Daughter of the Disgraced King (14 page)

Ailsa paced her grandmother’s front room. She wasn’t nervous
about facing the test Grandmama would give her and Jathan. She looked forward
to it as her opportunity to test the limits of her green magic and perhaps
experience that soaring feeling once again. Grandmama hadn’t asked them to do very
much green magic since that first time. She wanted to get started. “What’s
keeping Jathan?”

Grandmama chuckled. “Child, he’s not even due for an hour yet.”

The knock on the door finally came and Ailsa sprang forward
to answer it.

“Sorry to be early, but—” Jathan started.

Ailsa blinked. “Early!”

Grandmama laughed outright. “If you’d been any later, boy, I’d
have had to tie Ailsa down to keep her from wearing a groove in the parlor
floor.”

“You’re not nervous about this are you?” Jathan asked. “Not
after last time.”

Ailsa shook her head. “I’m not nervous. I ‘m . . .”

Jathan grinned. “Eager for another test of your magic? Me,
too.”

“Well, then,” Grandmama said. “Let’s get to it.”

She led them back out to the same workbench against the
kitchen wall. This time, three small seedlings in far oversized pots were
spaced out on the bench. As before, Grandmama stepped up to the pot on the
right. “This test is a little more difficult. In order to give you a challenge
within your reach, the maximum score today is eight.”

Ailsa shifted restlessly as the sense of magic built around
her once again. Grandmama held her hand out over the seedling and it began to
grow at an accelerated rate. Branches, red at first and gradually turning
green, erupted from the central trunk. Smaller branchlets carrying serrated
leaves in groups of three or five sprouted from the branches.

“It’s a rose,” Ailsa breathed, recognizing the leaves.

Grandmama kept her hands over the pot. Although it slowed,
the little bush continued to grow until it was two feet tall. Then Grandmama
lowered her hands to grip the edge of the work bench. She breathed deeply for a
moment. “That is not quite a level seven. And the limit of my ability, now. I
was never capable of more than level eight, even in my prime. I rarely try to
push myself so far, these days. Now, you two try. For this test, you will have
to do more than just pull at the seedling. You must also direct the growth. The
rose will naturally want to spend its energy in several canes, rather than a
single trunk. You must hold it to your pattern while you speed its growth.”

Ailsa licked her lips and stepped up to the seedling in the
center. Jathan moved up on her left. She raised her arms and allowed her magic
to build. The euphoria grew with the magic until she felt like she could fly. Nothing
else felt like this. She took a moment to savor the sensations before directing
her attention to the seedling.

The sprout began to grow. Just as Grandmama had predicted,
when the plant neared a foot high, it tried to produce two extra canes. Ailsa
bunched her fists and directed all of the growth into the single stem. The bush
continued to grow until it filled the pot. She heard Jathan growl beside her,
but she had no concentration to spare for him. The larger the bush grew, the stronger
its tendency to produce extra canes became. The rose bush was three feet tall
and tiny buds had begun to form when Ailsa felt the limits of the plant begin
to stretch and started to pull her magic back. One blossom, soft creamy yellow
just tinged with pink at the edges of the petals, opened even as she stepped
back.

Jathan lowered his arms a few moments later. His rose bush
was as tall as Ailsa’s and three red buds were ready to burst open. Grandmama
scrutinized their efforts and turned to smile at them. “Level eight, both of
you. That’s quite an accomplishment. Eighth-level green mages are extremely
rare. The emperor and the master will both be pleased that there are two more.”

When they were back at the cozy dining room table, Grandmama
set a large pitcher of iced juice and a plate of sweet rolls on the table. “I
thought we might have cause to celebrate today, so I prepared. Besides, you
need to replenish your energies after work like that.”

Jathan bit into a sweet roll. Ailsa poured herself a glass
of juice, first. She felt as parched as if she’d been running across the desert.

