Prophecy's Promise (Prophecy of the Edges Book 1) (3 page)

He ignored my question. He set the report down and returned his attention to me. “So, Master Leham says that he tested your standard combat skills. He remembers that you used to be very good before you chose your Scholar Track. He is confident that the muscle memory will return, but that you aren't very poised. You need the Mist to be of any real use.”

I felt the blood rise to my cheeks. “Why would I ever need to spar without the Mist, and why not with the weapon of my choice? I managed to best one of his Journeymen. If I’d been allowed my twin daggers with their Mist-Fortification, I'd have beaten the others. The whole situation seems a bit contrived and academic.”

“A Scholar complaining about something being too academic? Interesting,” he mused.

“I don’t want to waste my time or Leham’s.”

“If you understand the Patterns of the Warriors well enough to hit the mark unaided by the Mist, you’ll be much more prepared when you are in a real battle.”

“You think we’ll have a battle?” I asked, not even trying to hide the fear from my voice.

“It’s always a possibility out in the field,” Altis said. “You’re smart, and your Mist is uncommonly strong. Study some defensive spells in your spare time and keep weaving the Fortifications around your daggers. You’ll be fine.”

I blinked a few times in surprise. That sounded like a compliment.

He pressed on. “For now, we need to focus on our interview with the queen and crown prince this afternoon. Wear your best Apprentice robes. All you need to do is show up and keep quiet.” He paused for a moment; his piercing blue eyes seemed to be looking into my very soul.  I had blue eyes too, but could never manage to make them look quite as icy as Altis’s glare made his. “I don't believe that will be too difficult to accomplish. That's it. You are dismissed.”

I left the room as composed as I could keep myself. Meena was waiting for me by the door. “So, how did it go?” She took my arm in hers.

“He says that I'm not very poised.”

“I'd have to agree with that.”

“Well, it's not so bad coming from you. And I'm not saying that I am. I'm only saying that... that... well, that he didn't have to say it so bluntly.”

“I think blunt is how he comes,” Meena said.

“He is a Warrior,” I agreed.

“At least he’s nice to look at,” Meena said. “If you can see past that cloud of arrogance.”

I snorted. “True. But weirdly enough, I think he may have complimented me.”

“Well, that is interesting,” Meena replied cryptically.

I had always imagined meetings with Queen Mauzaca in her Throne Room, glittering crown atop her white hair. But, apparently, the Throne Room was for grandiose events. Serious ones occurred in a much more intimate location. I didn’t venture into the castle-proper very much. Overall, much of the architectural style was similar to the Keep but not nearly as ancient. However, Altis’s aunt did not hold to his own austere decorating scheme, at least not in this room. A thick carpet with geometric purple and brown shapes blanketed the grey stone floor. A dozen tapestries depicting various events in Gryshelm’s history adorned the walls. It was off-putting to see a Mist-free tapestry.

The immense table took up much of the space of the medium-sized room, leaving very little room for those of us sitting away from the table. High-ranking nobility filled half the spaces at the table. Since I didn’t follow court gossip much, I was unsure of who was who. Altis and the Weaver Track Leads, including Nazarie, sat around the other half.

Unlike the last time I’d seen her, Nazarie wore her hair in her usual spiral curls, but with the front locks pinned back in a half chignon. She perched on her chair, her back pin straight, and clutched a pen in one hand, ready to take notes. She smiled at me and waved. I nodded back at her.

Everyone stood up as Queen Mauzaca entered. I had never seen her without her crown, but she didn't need it to look every bit a queen. Having never seen Altis and his aunt in the same room before, I hadn’t noticed the family resemblance between them. They had the same strong chin and clear, blue eyes.

I willed myself to look forward as the queen’s gaze met mine. Taking their cue from the queen, everyone in the room turned to consider me. I could hear hushed murmurs. This was too much focus, too many eyes. Queen Mauzaca sat down, eyes still locked on me. I hadn't realized how old she must be. Her hair, meticulously worn in a straight, blunt line to her shoulders, was noticeably thinning and her skin had a slight yellowish hue.

After a moment, Crown Prince Jaysen stood up and walked over to my chair. “So, is this the girl who has had a Mist Apparition?” I willed myself to sit up straight and looked intently at the back of Altis’s head. I clasped my hands so tightly together they hurt. “The one they call the greatest mind of our time?”

“Yes, she is.” Altis said, turning around to face his cousin. Meena had always called me that, but I hadn't realized that others had, too.

“She looks like a rabbit caught in a trap.” The prince responded. “Why is that?” The question was directed at me, but I didn't know what to say. I had been told to stay quiet. I could feel my cheeks getting warm. I bit the inside of my lip, hoping none would notice, and raised my chin, trying to look less-rabbit like.

