CHAPTER 16 #3
In a second, a bottle and two goblets appeared on the glass surface. She poured us a pinkish drink and handed me a glass.
The ease with which they wielded their power still bewildered me.
“How can you create things from nothing like this?” I asked, lifting my glass.
“I didn’t create it. It’s a summoning charm. I just fetched it from the kitchens. This is pink ale, very sweet on the tongue but light on the head, so you’d better drink slowly.”
From what I’d learned, their ability to perform charms was taught from childhood. Finn had said that each charm was like developing a new skill, training a different muscle.
She seemed to ponder for a moment, eyes drifting over her vibrant garden.
“Tell me the truth, emissary manners aside. We’re just two women talking, and I promise it won’t leave this place.”
I braced myself. “Alright.”
“How much does Reagan annoy you?” she asked.
I let out a snort, too quick to stop, and that alone might have been answer enough.
“Quite often, as you noticed,” I replied honestly.
She chuckled, goblet in hand, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “It’s clear in the way you look at him. And in the way he looks at you.”
I let the goblet linger at my lips longer than necessary. “Even so, he still gave me a chance to work for him.”
“Yes, yes. It’s curious because humans don’t usually stay here. They’re not allowed to,” Alameda pointed out. “So how come you’re here, living in Mountheim?”
I’d been expecting the question. When I asked Reagan, he told me it would be my decision whether to share my situation.
My leg bounced steadily against the chair as I considered her.
It struck me that she might have offered me a drink just to pry secrets out of me. But there was no harm in the question.
“I accidentally trespassed into Reagan’s territory and found myself in a courtroom quite quickly. He expected the judge would simply send me back, but she wanted to keep me to avoid anything like this happening again. He helped me with a personal matter, and I offered to work while I’m here.”
She rested her chin on her hand, her head bobbing in acknowledgement. “So, no dabbling in forbidden hexes, then?”
I let out a muffled laugh. “Is it not common at all in Erisea to have humans, either?”
Alameda seemed to still for a moment, long enough that I wondered what was wrong with the question. “Well, it’s not completely unheard of,” she replied finally, but her voice had gone serious.
She took a sip of her drink. “Do you know anything about the Order of Scions?”
I shook my head.
Her lips thinned, as though she regretted having brought it up. “They are usually the main reason a human might be found in mage territory.”
“Are they mageborn too?” I asked.
“Very much so. They are an old Order made up of the most obnoxious mageborn lineages, with a deeply exclusionary ideology. To put it mildly.”
“And why would they bring humans here?” I asked. “Is that what you’re saying?”
She took another sip from her glass, her expression stiffening.
“They are mostly a legal guild for those who still believe in mageborn dominance. They hold outdated views, like calling humans inferior.” She grimaced, her feelings about the group and their ideology painfully clear.
I frowned, the pink ale settling like a weight in my stomach.
“Yes. They should keep their ideas to themselves and be forbidden altogether, but they’re a group of nobles who like to pretend their ideology deserves to be heard like any other. The problem is that there are followers within the Order, and some of them are violent.”
The more I heard, the deeper the hostility toward humans seemed to run.
“And they hurt people,” I said, my leg bouncing lightly against the chair. “Or humans like me.”
“There have been cases,” she admitted, sorrow in her tone. “I lost a dear friend to one of the conflicts started by the Scions. She was a hybrid kin. One of her ancestors was human. She wielded like any of us, and she was one of the main voices speaking for them in Erisea.”
Alameda stared at the colourful garden, and though she kept her face neutral, I noticed the corners of her eyes glisten faintly, her expression tightening just slightly.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said.
The grim smile she gave me said enough.
She inhaled deeply. “Don’t mind me. I can be such a blubbering fool. I don’t even hold back when I have company.”
My next smile came easily, the most genuine one I’d given during this trip. I could almost forget she was a lady and a ruler.
I decided to change the subject for her sake.
“I was curious about something. Maybe you can indulge me,” I said. “Do you know anything about heartstones?”
“Heartstones? Yes, I know a little. What would you like to know?”
“How do they work? What are they, exactly?”
She tilted her head. “Ancient gemstones. There are several types. They serve as reservoirs that amass great power.” She fidgeted with her fingertips, and for a second, her eyes glowed purple.
I blinked, unsure whether I’d imagined it.
“It’s a resource I’ve always found fascinating.
There’s a saying that gemstones hum to the same tune.
It means they recognise their equals and resonate with the same energy when brought together, like sisters or friends. ”
It didn’t sound like she knew only a little.
Her eyes flicked to mine, gauging my reaction, and I nodded, wondering whether she’d used some ability to recall her knowledge.
“They’re beautiful as jewels,” she added, “but they also have other uses.”
Like binding sentences.
“Why do you ask?”
I shrugged. “They’re pretty.”
“Here you are,” Coriander’s voice came from behind me.
She stared past me as Lord Barrows made his way toward her, Reagan a step behind him.
“What is this smell you brought into my garden?” she asked them, wrinkling her nose.
Just then, a fetid odour hit me—fishy and sour.
Coriander dipped his head towards his wet shirt and sniffed it. “The scent of recently slaughtered sea spiders,” he answered, chuckling. They both smelled like that. “We’ll wash now. We have to meet Roak and Nala in twenty minutes.” He turned to Reagan. “Do you think you can make it?”
As he nodded, Coriander faced me, his expression shifting to something serious. “There is something else. Jane won’t be able to join this meeting. Our staff asked only you to join, Reagan.”
“Why? She’s my emissary,” Reagan argued.
“But she’s a new emissary,” Coriander replied in a flat tone. He didn’t seem pleased by it.
“It’s all right,” I told Reagan, rising from my chair. Given that Roak would be attending, I could guess why they preferred me not to be there. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“She suggested one of the topics, Cor,” Alameda remarked, lifting her chin in my direction.
“I know she did, but they are insisting we keep this meeting small,” Coriander replied, scratching his chin. “Unless . . . maybe if you swear loyalty to Mountheim on a Grimoire.”
“What? No, she won’t do that!” Reagan snapped, sounding as if he was offended. “I trust her. That should be enough for your staff leader.”
“And I trust you. But I think we should choose the battle we want to fight now,” Coriander replied calmly. “We are still working with my parents’ staff, not the ones that we would have chosen.”
Reagan’s eyes narrowed, seeming ready to argue.
“It’s fine,” I said again, raising a shoulder.
“We should go, we don’t have much time,” Alameda cut in. “Let us take you to a bath before this smell clings to the flowers.”
They turned towards the entrance, letting Reagan and me fall behind.
“Just come with me. Let’s see what they do,” Reagan muttered.
“Hm, I’d better not. But there’s something else I found out,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “Did you know there’s a stone bench in the Pool of Quintessence?”
Reagan kept his gaze ahead, though I might have seen his mouth twitch. “Is that so?”