Chapter 19 Magic #2
“Maybe.” Risna sounded like she was humouring her. “Can you read minds?”
“Er. I did once or twice, by accident.”
“Don’t look like your life is over, it might not mean anything.” Risna shrugged. “Like I said, it’s a skill that even mortals can sometimes have. Do you have magic? Have you ever cast a spell?”
Elizabeth bit her lip and shook her head. “I can’t say that I do.”
Risna raised a brow. “And are there any witches in your family?”
She shook her head again. “No.”
Risna smiled. “Have you ever had magic explode out of you? Made anything happen that didn’t make sense and couldn’t be rationally explained?”
She shook her head, feeling like Risna was telling her that it was very unlikely she had magic. Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Have you ever had headaches? Out of nowhere? A pressure in your head or in your chest, like stifled magic trying to get out? Maybe when you were very angry or upset? Or in danger?”
Her heart sank.
Her headaches.
“I don’t think so,” she lied.
Elizabeth bit the inside of her cheek and resolved not to say a word about her headaches. The idea that she could actually have magic—she would think about the implications later. No good could come from handing a stranger a secret that could get her killed.
She thought of how many of the servants in her parents’ house knew about her headaches, and Elizabeth wondered if anyone had made the connection. If anyone suspected.
But she didn’t have magic. She couldn’t cast a spell and had never made anything strange happen until the other night. It was much more likely that Ambriel had done something that could be rationally explained—at least, she hoped.
Oblivious to her spiraling thoughts, Risna continued kindly, “Then it’s unlikely that you’re a witch, and unlikely you have any magic.”
She tried to school her face into polite neutrality and not betray the feeling that she’d been drenched in ice.
“I see. Well … thank you for answering my questions.” Elizabeth paused. “Wait, I have one more,” she said hesitantly. “Just out of curiosity, are there any male witches? Humans can have either boys or girls. It seems a bit strange that all witches would be female.”
Risna grinned. “Male witches do exist. They are called warlocks. Warlocks are rare. Most children among witches are female as a gift from the Moon Goddess.” The woman placed her hands together in a prayer position and inclined her head. “The patron goddess of witches,” Risna explained.
“I understand,” Elizabeth said. “Can you be cursed or blessed by an angel?” she asked quickly, hoping to get an answer to her greatest fear at the moment.
Risna surveyed her with sharp brown eyes.
“Yet another question, but I’m enjoying this conversation, so I’ll indulge you.
” Elizabeth flushed, and Risna pursed her lips in thought.
“Doubtful. It is typically demons who like deals. History is riddled with tales of humans who have been offered a ‘gift’ or ‘deal’ with the devil, only for it to turn out horribly. But I haven’t heard of an angel bothering to do the same.
That’s more something I would expect from a demon. ”
Risna gave her a concerned look. “If you made a deal with that demon on the hill, I would be careful. Demons are not known for their philanthropy.”
Elizabeth inwardly cringed. “Noted.” She paused. “You really don’t think it’s possible to be blessed by an angel?”
“It’s highly unlikely. Angels normally don’t care for humans.”
“But they’re angels,” Elizabeth said, mildly exasperated.
“Beings that care more for the greater good than about you and me as individuals, yes,” Risna said stubbornly.
While Elizabeth gathered her thoughts, a bell chimed.
She lifted her head and saw a woman her age enter the shop holding a large box.
Glancing between Risna and the newcomer, it was easy to tell they were related. Olive skin. Arched brows. Observant eyes.
“Your relation?” Elizabeth smiled at the girl in welcome. The young woman raised a dark brow but otherwise ignored her and headed to the back of the shop.
“My daughter.” Risna smiled.
Her daughter came back with tea, setting two cups in front of them before departing once more.
Elizabeth sipped her tea, promptly burning her tongue, and set it aside to cool.
“Where were we?” Risna asked, sipping her tea.
“If someone wanted to learn more about magic, where would they look?”
Risna was quiet for a minute, absentmindedly twisting a ring on her finger, looking lost in thought. Finally, she spoke, “Magic is something you can or can’t harness. I would tell this person to figure out if they have magic, then worry about finding more information.”
Elizabeth leaned back in her seat and pursed her lips.
She didn’t want to mention her worry about the headaches, but she also didn’t know if she would ever find anyone else who could tell her about magic.
Carefully, she asked, “What does magic look like?” Risna blinked and surveyed her carefully.
