The Bronze Mage (17 page)

"What on earth has happened to you? Where is Mage Edgar?" With a sinking heart, Tabitha helped her sister locate the court mage.

"Have you notified our father?" was her less-than-courteous greeting to the famed spellweaver. He looked sternly at the mage-in-training, then motioned Melanie into his room, but blocked Tabitha's entrance.

"Please excuse us, Princess Tabitha. We have magical matters to discuss."

Tabitha was shocked at the dismissal. "Don't they involve me?"

"Your father will no doubt fill you in if he feels it necessary."

She looked to Melanie for support. Melanie glanced at Mage Edgar's expression, then looked Tabitha over with that unfocused gaze that indicated she was studying the spell.

"There will probably be a lot of technical jargon that would just confuse you," Melanie said.

Tabitha reluctantly agreed and returned to her room. To distract herself while waiting, she double-checked everything she had packed. They would leave first thing in the morning.

Melanie came to Tabitha's room after an hour or so.

"You have an affinity to James's magic."

"An affinity? I've never heard of that."

"It's extremely rare. There have only been a few documented cases. Though that may be partially caused by the rarity of casting permanent spells on humans."

"So what does it mean?"

"It means that his spell will continue to grow stronger, possibly for as long as you live. Though since it doesn't seem to do anything, I'm not sure if that's a concern. We really do need to find out what kind of spell it is. Perhaps King Fenril can convince James to tell us."

"It's a compulsion spell."

"What? Why do you say that?"

"James told me. We talked when he came to Westphal."

"Has he ever used it on you?" Melanie was shocked and indignant.
 

Tabitha was tired of the melodrama. Everyone reacted, but it never made any difference. She shrugged. "Three times for certain. The last perhaps unintentionally." She paused, then asked, "Is that what stronger would mean? More reactive? So that I do what he wants whether he chooses to have me do it or not? He said it works if I'm less than a mile away. Would its effective distance increase as well?"

Melanie was staring at her, eyes wide. Tabitha took a deep breath. Released it. "What?"

"I'm sorry. It's just so...You're talking about it so calmly, like it's a condition you have to learn to live with. That despicable mage set a permanent compulsion spell on you, Tabitha. That's wrong on more levels than I can count. He's got to be held accountable. It has to come off you. It will. Mage Edgar made it sound like he's close to working out a solution."

"Melanie, Mage Edgar stopped trying to break it at the end of last summer. Mage Crandall gave up the summer before that. James refuses to remove it and no one seems able to make him do anything he doesn't want to do. Yes, I'm pretty sure I have to live with it, but if he's not around, does it even matter?"

Melanie had no answer. They sat in silence for a while. Then Tabitha asked: "Melanie? What kind of spells were used in the documented cases?"

"The one I know about was an invisibility spell. A mage used it on his apprentice so he could steal food from a nearby town one winter. The apprentice believed that the mage intended to take it off in the spring, but the mage died of a fever before that happened. In spring the apprentice traveled to the College of Magic to have the spell removed. They diagnosed the affinity, so it couldn't have been the first case."

"What happened to the apprentice?" Tabitha was wondering how you could get more invisible. Either people could see you or not, right?

"They eventually released him from the spell, but it took long enough that they were able to document its progress. He was losing...substance, I guess. Becoming like a ghost. He could pass through curtains, though not doors. He could walk in a lake without causing ripples. They had problems keeping him alive long enough to break the spell, since he couldn't eat or drink anything."

"How did they break the spell?"

"Evidently the affinity sort of binds the spell to the person. If a permanent spell is like jewelry, the affinity makes it more like a tattoo. As the apprentice lost substance, the mages were able to manipulate what remained more easily. They used an altered healing spell on him."

"Did anyone try that on me?"

"Of course! Mage Crandall suspected affinity before I left for school. We tried every variant of a healing spell that he could think of. That's what he's been researching: other cases of affinity and how they were handled."

"But you can see that the spell is stronger?"

