Kethril (19 page)

They walked back to Emmaoen. “You mentioned
something about dinner? And would you happen to have any wine? I
like red,” Liselle suggested hopefully.

The duchess was still overwhelmed by what
Liselle had done. “Dinner? Yes, of course.” She looked at her
extensive staff of servants. “Well? . . . She needs food! Dinner
will be served
now
! Get to it! And three bottles of my
finest red.” Emmaoen clapped her hands and shooed everyone back to
the manor. Most came back to reality and began hurrying back to
their tasks. A few continued to stare dumbfounded at the new
garden. She ignored them and led the party back to the manor.

Liselle ate enough to feed four starving
peasants before sitting back with a contented sigh. Red wine
swirled slowly in her crystal glass as she took a sip. It was her
third cup and she was feeling relaxed. The meal had been quiet
because no one else had known what to say and Liselle was too busy
nomming to talk. No one, from Emmaoen to the guards to the
servants, could stop staring at her in awe. Even Sir Danth and
Vevin were acting especially respectful.

She didn’t want to talk about the flowers or
the magic she had performed, so she asked Emmaoen, “You said we
would spend the night at your place. You didn’t mention it was so
big. Who else lives here?”

The question caught Emmaoen off guard. “Well
. . . other than the staff . . . no one. I live here alone, at
least until I marry and have children.” The duchess made a face,
clearly not thrilled about the concept.

“Really? You live here all by yourself?”
Vevin asked in surprise. “It’s a very nice house. Do you have
treasure?”

“Treasure?” The duchess raised an
eyebrow.

“Oh yes! Everyone should have treasure,
especially if they have so much room to put it in. I’m hoping to
have lots of treasure to put in my cave soon.”

“Ah yes, dragons have treasure,” Emmaoen
replied with a nervous laugh. Nearby guards became decidedly
uncomfortable. “I don’t have anything like dragon treasure, but I
have money for various expenses.”

“Like hundreds of staff?” Liselle asked as a
server moved forward to pour a little more wine into her glass.

The duchess smiled. “That’s taken care of by
my estate and accountants. I really don’t have many expenses other
than my magical supplies. I give most of my stipend to orphanages
and other causes.” She shrugged. “My father was first in line for
the throne, but he and mother died young and I was their only
child. Uncle Turman became king in his place, though he didn’t want
it. He’s a great king though.”

“I’m sorry about your parents, Emm . . . Am
I allowed to call you by name?” Liselle asked. “I didn’t realize
you were a duchess until today.”

“Yes! Of course. Please, Liselle. I want
very much to be your friend. I’d just hate it if you used titles
with me.” Both women got up and rushed to give each other a hug.
They spent the next hour talking about their childhoods and how
they had always wanted a best friend. Vevin and Sir Danth
eventually shrugged at each other and went outside to admire the
new garden.

“So I’m sixth in line for the throne, after
Uncle Turman’s three sons and two daughters. I don’t want it
though. I like magic and want to do that for the rest of my life,”
Emmaoen said as they sat next to each other, having their first
glasses of the third bottle of wine. “Let’s go up to my room and
finish this there,” she said, grabbing the bottle from the man
whose job it was to pour. He looked appalled by the boldness of the
duchess.

“Alright. I’m feeling tipshy though.” They
laughed as they stood and headed up the stairs. The wine didn’t
affect Emmaoen as badly since she had been drinking wine since
childhood. It was normal for nobles to drink at young ages in most
kingdoms. Liselle had drunk wine in the Rojuun caverns, but had
never enough to become intoxicated. On one hand, she didn’t like
the feeling of losing control. On the other hand, it was nice to
relax and let the tension from all of her problems go.

Back in Emmaoen’s room, she continued her
story after shooing away the ladies-in-waiting who had tried to
come in with them. “This manor was my parent’s. It’s the property
of the royal family. If my father were still king, I would be
living at the palace as a princess, or married to some noble or
prince elsewhere. Technically, Uncle Turman could marry me off for
political favor, but he feels bad for me, so lets me do what I want
with my life.”

