8. Irina

Chapter eight

Irina

" I didn't expect to see you back so soon," I said, crossing my arms.

Kels? sat in one of the comfortable chairs in the waiting area and smiled up at me. "I had not planned to return so quickly, but we were concerned about you."

"About me? Master Rist was injured, not me."

Kels? stood and stepped toward me, gripping my shoulders. I had to resist the urge to stumble backward. "I'm not talking about any injury of yours. I'm referring to how you Healed his."

I startled.

"You touched your magic for the first time, didn't you?"

It had been years since I allowed someone to intimidate me. Living and working with Master Rist and the ever-pleasant Siena had stiffened my already rigid spine. Still, staring into the infinite eyes of a Mage, I had the sudden urge to run down the hallway and hide.

"Why don't we go back to the Master's study?" Kels? suggested.

I nodded and turned, glad to pull my shoulders free of her touch.

Once inside Rist's study, Kels? sat in one of the wooden chairs that faced his desk. I closed the door and pressed my back to the wood, as if bracing myself for whatever was to come. Of course, I was curious about magic and whatever had flowed out of me. I had thought about little else since it happened. Spirits, I dreamed it over and over, the Light welling inside me, then bursting out of my palms like a pair of beams from atop a lighthouse.

And yet, Kels? was one of the fabled Mages, the handful of men and women who possessed more power in their pinky than the whole of the Kingdom combined. Despite their reclusive nature, everyone knew of the Mages. Barmen and troupers sang songs and told tales of their adventures, though I doubted most of those held any truth.

But here I stood, with one of them sitting before me, wanting to what? Teach me? She hadn't said as much, but that's what it sounded like. Would Kels? become a mentor? A new Master? Would I belong to her? Was that even how it all worked?

The more I thought about it all, the more my heart thudded. It felt like it might rebound off the wood of the door and tumble onto the floor.

Kels? watched me for a long moment. "Mages can sense events within the flow of magic. Think of it like seeing ripples in a pond. We may not have seen the rock fall into the water, but we felt a disturbance in the stillness of the water."

"So you knew I used magic the moment it happened?"

"Not immediately, but soon thereafter." Kels? paused a moment. "We have been waiting for you to manifest your powers for several years, Irina."

"Seriously? You've been . . . Wait. That means you knew—"

"The moment you were born, we felt a new Mage's presence in this world. This happens only once in every few generations, sometimes skipping many. Your birth was cause for celebration among my family."

Kels?'s brow crunched, just a little, then smoothed. I stared, trying to interpret whatever had crossed her face.

"You're not a family, are you?" I asked. "At least, not a happy one."

Kels? stared a moment then released a breath. "We are a family like many others. Some brothers and sisters are close, while others refuse to belong. Still, magic binds us together in its unique way."

"Are the others . . . nice?" I could sense Kels?'s tension as she spoke about the other Mages but wasn't sure how to ask.

Kels? burst into laughter, her snorts punctuating rich notes of mirth.

"What?"

"Your first questions are not about how magic works or how you Healed your Master. You didn't ask if you had other abilities or how you might learn." She struggled to contain her laughter. "Of all the things you could ask, you want to know if the others are pleasant?"

My cheeks colored, and holding Kels?'s gaze felt like lifting an ox cart. "Well, yes. I mean, if Mages are a family, and I'm now a Mage, why wouldn't I want to know about my new brothers and sisters? I've never had one of those before."

"I am sorry, Irina. Of course, you would want to know." Kels? reined in her laughter. "I have been with them for so many centuries—"

"Centuries?" My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"We should start from the beginning, child. I promise to answer all of your questions as best I can, but please know it will take time. You are entering a world unto itself." Kels? glanced about at Rist's shelves, her eyes settling on a lone window. "I have a manor in the city, a place for me to stay in comfort when I visit the Queen. We could speak freely without worry about who might be spying. And I could use something to drink before we begin."

"I'm pretty sure I need that drink more than you do," I said with a sigh.

"Fair enough." Kels?'s smile brightened the room. She extended her hand. When I stared at her in confusion, she nodded toward her palm and said, "Trust me. Take my hand."

I reached out. The moment my fingers grazed hers, we vanished from the infirmary.

"Sweet Spirits, how—? Where are we?" I stammered as I scanned a richly appointed room with widened eyes. Dark shelves towered from floor to ceiling, and a fire roared in a massive stone hearth. Every piece of furniture in the chamber was worth more than my parents' house, but it was the flames flickering on candle wicks that stilled my breath.

"Welcome to my home here in the capital." Kels? noticed me frozen before a silver candelabra that sat atop a grand buffet. "Have you ever seen magical flames?"

I shook my head, unable to form words.

"You will grow used to the color blue. Most magics are tinged with it," Kels? said fondly. "Come. I have wine or—"

"Whiskey?"

Kels? laughed. "On any other day, I would lecture you about propriety, young lady. However, on this day, I will toast with you until neither of us feel any fear."

I turned and stepped toward the chairs by the fire where Kels? stood.

"What do you have to be afraid of?"

"Meeting a new Mage is a grave responsibility. What if I steered you wrong? What if you refused my aid? What if you could not learn control?"

My eyes narrowed. "What if I can't learn control?"

"You will. I . . . forgive me." Kels? blinked, then swallowed. "Let us have those drinks now." She stepped to a side table and filled two glasses from a crystal decanter, then held up the glasses and smiled as they frosted, chilling to perfection.

My eyes somehow widened further. "Is there anything you can't do?"

Kels?'s laugh was warm and light. "Oh, child, yes. There are limits, but there are also many possibilities. Come and sit. I will answer as much as I can."