"Enormously. It looks like a silk cocoon. It covers all of you. It took me a few moments to see through it and recognize you."

"I wonder what I'll hatch into." Tabitha forced a laugh.

Melanie didn't reply.

TWENTY-FOUR

Cameron's Wedding

When they arrived in Salbren this time there was no private dinner with King Fenril's family. The Xentian and Westphalian royalty were both absorbed in various wedding-related necessities. So Tabitha and her parents were invited to a private banquet hosted by one of the resident nobility. Tabitha thought she recognized the name of the hostess, but wasn't certain until her mother whispered a warning as they drew near. It was the pack leader from her first social gathering last trip.

"It's so lovely to see you three again, your majesties, your highness, and Princess Melanie, too." She glanced meaningfully at Tabitha. "I knew you couldn't stay away when there was such a prime opportunity to visit us all again."

"King Rhys would hardly have missed the wedding of his best friend's only child." Her mother emphasized Tabitha's father's title, cautioning their hostess to mind her manners. "It was kind of you to include us in your dinner invitation, Lady Emerton."

"It's my pleasure, I assure you," Lady Emerton smiled brightly. "Let me introduce you to my daughter, Angeline." A short, curvy red-head had come to stand beside the baroness. Tabitha had a hard time believing the two were related. Lady Emerton was also short, but her hair was a medium brown, her figure dumpy, and her features forgettable. "Could you introduce the princesses to the younger people?"

Angeline bobbed a curtsy. "Follow me, if you please, your highnesses."

Tabitha and Melanie followed Angeline to a group of young women all within a few years of her own age. "Ladies, may I present Princess Melanie and Princess Tabitha from Valstadt. You may remember them from their visits during some of our previous Autumn Balls. Princess Melanie is a close friend of our own Princess Anya. Princess Tabitha has been spending this past year in Westphal with King Langston's children."

That was the last civil remark Tabitha heard from the group. During the conversation, Angeline and her cohorts managed to slide in snide remarks about Tabitha's inability to attach even one of the three eligible Westphalian princes, a veiled reference to her "experience" with Mage James, and several insults to her appearance phrased as compliments to her sister. To her surprise, Tabitha found she just didn't care.

If she'd really wanted Cameron for herself, or Will, or Philip, it might have been different. If there had been any truth to their insinuations about her past with James, she would have been embarrassed or ashamed. The one true thing they'd said was that she was no beauty, but she was used to that, and was even learning to be grateful for it. If she'd looked like Melanie, the arms master never would have let her start training, much less continue for six years.
 

Having noticed that her barbs were missing their mark, Angeline changed tactics. "I heard Mage James went to Westphal himself to make the arrangements for the wedding. That must have been terribly awkward for you."

Tabitha wasn't certain how to respond. She had no intention of discussing all the nuances of that situation here. After a pause, she replied, "In truth, I hardly saw him."

"How interesting. I had supposed you'd had a confrontation of some sort. He came back so different from when he left. Maybe he was regretting his role in the betrothal of Princess Anya."

Tabitha would have loved to learn how Mage James had changed, but refused to reveal her interest to Angeline. She did her best to look uninterested.

"I suppose it was unrealistic for everyone to assume he'd been pining for two years after you. A man with his prospects and reputation. Fidelity was never one of his faults. Besides, it probably terrified you to even consider the prospect."

"Angeline," Melanie interrupted, "I would appreciate you not mentioning the Xentian court mage any more to my sister, I would have assumed that the daughter of a baron would have better manners."

After that, the Xentians mostly ignored their guests from Valstadt, gossiping among themselves. King Rhys excused his family shortly after the meal ended, claiming their travels had worn them out.

"Lady Emerton must look as hideous as she and her daughter act," Melanie said in irritation when they were back in their suite, "to be wearing an illusion spell that leaves her so plain."

"At least that is the last private dinner we'll have to endure with them." King Rhys sighed. "Though I remember Baron Emerton being a very pleasant fellow. It's too bad he stayed at his barony."