Grandmama took a long drink of her juice, too and selected a
sweet roll. “Your training will change from this point on. After the summer
break, you will both begin advanced botany classes at the Academy. Our training
sessions will be focused on guiding you in the use of your magic.”

Ailsa grinned and Jathan’s attempt to whoop caused him to
choke on his sweet roll. They wouldn’t have to wait for these tests anymore.
They’d be working green magic nearly every day. She could experience that
soaring feeling that only her magic gave her all the time.

“One more thing,” Grandmama said. “And this you may not like
as well. Since you’re both leaving for the mountains tomorrow, I have some
homework for you while you’re gone.”

Ailsa’s smile dimmed. She’d been looking forward to riding
and hiking with Mayra and Jathan. She was a little more ambivalent about the other
princes. “Homework?”

Grandmama chuckled. “Don’t look so stricken. It won’t be
that bad. Where you’re going there are a dozen or more different micro-habitats.
The vegetation is different on one side of a hill from the other and different
again in the valleys and on the peaks, in or by the water, and in a dry
clearing. As green mages, it will be only natural for you to notice the changes
in plant life. That’s a start, but it’s not the whole story. No mage works in a
vacuum. I want you to also notice how the changes in plant life alter the kinds
and number of creatures that can live in that habitat and how those creatures
live. Make notes and we will discuss that as part of our work when you return.”

Jathan let out his breath explosively. “You had me worried
there for a moment. That’s not so bad.” He winked at Ailsa. “In fact, I see it
as an excuse to ride every day so we can see as much as possible.”

Grandmama smiled at his enthusiasm. “You could look at it
that way. Just don’t forget to take your journals along so you can make notes,
too.”

~

Ailsa sat in the second coach with Jathan, Mayra, and Prince
Rishiart. The emperor, his empress, and Princes Artair and Arrigo were in the
first carriage. A dozen guards rode ahead and another twelve behind.

But the motion of the carriage was somewhat disconcerting.
It was one of the newer models with the leather suspension instead of springs.
Ailsa was at least a little used to the bouncing of an ordinary coach. This one
swayed rather than bouncing and the motion made her just a little queasy. To
distract herself, Ailsa tried to focus on the prosperous towns, green fields,
and lush woodlands they passed through.

Rishiart proved to be a treasure trove of information about
all of it. “Father sends me on a lot of errands around the Empire,” he said
with a shrug. “I’m away from court more than I’m there, these days.” He smiled
across at Ailsa. “I’ve even been beyond the Ring Mountains a few times—but
never to Far Terra, yet.”

Ailsa smiled back. Rishiart was a much better companion when
she wasn’t forced to dance with him. She hoped she’d find that the same was
true of the two other brothers. She was going to be in their company a lot in
the next two weeks.

The coach swayed particularly violently as they rounded a
curve in the road. Rishiart grimaced. “I must say, though, I prefer to cover
this distance on horseback to riding in a coach.”

“Me, too,” Ailsa said.

Jathan winked across at Ailsa and Mayra. “It’s only for
today, Rish. The coach road doesn’t go all the way to our estates. Tomorrow, we’ll
all be on horseback.”

Rishiart punched Jathan in the shoulder and there was a
brief scuffle on the other side of the carriage. Ailsa recognized the symptoms
of brotherly boredom from her familiarity with Sav and Cergio. Some things,
apparently, were universal, like brothers needling each other. At least it
seemed to be mostly good natured between Jathan and Rishiart.

“He prefers Art as a nickname,” Mayra whispered to Ailsa
under the noise of her brothers’ argument. “Unfortunately for him, Artair had
already laid claim to it. He thinks ‘Rish’ sounds girly.”

Ailsa chuckled and whispered back, “It does a little, doesn’t
it?”

Early in the afternoon the carriage rolled to a halt in the
courtyard of the same inn she’d stayed in on her way to the Institute. The
place where she’d been attacked by one of her fellow travelers. Ailsa barely
stifled a gasp.

