Daughter of the Disgraced King (21 page)

Sandor rubbed his chin. “It might at that.”

“Good, then it’s settled. And I’m sure Ailsa will be glad to
see you, too.”

Savyon looked up at that. “You know Ailsa?”

Rishiart shrugged. “Of course. We’ve adopted her as a
long-lost cousin. She spent two weeks with us at our summer lodge just after the
solstice. Besides, she’s studying with our stepbrother, Prince Jathan. He’s a
green mage, too.” He smiled. “You should have seen them. There was this burned-over
area on the road to the lodge. A ravine that was going to cause nasty mudslides
when the rains came. She took one side and Jathan took the other. By the time
they were finished, there was this green fuzz of seedlings over the whole
blackened area. When we rode back out two weeks later, the grasses and other
plants were almost two inches high and the village below was saved from the
threat. They were both rated as level nine mages for that.”

Sandor’s smile turned to a grin. “I know. She wrote me about
that.” His face darkened. “She had to send it under your father’s seal to keep
King Ewart from reading it before it got to me.”

“Me, too,” Savyon said. His head was spinning. Ailsa had
written about the burned-over ravine. She hadn’t mentioned that she was now a ninth-level
green mage. He couldn’t even conceive of the power inherent in that. Lady Izbel
was the strongest mage he’d ever seen work and she was only a sixth-level water
mage. Ailsa was truly a new hope for Far Terra. But . . . she couldn’t do any
of that as his wife. Not at present, anyway. After what he’d seen at Baron
Mikel’s estates, he wasn’t even sure that he should wish for Ailsa to come back
to Far Terra at all, no matter how much her abilities would mean.

That felt like an icy kick to the gut. The cold lump in Savyon’s
belly flared to fire. What about this Jathan she was studying so closely with? He
wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that at all. There wasn’t a thing he could do
about any of that from here, though. He needed to be where Ailsa was. Right
now. “When do we leave?”

Rishiart turned to look at him. His eyes narrowed. “Well, I’d
planned to take a week or so to make an independent assessment of the situation
for my father. However, I think your father’s attitude so far has not been very
conducive to that. I hate to leave more delicate matters like information
gathering to Arrigo. He’s much better at whacking things than asking questions.”
Arrigo grimaced at this, but didn’t argue. “But Captain Damek is quite
competent in that area. It’s why I chose him. And he’ll have the advantage of a
much lower profile.
He
can go have a quiet drink at an inn or public
house, keeping his ears open, much more easily than either Arrigo or I could. Perhaps
it would be better to leave sooner, before King Ewart can think of any
obstacles to throw up to hold us back.”

“Absolutely,” Sandor said.

~

A few days later, Savyon stood at the edge of the ravine and
looked out in wonder. According to Rishiart, this valley had been nothing but
blackened stumps and bare earth less than two months ago. Now it was as green
and lush as anything he’d seen on this trip full of wonders. The lake had
certainly been an eye-opener. He’d never imagined that much water all in one
place. Then the forest so old it made him think he’d never really understood
what a forest was before. And now this. The ravine was a tapestry of every
conceivable shade of green. Even the stumps were completely covered in twining
vines. A few had even begun to flower.

“Ailsa did this?” Sandor asked. The pride in his voice was
quite understandable.

Rishiart nodded, chest puffed out with a matching pride. “Ailsa
and Jathan. He worked on this side.” He pointed up the trail to a stone bridge.
“She crossed to the other side and worked opposite him. Mage Malina says they
are unusually well-matched. Since this, they’re being trained to work as a
team.”

“Do they get on well together, then?” Lady Sosana asked. It
was a natural enough question for Ailsa’s mother, but Savyon tasted bile at the
thought.

Rishiart laughed. “Oh, I’d say so. They danced all night
together at the Solstice Ball and Jathan was particularly . . . um . . .
solicitous of her during the two weeks we spent up at the lodge. I suppose he
might
have just been trying to be a good host, as the one of us who knows her best,
but . . . he seemed to be enjoying himself.”

Savyon clenched his teeth against an outcry. He felt like he’d
been punched in the gut.

Ailsa stopped as they turned the last corner to Grandmama’s
house. There were horses—seven horses—tied up in front of the little house,
idly grazing on the clover border.

Jathan paused beside her. “What . . .” He followed the
direction of her gaze and stopped. “Looks like your grandmother has visitors.”

“A lot of visitors.” Ailsa blinked. That grey on the end . .
. “That’s Pearl!”

At the sound of her voice, the mare raised her head and
whickered. Ailsa ran forward and threw her arms around the glossy neck. “How’d
you get here, Pearl, you beautiful thing?”

Jathan came forward at a fast walk. He whistled as he looked
Pearl over. “Your friend was wrong.”