Altis turned around and glared at me. I suppose that was a signal that I was permitted to speak. “I... I have never been in formal audience with you or the queen before, Your Highness.” I said, bowing my head in respect.

Prince Jaysen continued to study me, then nodded and took his seat. “Altis, you are sure that together you and this girl can stop whatever is happening to our world?”

“I am confident that we are the best option,” Altis said.

“But you’ve no solution?”

“Studying The Edge has taught us much. We’ve learned the scale, scope, and cost of failure.”

“And what is the cost of failure?”

“Complete destruction of Gryshelm and every other country on our planet.”

“Surely it’s not that bad?” Jaysen scoffed.

Altis presented the facts in my report, but the words he used to describe them added gravity and depth. He cited examples of farmers, now refugees who’d lost their homes and crops. He noted the lost agriculture and the risk of famine as farms became nothingness and the people crowded into the cities. A girl had fallen into The Edge. She had bounced from it like a ball off a wall, leaving behind a burnt, twisted, and thoroughly unrecognizable corpse.

When Altis finished, the silence in the room said more than hours of debate would have. Many of those in attendance held their mouths half-open, fear visible in their eyes.

“As I said, the cost of failure is death,” Altis repeated. “And because of this, I want to leave in a week.”

“What sort of delegation did you have in mind?” Queen Mauzaca asked.

“Two: my Apprentice and myself.”

“That’s too dangerous,” the queen retorted.

“It’s too dangerous not to, Your Highness,” Altis responded. “Unencumbered by all the trappings that accompany a battalion, or even a small guard, the two of us will move much faster. The Edge is accelerating. Every day costs lives. This is a tactical decision.”

Great
, I thought. I’ll be alone in the wilderness with no one to talk to except Altis.

Queen Mauzaca stood up. “I am hesitant, nephew, but you are right. Our citizens lose family members to this phenomenon daily. You take the future of our very survival into your hands. I will not have my son inherit a shrinking kingdom. You both have given up things that you have desired.” Hearing the queen voice my concerns made me realize how selfish and misplaced my anger had been. “I expect that both of you will attend the feast tonight in celebration of our treaty with Dybreakea. In uncertain times such as these, friends are our most important assets.”

Most young women would have been excited to attend a royal feast. I was not one of those women. I enjoy order. I enjoy making a checklist and seeing item after item crossed off as I exceed each goal I’d set for the day. I do not enjoy idle conversation. The pinnacle of lavishness that I enjoyed was a quiet bubble bath, perhaps with a glass of red wine if I felt like splurging. Tonight would be far from my idea of a good time.

I had worn my only nice dress to my Scholar Party a few weeks prior, and Meena couldn't stand to have me in the same dress twice in a row. She and I were of a similar, albeit short, height. Her father, a widowed merchant in the city, required her to accompany him to parties and gatherings. Meena was convinced that he was trying to marry her off to one of the other merchant families, a theory confirmed by the frequency of new dresses and jewelry he sent for her to wear when she appeared in public.

Meena convinced me to wear a red dress with a very low back line. She claimed the color worked nicely with my dark locks, which she partially pulled back into a bun, letting the rest of my hair fall in curls.

“I think it's too tight.” I gasped as Meena laced me into the dress.

“It's the fashion to be hardly able to breathe.” Meena giggled. I glared.

The party started out about as boring as I had anticipated. The only person I knew was Altis. He acted every bit the nephew of the queen, talking and laughing with countless people. I sat at my seat next to his empty chair at the table for at least an hour before dinner started as he intermingled with various clusters of people.

I noticed how every group seemed to turn toward him as he entered the circle. Ladies smiled and men nodded enthusiastically. Despite myself, I was intrigued, wondering what they could be talking about.

Apparently all the nobility currently at court were in attendance, but I only recognized a handful of people, including a few from the audience earlier. I’d never had the need to understand the current political landscape. I sat, observing everyone. I enjoy people watching, and I’d never had the opportunity to observe this particular sub-section of the population. Frequently, I noticed people glance in my direction and then continue talking amongst themselves. Meena had warned me that the court gossip would travel fast. She said that, as Apprentice to Altis Acrovena and a Mist Apparationist, I was quite the talk of the city.

“Hello, Rabbit,” Prince Jaysen said, breaking my thoughts. I quickly stood up and bowed from the waist as his station deserved. “This is my friend Adine.” He motioned with his head toward a broad-shouldered young man with the amber skin tone typical of Dybreakeans. Adine bobbed his head in an informal bow. He must be a very high-ranking noble to give such a cursory greeting. “His tutor, and most of the Dybreakean court, is borderline obsessed with you.”