Liselle lay down on the bed next to Emmaoen
who was propped up against the headboard with a pillow. “That
shoundsh . . . shoundsh . . . that shoundsh nicshe.” The words just
weren’t working properly.

“It is. I could have become spoiled rotten,
but Uncle Turman deserves better than that,” the duchess said with
a wave of her hand. “In any case, I have this house and eight
others scattered throughout the kingdom. I have nearly unlimited
money at my disposal too. Kethril has become a rich kingdom. We’ve
been at peace for a long time and our people prosper. Merchants of
Kethril are good at bargaining and enjoy support from the crown.”
She smiled. “I’m really proud to be from Kethril.”

“I can shee that,” Liselle agreed. She was
feeling very sleepy.

Emmaoen looked at her and brushed a lock of
hair away from Liselle’s face with a finger. “Get some sleep. We
can leave whenever you wake up.” There was no response because
Liselle was already asleep. The duchess got up and retrieved an
extra blanket from a nearby cabinet. She covered them both with it
and ran fingers through Liselle’s hair for a time before falling
asleep as well. Neither of them moved when Vevin came in a short
while later and curled up on the ground below Liselle’s side of the
bed.

***

Liselle had a splitting headache when they
rode out two hours after dawn. Drinking had been fun at the time,
but she didn’t plan to do it very often. She probably should have
slept for another day.

The rest of them remained quiet during the
morning ride out of respect for Liselle. Emmaoen admitted to a bit
of a hangover too. She led them in a different direction so they
could avoid heavy traffic on the main road. The lesser-traveled
road had a few wagons and other travelers, but nothing like the day
before. Halfway through the day, they stopped at an inn to have
lunch and take a break from riding.

It was a pleasant inn, well cared for and
busy. They sat at a nice table near a crackling fire. The innmaster
brought steaming bowls of thick stew. “Where will we be going,
Milady?” Sir Danth asked.

Emmaoen finished taking a bite. “I’ve been
thinking about that. Originally, I was going to take us through
Heet, directly south of Tillg, and then to a small village further
south.” She pulled out a small map and laid it out on the table.
Liselle had never seen one. They were rare and often inaccurate
from what Tathan said. Liselle scooted closer to Emmaoen and
studied it.

The map was made in fine detail, with the
ocean colored blue, the valleys green, and the mountains brown.
Tillg was marked with the kingdom’s crest while other cities were
noted by dots and intricate lettering that Liselle couldn’t read
because it was written in Kethril’s language.

Most people spoke a common language that was
a mixture of many languages. Liselle and Tathan grew up speaking
the language of the Kingdom of Klizania to the east of their valley
as well as a simple form of common. Tathan had learned to speak a
number of different languages in his travels and could understand
most people regardless of their accent. Sir Danth and Vevin had
magical means of understanding any language. The three of them were
doing their best to expand Liselle’s vocabulary too. Quite often,
she would ask the meaning of a word or phrase.

The duchess traced their route with her
finger along a squiggly line. “We’ll go to a village southeast of
here called Yema. I don’t think we’ll find anything there, but the
ship has been making its way west, so perhaps we’ll get lucky and
intercept it before it attacks another village.” It looked like
they would ride through five other villages before getting
there.

“How long will the journey take, Milady?”
Sir Danth asked.

“It will take four days if we get up early
and sleep late, five if we need extra rest,” she said, looking at
Liselle. Vevin and Sir Danth did as well.

“I’ll be fine,” Liselle assured them. “The
magic I used took much less out of me than you would think. It was
magic I have an affinity for and I’ve learned how to use leftover
energy to keep from getting so drained.”

Emmaoen’s mouth hung open. “Leftover energy?
You’re only supposed to gather exactly what you need. Too much can
burn your body inside out.”

Liselle shrugged. “I never know exactly how
much I need. The rest goes back to where I got it from, or I
dissipate it into the wind or ground.”

“Wow . . . just . . . wow.” The duchess
shook her head in amazement. “The amount of magic you used last
night would kill me if I tried to gather it. To think that you have
extra is mind-boggling.”