"Maybe he's just avoiding his wife and daughter." Melanie muttered. Tabitha silently agreed.

###

The hallways of the castle were dimmed for the night as Tabitha was pulled through them. She was reassured by the presence of her father's guard who followed her. Hopefully, he would be able to find their way back to her family's suite. She couldn't remember leaving it and none of the hallways in Salbren ran in straight lines. This might be useful for confusing invaders, but was not much appreciated by guests. Especially those drawn through them by magical means.

After two more turnings, the compulsion faded. Tabitha looked down at her nightclothes. Not what she'd want to be seen in wandering a strange castle. She turned to face the guard. "How do we get back?"

He looked worried. "Are you alright, highness?"

"Sleepwalking, I guess," she lied.

He studied her momentarily before motioning back the way they'd come.

Tabitha fought the urge to look behind her. Why would James call her in the middle of the night? Now that the compulsion was gone, she began to wonder if she had just dreamed it.

###

Tabitha's family spent most of the next day catching up with each other, though she found the confinement difficult. Between the incident last October and her wanderings last night, she had a lot of questions to ask James. A chance encounter was unlikely if she never left the suite. She was also tired of being asked about Westphalian princes. Her parents had definitely not given up their hopes of her finding a suitor during her stay there.

That evening was the first of the public dinners. All three royal families would be seated together, and all of the Xentian nobility that could fit would be dining with them. The crowds were a bit overwhelming for Tabitha. She kept her eyes focused on Melanie's back as she followed her through them.

She felt a tug on the edge of her mind and turned. James was standing next to King Fenril. They were across the room, maybe 100 feet away. She wanted to walk over to him, but didn't. The oddness of the desire struck her. It felt so like the times when she'd been compelled to come to him, without the actual compulsion. She wondered if the desire was really hers. Upon reflection, she decided not. There was no way she wanted to seek him out in front of all these people. If he wanted to seek her out, that would be different. Although her family would likely object. Strongly. Regardless, there were a large number of young ladies hovering near the king and his court mage. He couldn't possibly be thinking about her. Perhaps the spell itself was drawn to its caster.

As it neared time for the meal to be served, she and her family worked their way toward their places at the head table. She would be seated between Irene and Carissa; Melanie between Carissa and Anya. As the Westphalian sisters animatedly filled her in on all that had happened to them in the last few days, Tabitha scanned the first row of tables. The King's advisors and highest ranking nobles were seated there. She knew James was seated in that row, at the far side of the room. She could feel him there without having seen him sit. But she didn't want to be obvious about watching him, so she casually checked out all of the families arrayed in that row of tables. James had his back to her. The ladies on either side of him acted very interested in keeping his attention. One of them looked suspiciously like Angeline Emerton. Tabitha kept her eyes moving past him without pause.

After that, she tried to keep her attention on her friends. It was harder than she'd have thought. Especially when she was looking toward Carissa, she had to consciously stop her gaze from sliding past her to James. The distraction was irritating.

When the meal ended, he didn't linger. She knew he was exiting the room without having to look. His absence left her feeling odd, like she'd misplaced something important. She tried not to feel disappointed that he hadn't even tried to cross her path. She wished she'd dared to see if he left alone.

###

That night Tabitha again woke on the move. It might have been the same hallway as the previous night, though she couldn't be certain. Torchlight flickered at wide intervals, casting just enough light to make out doorways, turnings. The air smelled of smoke, fading perfume, stale wine. Tabitha hoped everyone would stay in bed. She'd slept with her robe over her nightclothes, so at least she was more decent, but what if she really ended up at James's room? What if someone saw her there?

Before she had much time to worry, the compulsion faded. This time a pull remained, but she could defy it.

She turned to the guard, who was frowning. "Lead me back, please."

"Are you sure you're alright, highness?"

She nodded, but walking back to her room was difficult. The pull took a long time to fade, and she was more reluctant than ever to lose her chance at an explanation.