Chapter 18 #2
“Do you mean besides the fact that Spencer has a magical gift?” Juniper replied with a half smile, and I blushed. Of course, that helped to confirm it.
“Lyla, how else would you describe what happened to Frederick?”
With Spencer’s words, realization hit. That would have been magic, too. This prophecy could be real. This history could be true. Does this mean that something magical killed Mother?
Juniper frowned. “What happened?”
I recounted the details from our dinner to her, and as I did, her face drained of color. “Who did you tell? Who all knows? Where is Egan now?”
“We didn’t tell anyone else, and neither did Frederick. Only those in the room know–so that would include my ladies. Oh, and Ethan. He wasn’t there, but he has been helping us plan for how to deal with it since then.”
“Egan should be training with his team for the third challenge right now, out in the field.” Spencer added.
Juniper stood up and moved with a swiftness that I have never seen before.
She instructed us to stay put as she reached a door and went through.
A few moments later, four of her courtiers rushed through the room from that door, and she followed, closing it tightly.
The courtiers all left the room without a word of acknowledgement for us.
Juniper went to the windows and looked toward the military’s training field, even though she couldn’t possibly see it from here.
“Which Councilor sponsored that man?” She asked, irritation seeping into her tone .
“Uh, Lord Denenbaum. Can you fill me in? What’s happening?”
“Denenbaum? Isn’t that the father of Ethan’s girlfriend?” In her urgency, Juniper completely ignored my question.
The fear gripping hold of me was turning my stomach. Spencer reached over and grabbed my hand to offer soothing support. “Ye- yes…” I stuttered.
“Gods damnit. Where is he?”
“I’m not sure at this moment, but I planned to meet with him this evening.”
“I’ll find him.”
She went back through that door, and a moment later, two more people came through and scurried out through the castle.
“Spencer, tell me everything about his haze before, during, and after this incident. How did he act yesterday and today?”
Spencer recounted the details while Juniper wrote notes furiously.
As soon as she finished writing, she blew furiously on the ink to make it dry faster before folding the paper shut and sealing it with her wax imprint.
She mumbled over the sealed letter and waved her hands through the air.
I watched as the letter disappeared, and both Spencer and I gasped.
“That went to the Oracles, didn’t it? Is that how you got your response, too?”
It was probably an easy guess, but I needed to confirm.
Juniper nodded. “There has been an entire generation of people born with magic. We have been coming into it for the last ten years. We are the first in many generations to access magic like people used to.”
“What was in the letter? What’s going on?” I asked.
Juniper stood up, looked out at the training field again. After a moment, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
“There is a lot to teach you before you can understand the extent of what’s happening.
To put it shortly, Egan’s lightning strike shouldn’t be possible.
There is only one history book that mentions this type of power, and it was inside of such an intense story of a battle that it came across as fiction even with what we understand to be true.
The Oracles saved it for centuries. So many assumed that it was reality, but we do not know where that kind of power comes from.
All we can guess is that it’s not from the same source of power that we have.
I sent out people who can secure him if he shows other signs of that power, and without understanding how Denenbaum’s connection to it, I sent for Ethan to join us here.
I don’t think it’s wise for him to be around such a danger for now, not while he’s next in line for the throne, after you. ”
“We need to tell Father, and the Guards.”
“When Ethan gets here, we will get him caught up and decide if you should present to your father. He has been one that insisted the stories about magic were little more than fairy tales and has shut down discussions with me about this topic.”
“Could you send for Amyra and Ivy? They are my ladies and will be my closest advisors once I take the throne, and I’d like for them to be caught up as well. They’re both likely in my room.”
Juniper nodded and then disappeared into the other room to send for them. Two more people headed out, and Juniper returned.
A letter shimmered onto Juniper’s desk. She opened it and read the reply. “The Oracles are sending several higher priestesses to assess the situation. They will be here in two days’ time.”
“Could I learn how to do shimmery disappearing objects thing?” Spencer gestured to where the letter had arrived.
“No, it doesn’t seem possible, at least from the records we have.
