Chapter Thirteen

S oon enough, Brianna and Sasha returned with three other girls in tow. Liana snagged another workbench in the back corner to set up for them complete with parchment and potion supplies. She erected a silencing shield around them so the other mage wouldn't be disrupted but more importantly so they couldn't spy.

"Greetings, ladies. Brianna told me you all were interested in learning magic. Is that right?" she asked, trying to stay as open and warm as possible. One of them nodded, the others were too shy to respond at all. "Well, I am happy to hear that. I've set us up at this bench if you'd each take a seat." Brianna was first in the seat closest to Liana.

"Your Majesty, these are my friends, Violetta, Opal, and Ninette."

They all looked so young and reminded her own sister, Hannah. If only she had both her sisters here with her now as well, she could teach them all. She could start empowering the mage females to spread their knowledge and ambitions. Such a progressive idea wouldn't go over well at the moment though. This integration of females into schooling would take time and patience.

"A pleasure to meet you all. You may address me as Queen Liana if you wish while we are here. Now, was there any magic in particular you all wanted to know?"

The girls all looked to each other, whispered bickering breaking out.

"A love potion," Brianna stated over the girls, all of them going beet red. Liana did her best not to laugh.

"That is quite an ambitious task, however, not one that I will support. Your first lesson is to understand that all magic comes at a price. Sometimes it is as simple as the energy required by you to complete the magic, sometimes, it is as dangerous as taking a life. A love potion is no true love potion either. You cannot force someone to fall in love with you, not even with magic. There are potions to induce lust, but that is not love either, and you all are too young to entertain men's advances." She kept her hands linked in front of her while she gave the honest explanation. "What else?"

"What spell requires you to take a life?" Brianna asked, her eyes wide.

"There are three that I know which require a human sacrifice. There are a hundred more that require an animal sacrifice, none of which I will ever teach because that is dark, forbidden magic. Then of course, there is the magic that is specifically designed to take life, which I will not teach you either. All of that magic comes as a steep price, one that I'm not willing to pay."

"I thought the life was the price?" Brianna questioned.

"It is but the price to the wielder is much higher. It will cost you your soul. And, while a lust potion may seem innocuous, it is not. That kind of spell interferes with a person's free will. Another piece of magic that would cost you more than you'd gain in return." She let that sink in for a moment to ensure that the girls understood magic wasn't something to be taken lightly. "Now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, let's start with some light earth magic. Do any of you know how to speed plant growth?"

Everyone shook their heads in denial.

"Excellent, let's start with the roses in front of you."

For hours, Liana took them through countless spells and a few quick potions. Sasha had to stop them for a food break which Liana insisted they take in her garden. The girls hemmed and hawed over the pretty flowers and hedges. After filling up on sandwiches and fruit, Liana continued their lesson throughout the garden. They picked a few flowers and vines to bring back to the training rooms where they used them in a scented potion to keep a room smelling fresh.

The girls stayed on task for a while until Opal said the wrong word and their lovely scent went as foul as a latrine. The girls sputtered and gagged, holding their noses. Liana laughed, corrected the spell quickly and rid them of that awful smell.

"What next?" Brianna asked eagerly.

"May I make a suggestion?" a delicious voice asked from behind Liana. She spun, a smile already blooming.

"My King," she greeted with a slight nod of her head. Behind her, the girls gasped then went silent, no doubt curtsying.

Damien slid an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Magic sparked with joy inside her now that they were back together.

"What is your suggestion?" she asked, letting him tell the girls.

"I suggest that you all pick this up tomorrow. I need to steal away the Queen for the rest of the afternoon."

"What is going on?" she asked silently.

"Luciano requested you continue combat practice."

Liana did not quite enjoy the sound of that. "Alright, ladies. If you all want to meet tomorrow, I will be here. Otherwise, I will see you again soon." They all curtsied. "Sasha, please make sure they return to their families."

The guard nodded then Damien escorted her toward the courtyard with their hands linked.

"What were you doing with those girls?"

"Master Kinley brought his daughter to me this morning because she wanted to meet me. Turns out she wanted to learn more magic. Then she brought her friends along. It turned into a lesson for the four of them."

"Do you enjoy teaching?"

She hummed. She'd never thought of it before. The day had been enjoyable though. "I don't dislike it. The only thing that worries me is that I have to hide most of my power from them. It doesn't make it easy to teach either because I may know a lot of things, but my power is different from theirs. If they were to struggle, I'm not sure how I'd handle it."

He squeezed her hand. "You'd figure it out. I think you'd make an excellent teacher."

Thoughts of a mage school for everyone, males and females flitted through her mind. It would be a school for anyone that wanted to learn regardless of gender, status or money. "Yes, well, let's see how it goes with the girls. Perhaps they will be the first mage females accepted into the army. They could become castors or combat mage."

"I have nothing against it. The rest of the mage community would fight us on it," he cautioned.

Liana scoffed. "They would have a problem with anything we try to do. I may be a mage, but the lot of them are judgmental snobs, even the impoverished ones."

Damien cracked a smile. "We shall muster on then. Male and female mage shall now be accepted into the army."

He said it as if it were as simple as him stating it. As if by speaking his desires that they would come to fruition without any issues at all. "You do realize the Council will tear you apart if you try to implement that? Besides, the females would need more training before even thinking about applying for the army."

He shrugged. "My decree still stands. I'll make it official tomorrow. Any capable female mage may apply to join the army."

Liana huffed, the courtyard and Luciano in front of them. "I suppose that means I should start training the ladies faster then. Perhaps take on more students if any should have a chance at joining the males."

"Whatever you wish, Liana. You know you have my full support." He gave her a kiss on the forehead before stepping away to join Luciano. They both faced her now and the next few hours did not seem quite so enjoyable anymore.

"What are we working on today?" she asked.

"Stamina and strength," Luciano replied. "You should change your outfit. We will be heading into the forest and those skirts will catch on every bush."

"We will be right back." Damien hauled her up to their room where she changed into another of her new outfits.

When they returned, Luciano led them to the far corner of the courtyard where a hidden door led to a dark passage with endless winding stairs. Liana lit the stairwell with a mage light so she could see. The blue-tinged light highlighting the beautiful gray stone and the masonry of the spiral staircase.

Once in the forest, Damien took the lead while Luciano followed behind Liana as they ran through the mountainside on a poorly defined trail. Liana almost refused considering they were vampires and could run far faster than she ever could. She held her tongue though. This training would make her fit and strong, just like she wanted. This is what she needed.

The running was not enjoyable per say, but it did feel good to move her body. When she finally called it, lying flat out on the ground panting for breath, they returned to the castle. They put a real sword in her hands and ran her through repetitive drills just to get her muscles used to the weight and feel of it.

By the time they were done, Liana felt as wrung out at a bedsheet on laundry day. The only thing she wanted to do was fall into bed. Damien took pity on her and brought supper to their room.

That night, she dreamed peacefully of walking through the halls of a mixed mage school.