Jathan came up beside her. He patted her shoulder as she
stood still looking at the vine-covered façade. “Don’t worry. Father’s improved
the security since you were here last. Besides, we’ll have the whole top floor
to ourselves and there’ll be guards in the corridor and at the stairwells all
night. No one will be able to hurt you this time.”

Ailsa bit her lip. Part of her was relieved to hear it. Part
of her was a little annoyed that Jathan assumed she needed the protection.
After all, scary as it had been, she’d managed to take care of herself the
first time, hadn’t she? And she knew a lot more about her magic now than she
had then. She squared her shoulders and followed the others toward the inn.
Rishiart and Mayra both stopped to look at the lake, sparkling in the afternoon
sun.

Rishiart whooped. “We’re here early enough for a swim before
supper.”

“Swim?” Ailsa asked. Did they actually mean to go
into
the lake? She’d find it amazing just to walk around the edges of it.

“Perfect way to wash off the dust of that coach road,”
Arrigo said, joining them.

Mayra linked her arm with Ailsa’s. “Oh, yes. And very
cooling, too. I love to swim, don’t you?”

“I . . .”

“Oh, don’t worry if you forgot to bring a swimming costume.
I have several. You can borrow one of mine,” Mayra offered. “Let’s go change.”

Mayra pulled Ailsa up the inn stairs after her and down the
corridor looking into the open doors of the rooms until she found her luggage
and Ailsa’s. “Oh, good. I’d hoped they’d give us rooms with connecting doors.”

The empress, just emerging from the room across the hall,
smiled. “I was a girl once myself, you know. This is much easier than having
you two traipsing up and down the corridor all night, interfering with the
guards.”

Mayra dragged Ailsa into her room and began rooting about in
her trunk. She threw several pieces in a matching rose pink onto the bed. Ailsa
winced.

Then Mayra straightened with four pieces of something white
with a tiny green trim. “Here it is. It’s not green, but at least it has some
green on it.”

Ailsa took the pieces. It appeared to be a very simple
shift, a pair of close-fitting underwear, and a pair of hose—just the sort of
thing she’d wear
under
ordinary clothes. “Um . . . is this
all
of
it?”

Mayra laughed. “You can throw a robe on, if you like, until
we get down to the shore. After that, you’ll mostly be
under
the water,
so not too much will show. You can’t have too much fabric, though, or it’ll
drag you down when it gets wet.”

“Under water?” Ailsa choked out.

Mayra turned to look at her. “Of course. Wait . . . haven’t
you ever been swimming before?”

Ailsa shook her head helplessly. “I come from the desert,
Mayra. There aren’t very many places where there’s water anywhere near deep
enough to submerge in—and we’d never consider using it that way. Water is too
precious to us.” She pushed the swimming costume back to Mayra. “Maybe I should
just stay up here and read until supper.”

Mayra refused to accept the garments. “Nonsense. We’ll be
swimming when we reach our summer estates, too. You don’t want to be left out. I
bet Jathan will be glad to teach you. Or I will, but Jathan is better. He’s the
one who taught me. Meanwhile, just wade in the shallows until you’re
comfortable. It’ll still help you cool off. Come on, Ailsa.”

Ailsa drew in a deep breath. Even the thought of wading in
precious water seemed wrong to her, but . . . things were different here. And
wading didn’t sound particularly scary or difficult. “All right. I’ll just
wade, then.”

Mayra nodded. “For now.” She smiled. “That’s how we all
started. Bet you find you like it once you try it.”

Ailsa took the scanty garments and headed for the door that
connected to her room. “We’ll see.”

Too few moments later, she was standing on the shore of the
lake. Reluctantly, she dropped her robe and stepped into the water. She lifted
her foot back out again. The bottom was squishy. She hadn’t expected that. The
shore was firm sand, but the lake bottom was very wet, mucky mud. Ailsa looked
out to where the others were. Artair, Rishiart, and Jathan swam and dove, while
Mayra swam out to them. She didn’t see Arrigo anywhere.