“I can show you, but I must warn you. Once you see certain things, there is no going back.”
Risna took a chunk of crystal with a pearly sheen from the shelf and returned to the table. She placed the crystal in the palm of her hand and looked at Elizabeth.
“Let me make my meaning plainer.” Risna’s voice was full of warning. “If you tell anyone what you saw today, your life will be forfeit. I will curse your name from here to the ends of Arboras.”
Elizabeth swallowed and nodded gravely. She understood the need for secrecy, but she was not afraid.
“I don’t see how that’s important. I think my eyes will fail me today, and I won’t remember what I’ve seen,” Elizabeth smiled and said jokingly.
Risna did not appreciate her comment. She pursed her lips. “I am serious, Miss Elizabeth,” she said flatly. “You ask me to show you secrets that could have me, or those I love, killed. I will protect my girl to the ends of the earth. Your life is nothing to me compared to that.”
Elizabeth’s smile faltered. Risna’s words reminded her that she was asking to see something that could get them killed, and Risna had just made it clear exactly where she ranked in her priorities.
After a moment of hesitation, she slid a silver noble onto the table. “It’s your choice, and what you are comfortable with, Risna. I will not push, but I would like to see what magic looks like if you want to show me.”
Scooping the silver noble off the table, Risna pocketed it. She tossed the crystal into the air and cried, “Váless!”
The crystal turned on the spot, suspended about a foot in the air.
Elizabeth’s breath caught in her throat. The crystal rotated slowly in the air, defying everything she had been taught about the natural world. She put a hand underneath the stone to see if there was some trick at play. There wasn’t.
“Would you like to try, girl?” Risna said, looking at her strangely.
She reached a hand towards the crystal before she pulled it back. What if nothing happened? What if something did?
Perhaps it would be better to try it in private, where no one could bear witness to her success or failure.
“No, thank you, Risna. I think my curiosity is sated for the day. After all, nothing would happen if I tried, would it?”
The witch chuckled. “Probably not. If you do decide to try, any small object will work.” She paused. “And if I were giving you bad advice, I would also tell you the spell is ‘Váless’. It means to fly or lift in the Godstongue.”
Elizabeth committed the word to memory. “Thank you, Risna, for your time and for answering my questions. I appreciate it,” she said, her smile genuine.
“And just as you have asked me not to reveal your secrets, I would also ask that same courtesy be extended to mine.” Elizabeth blew on her tea and took a tentative sip.
It was soothing and smelled softly of herbs.
“Of course,” Risna said, saluting her with her mug.
“You said there is a way to protect myself in case things go badly?”
“If you happen to have magic, you could learn to protect yourself. If not…” Risna paused. “I can craft an amulet or charm that would protect you against minor things, like becoming enthralled in their eyes and basic magical attacks.”
Elizabeth looked at her sharply. “How much?”
The woman quoted a figure.
She whistled. It would put a serious dent in her coffers, but she desperately wanted any help against demons she could get. “I’ll think about it.”
Elizabeth thanked Risna for her time and stepped out of the shop.
She had a few more stops left before she returned to the castle.
A few hours later, Elizabeth retrieved Buttercup from the city stables and left Veridas with her shoulders slumped.
She had been laughed out of several dress shops, and her saddlebags were still filled with gowns that she hadn’t been able to part with.
The seamstresses had taken one look at the gowns she had with her and declared them long out of fashion.
They would never sell in Veridas, she had been told, where darker colours and different fabrics were favoured.
When she had blustered they couldn’t be out of fashion, she had been met with raised brows and clear refusals.
For a ball gown that had cost a small fortune, she had only been offered a handful of silver nobles, a pittance. The other two gowns she brought received no offers at all.
Apparently, selling her belongings was not as easy a feat as she had imagined. Each rejection felt like another door slamming shut on her hopes of one day building a life for herself in this kingdom without family or connections.
Elizabeth’s fingers tightened on the reins, and she pursed her lips.
She missed her easy life, where her surname had opened doors. Now she was no one.
And then there was the matter of what she had learned from the witch today.
If anyone found out she had even spoken to one, she could be considered a criminal for failing to report Risna to the authorities. Not to mention, if anyone found out she had any connection to magic at all, her life would be forfeit.
She thought of the executioner’s platform on Calyx and grimaced. She would have much preferred to live her life in ignorance, never learning that she might have magic in her veins.
Biting her lip, she wondered why the angel had told her it was a gift.