“Oh . . .” Liselle shrugged again. She
didn’t know what else to say. Magic was something she was learning
as she went.

Sir Danth got them back on subject. “After
Yema, we go east along the base of the mountains then?” He pointed
at a road. Numerous villages were dotted along it.

“Yes. These are the villages that have been
attacked by the ship.” She pointed at a collection of dots some of
which were to the north of the road. There were five more villages
between Yema and the closest one that had been attacked.

“In battle, it is important to understand
one’s enemy,” Sir Danth said. “Normally, when fighting at sea
-which I would never do I might add- one attempts to kill the
sailors on the other ship, starting with the captain. The
alternative is to sink the ship. That option will be difficult
without water underneath it though.”

“We know it’s made of wood, has sails, and
steals sheep,” Emmaoen told them. “The fireballs it shoots are
magical. Military wizards have examined the damage done and found
magical remnants. Fireballs made of wood and pitch leave completely
different traces.”

“What do magical remnants look like?”
Liselle asked.

Emmaoen paused, contemplating the best way
to answer. Vevin opened his mouth to say, but stopped with a frown
on his face. The duchess waved over the plump, balding innkeeper,
who had been hovering the entire time, realizing that royalty was
dining casually at his best table. “Innmaster, I wish to purchase a
simple mug. Please bring it now.”

The man dashed back to the bar as fast as
his stubby legs would take him then returned with a wooden mug.
“You said simple, Milady? I have much finer mugs should you
wish.”

“No, no. I’m going to destroy it, so the
simpler the better,” Emmaoen said with a wave of her hand. She took
the mug, set it in front of her, and began to gather a small amount
of magic. “I’ll pull in just enough magic to do what I need. After
casting the spell, I’ll show you the remnants.” The innmaster
backed away at the word ‘magic’. There were a number of other
travelers eating lunch. Most had been eating silently once
realizing that a duchess was sitting with them. They watched in
curiosity.

Liselle could see the magic her friend
gathered. There was much less than Liselle collected for even the
simplest spells. Tathan had told her that most people couldn’t see
magic the way she did. It just looked like wind. Liselle was able
to understand how the energies moved and interacted with the
world.

Emmaoen collected the energy in front of
her, manipulated it with her hands and cast it forward at the mug
with words of power. It manifested in the form of fire engulfing
the mug. There was very little wind created in the process. The
efficiency impressed Liselle a great deal.

Everyone in the common room stared at the
fiery mug. Emmaoen motioned the innmaster over. “Perhaps a little
water would be appropriate?” The man ran back to the bar to get
some.

“I can put it out,” Liselle said, thinking
of how to gather less energy.

“No. I want to show you magical residue. If
you cast a spell, it’ll change what we see. Plus I noticed that
your magic was a lot cleaner and didn’t leave residue last night,
so I have no idea how it would affect the experiment.” The
innmaster returned with a small pail of water. Emmaoen gestured for
him to put it out. “Slowly please, I don’t feel like getting wet.”
The fire hissed as water poured onto it. One of the serving girls
brought a couple of cloths to sop up the water.

“Now look around the burn marks on the cup.”
Emmaoen pointed at the charred wood. “See the energy residue?”

Liselle looked closely. Tiny traces of
magical energy clung to the cup, but they were dirty. “It’s
different and gooey. I’ve never seen that before.”

Emmaoen nodded. “It’s not a big deal in
small amounts like this, but when there’s a lot of magic being cast
in an area, this can gather and become deadly,” she said, gesturing
at the burned cup with it’s residue. “Wizard towers usually have
some and academies stink with it. Dralin is the worst city in the
world for pollution. There are thousands of wizards there and the
residue of their magic kills and transmutes innocent people.”

“Tathan’s told me about that. He said they
were called the ‘Deformed’. By the way, you still haven’t told me
anything about him,” Liselle pointed out.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Emmaoen stood and
tossed a gold piece and some silver. It was much more than the cost
of the meal. Everyone in the common room got up and bowed or
curtsied as the duchess left the inn.