“Adine, you study my work?” I asked, surprised.

“He tries. I believe that he can’t understand a word of it.” Jaysen smiled at his friend.

Adine must have noticed the confusion on my face. “I most recently read your paper on Complex Probabilities. My tutor had wanted me to write a summary on it.” He spoke with a thick Dybreakean accent.

“Eh, I wrote that almost a year ago. Some of my newer work on Linguistics is better. I switched my focus.”

“Such a waste to send you out and lose you here at court.”

“I know! I had some other theories I wanted to work on,” I said, assuming I’d found someone to commiserate with.

“I’m not talking about your work. I’m talking about you.” He smirked. “But, please forgive me; I do not mean to fluster you. I have something to speak with you about,” Adine said, returning to seriousness. “Dybreakea does not have any formal higher education. I am tasked with convincing you to start a university in Dybreakea.”

“If this is the course you wish to take, I can make it happen,” the prince assured me. “You would not be a Gryshelm Mist Weaver Initiate, but you could start a proper university in Dybreakea. The diplomatic implications would be powerful enough to convince my mother to release you from your duties to Altis.”

This could be my answer. I wouldn’t be the youngest Scholar Initiate, but I could spend the rest of my days leading the knowledge of an entire nation. But then, which did I want to be more: a Mist Weaver Initiate or a scholar? My answer shocked even me. “You honor me greatly, Your Highness. I would be pleased to discuss more about the matter, after I’ve fulfilled my duties to Gryshelm and have been Initiated.”

The prince’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he did not respond. Adine bowed, smirking slightly. “A Scholar Warrior? How intriguing. Very well, the offer will remain open to you when you return from your journeys.” The two took their leave and merged back into the crowd, talking briefly with various nobles, some I knew and some I did not.

I did feel proud of my decision. I would go out into the world, help Altis, even though I did not want to, and then, once The Edge was fixed, I would lead great learning. A sense of peace settled over me. And I understood a measure of myself that I’d not before. This whole time, it was my feeling powerless that had been bothering me. Now that I had options, it didn’t feel so stifling
to be forced down this path. And, thankfully, I did have the ability to return to my studies after everything.

I was not happy. But I was content.

Altis eventually came over to his seat as the plates began to emerge from the kitchen.

“Enjoying the party?” he asked.

“Not really,” I responded.

Altis didn’t reply. He didn’t say anything else to me for the rest of the meal. Instead, he spoke to the Dybreakean man on his other side. The dinner was the finest I’d had, probably ever. After we had eaten, Queen Mauzaca stood up to thank the Dybreakean ambassadors for their goodwill and remarked how happy Gryshelm was to take their hand in friendship.

The attendees clapped and shouted approval. Altis walked over to the Dybreakean princess, Krystin, and bowed, offering her his hand. She was very pale for a Dybreakean. Half of her honey-colored hair hung freely down her back in swooping spirals, while the other half was coiled atop her head. A pearl dangled from each ear, bringing attention to her slender neck. Giggling, she placed her tiny hand in his, and he led her to the open floor.

And then the dancing began. The ladies looked like elegant flowers with their dresses twirling around them. Altis led the Dybreakean princess through twirl after twirl. She seemed scarcely past girlhood. Altis towered over her petite figure. Their movements reminded me of the dancing figures in Meena’s music box. With nearly unnatural perfection, they glided across the dance floor, each step in time with the rhythm of the music.

Unable to sit alone in my chair for another minute, I got up and walked around the room. I could hear the whispers in my wake. It reminded me too much of the day that I’d first come to the Keep. I found a quiet corner covered by curtains and slipped into it. There was a bench running the length of the wall and I sat down. I desperately wished that I had brought a book with me. The pins from my coiffed hair poked at my scalp. I wanted to be in my room with my hair down and these fancy clothes back in Meena’s closet where they belong.

Not a minute later, Prince Jaysen slipped into my corner. Flustered, I stood up and tried to curtsy, wondering if I was in trouble.

“No need to show formalities when no one can see us.” He stank of gin, but his words were not slurred. He was not as tall as Altis, nor was his features nearly as handsome. But the stamp of kinship was in the angle of his cheekbones, the dark black of his hair, and the icy blue of his eyes.

“Your Highness?” I asked, confused.

“There is a conspiracy in my court, and it is centered around the Weavers. My unnamed source that has been feeding me information said I could trust you. I was unsure because you seem too timid to be of much use. That is, until Adine gave you the option to turn away from all this, and yet you chose to stay the course, even though you do not wish to become a Warrior. Why did you turn him down?”