay, right?” Her quiet question sounds more like a plea.
I wrap my arms around her, not sure what to say. I open my mouth to try, but a familiar voice beats me to it. “No, Hanna, he can’t stay.”
“Samira,” I breathe. Although she’s a year older than me, we could be twins for how similar we look. The same hazel eyes, the same nose and cheeks, hell, even the same length of hair, now.
Jahanna’s arms loosen from around my waist, and I let out a short laugh as Samira pulls me into a fierce embrace. I hold her for a long moment, tears pricking my eyes. Some of Galiva’s parting words float through my head - what if you see your sisters again?
I hadn’t realized just how much I needed that until now.
“God, I’ve missed you,” I say quietly.
Samira pulls back, loosening her grip to wipe tears from her cheek. “I’ve missed you, too.” She looks at Lavleen and Jahanna. “Alright, I’ve let you say your hellos. Now I need to talk to Olbric, and you both need to hurry to dinner.”
There’s a chorus of dissent, but Samira shoos them off. I chuckle and give both Lavleen and Jahanna a kiss on the head. “I’ll see you again soon, I promise.”
Reluctantly, they head back down the hall, but I wait until they’re out of earshot before I say, “Let me guess - you’re not supposed to talk to me.”
Samira grabs my wrist and pulls me back into the Strae delegation’s wing before she closes the door. “Talk to, look at, approach in any way...” she says airily. “But you know I’ve never been very good at following Ada’s instructions.”
I chuckle, and my heart feels full just having her here. She hasn’t changed a bit. “So long as you don’t get caught snooping around.”
Her smile is sly. “You underestimate how good I’ve gotten at snooping.” She grabs my arms as she looks me over fondly. “You look wonderful, Olbric.”
“Could say the same about you,” I say.
“Ama sends her love,” Samira says, and I’m glad to know that my mother’s in on this little meeting. “She’d come herself, but she’s at Ada’s side for the welcome feast.”
“And what’s your reason for missing out on the fun?” I ask, amused.
“I’m afraid I’ve come down with a head cold,” she says with a smirk.
“Aah, of course. You wear malaise well.”
Samira chuckles and gives my shoulder a shove as she heads further into the main room. “Still as smart-mouthed as ever.”
“If anything, the Crux has honed that smart mouth into a genius.” I follow her but pause, eyeing the big windows.
I wish I had my spells to shield this conversation from listening ears.
The palace was designed in the early days of the Shykhdar, when only a tentative peace existed between the five ruling houses.
Suspicions ran rampant, and the entire palace was built to try and uncover secrets between the new rulers.
“Where are your quarters?” she asks, her voice low. It’s like she’s read my mind. She follows me to mine and Alix’s room, and I close the doors quietly behind us.
“As happy as I am to see you, I have a feeling you’re not risking Father’s wrath just to say hello,” I point out.
Samira’s smile turns sad as she takes a seat on Alix’s bed. “You’re right. And as happy as I am to see you, I have to ask - why the hell are you here? You swore you’d never come back.”