Magic, as we understand it, is tied to eye color.
Your eye color is green, the color of spirits.
The hazes you see are the souls of the people.
I have golden eyes, which give me the power of air.
One skill I’ve developed has been the ability to send items through the air. ”
“Will I develop magic? That happens around twenty, right? That’s why you knew Spencer having it manifest five years ago was on time? ”
“That is why, but I don’t know if you will. We haven’t found a reason some have it and some don’t. If you do, it’ll likely be soon.”
“What would mine be?”
“Your brown eyes would give you access to earth magic. You’d be able to cultivate plants, speed growth in the garden, perhaps loosen soil to make preparing the land easier. Some of the strongest have been able to use the surrounding land to build small structures and furniture.”
“Oh, that’s rather anticlimactic.” I sighed.
Spencer snorted, and Juniper tsked at me. “Princess, you can mitigate and maybe even prevent famine and other agricultural disasters. You can help build or rebuild a war-torn district. That’s an important talent for a ruler of a country this large.”
I blushed. “Well, when you put it that way…”
A knock sounded at the door. Juniper rushed towards it, pulling it open slightly to check to see who was there.
She then pulled the door all the way open, welcoming in Ethan.
She allowed one of her courtiers to enter and then quietly asked the other to perform another task before closing the door.
The first courtier went back to the room they were in, leaving us alone in this room.
“Prince Ethan, thank you so much for joining me on such an immediate notice. I apologize for interrupting your afternoon.”
Ethan smiled, “It’s my pleasure, Lady Mallard. I knew Princess Lyla was meeting with you this afternoon, so I assumed it was connected to the meeting.”
Juniper nodded. “Yes, yes, it is. Please, you can call me Juniper. I suspect we are about to spend a lot of time together. Lady Ivy and Lady Amyra are on their way as well, and when they arrive, we will get everyone caught up on the situation we have on our hands. In the meantime, can I interest you in tea?”
Juniper was already at her kettle, placing it back on the heat to start up fresh glasses. She had a way of disarming you when you first entered the room. I made a mental note to study more of her techniques and to ask her to help me learn these methods.
Ethan nodded as he joined us at the table. Thankfully, this table seats eight people, so we are realistically ready to accommodate any small committee here. I suppose this would be the first meeting of the magic minders. I smile at the little nickname.
We made small talk while waiting for Ivy and Amyra to join us.
They didn’t take much longer, thankfully.
Juniper offered them tea and her first name before we settled in.
Juniper started off by recapping the information that she shared with us and making sure they were aware of the information we shared with her. Then she dived into the details.
“I believe that Egan’s zap was evidence of something sinister.
Lord Denenbaum has had a shift in energies in the last couple of years.
While he claims to represent moderate policies, he increasingly adopts more conservative positions, echoing past criticisms against the Oracles of the Gelid.
I don’t know what has been going on, but I can’t help but feel as if that is connected to the reason he sponsored Egan as a suitor. Can you tell me what you know of him?”
I shared information about the interests he’s shared with me.
I mentioned how he was socially awkward at the ball.
Spencer shared about how he struggles to lead on the field training exercises, but he excels in individual workouts and sparring matches.
We ended up agreeing that he’s not likely to be a political mastermind, and that he may not be aware of what he is taking part in, whatever it might be.
“His skill in lightning is not one that we have seen in the texts that educate us about magic. I am aware of only one mention of this type of power, and it seemed to originate from something… otherworldly. The high priestesses will be here in two days to see if they can figure out what’s happening, especially with his soul being so dark. ” Juniper finished.
Ethan interrupted. “Sorry, two days? Isn’t the Frosted Forest a 5-day ride from here, plus a few more days through the mountains to reach the temple? ”
Juniper nodded. “Air magic allows for its strongest users to move people through space. We call it winnowing. There aren’t many of us that can winnow people, so it’s not a common method of travel, but the Priestesses will tap into it when it’s necessary.
Those winnowing the group will need some rest when they arrive. ”
“Can you tell us more about this magic? How do other eye colors work?”