Ailsa raised her face from the silky mane, trying to piece
together his meaning. “What?”

“Your friend who said she ran beyond her abilities for you.
He was wrong. It may be that she only runs to her full capacity for you.”
Jathan smiled and patted Pearl’s side. “Isn’t it obvious? After all these weeks
of riding Diamond? This horse has unicorn blood. Oh, she’s not a quarter, like
Diamond. Maybe not even an eighth. But she definitely has the blood. Look how
her coat shines and the lines of her face. It’s unmistakable.”

Ailsa blinked. He’d remembered that? When had she even said
that?

She shook her head and took a step back to look Pearl
over with new eyes. “It is, isn’t it?” She hugged Pearl’s neck again. “I always
knew you were special. But how’d you get here, huh?”

Jathan turned to the other horses. “If we knew who these
other horses belonged to, we might be able to answer that. Or, of course, we
could just go inside and ask.”

Ailsa looked up from Pearl and her eyes widened. “That’s . .
. that’s Sav’s—Prince Savyon’s—black, and Cerg’s—Prince Cergio’s—bay, and that
one belongs to my cousin Perion, and . . . Papa’s gelding and Mama’s little
mare. She’s even stodgier than Goldenrod.”

Jathan’s lips thinned. “And the sorrel on the end belongs to
Rishiart. He’s been away on some business for Father. I think I can guess what,
now.”

Ailsa turned toward the front door. “That means . . . they’re
all here.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Or, rather, which one of
the many things she felt was strongest. The thought of seeing Mama and Papa
made her feel light all over. And yet . . . Sav. Her stomach clenched at the
thought of seeing Sav so soon. She wasn’t ready, yet. He’d want an answer—he
deserved one—and she had no idea what to tell him.

Maybe it had been a mistake to put off thinking this out.
Even if Sav was prepared to accept her, magic and all, and fight the barons,
could she say yes with her whole heart and walk away from Jathan forever? Her breath
caught at that thought.

Since the talk Grandmama had given them, Jathan had studiously
avoided any romantic moves. There’d been only that one brief kiss after the
first time they worked together on the oak root fungus. Still, there’d been
times when she’d felt the tension in him. She knew he’d been as tempted as she
often was. She’d appreciated his forbearance, then. Now . . . now, she thought
that it had robbed her of a chance to sort out how she really felt about
Jathan. She’d thought she had time. Now they were both here. Ailsa squared her
shoulders, bracing herself.

“Well,” Jathan said. “It doesn’t look like we’ll be having a
lesson today. I’ll just go and leave you to your family reunion.”

“No!” Ailsa swallowed. That had come out a little more
desperate than she’d intended. “I . . . I’d like you to meet my parents.”

Jathan grinned. “All right. I’d like that, too. Shall we go
in?” He held out his hand.

Ailsa bit her lip. That might send a signal she wasn’t sure
she intended, yet. On the other hand, her knees were shaking so hard that
Jathan’s support would be welcome. She gave Pearl one final pat and put her
hand in Jathan’s.

She was forced to drop his hand as soon as they went through
the door, though, because she was swept into a hug first by her father and then
by Mama, too.

“We’re so proud of you,” Papa said. Mama just beamed.

Ailsa was handed around to Perion, Cergio, and finally Sav,
whose eyes burned into hers. Ailsa was pinned by that look for just a moment.

“And who is this?” Mama asked.

Freed from Sav’s gaze, Ailsa took a step back. “Mama, Papa,
this is Jathan.”

“Don’t you mean Prince Jathan?” Mama asked sharply.

“We don’t use titles at the Institute,” Jathan said,
stepping forward to shake hands with Papa. “Only talent and hard work matter
among mages. It’s actually very freeing.”

Mama narrowed her eyes and looked between Rishiart and
Jathan, who didn’t look much like brothers.

Jathan laughed. It sounded a little forced to Ailsa’s ears. “Anyway,
I’m only a prince by adoption, not royal blood.”

Ailsa went on to introduce him to Sav, Cergio, and Perion.
Then she couldn’t stand it any longer. “What are you all doing here?”

Rishiart stepped out of the corner where he and Grandmama
had been keeping out of the crush. Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder in the
small front room. “That’s my doing. Father wanted more perspectives on the
situation in Far Terra. And to meet all the potential heirs. He sent me to
bring them back. We haven’t even been to the imperial palace, yet. Your parents
wanted to stop and see you first.”

“Of course we did,” Papa said, giving her another hug.

“We brought your horse, too,” Perion put in.

“Yes. Where they thought I’d put a horse, I have no idea,”
Grandmama said from the kitchen.

“That’s no problem. I’m sure we can find a place for her in
the imperial stables.” Jathan grinned and winked at Ailsa. “In fact, if I
remember right, there’s an empty stall next to Diamond. I think he’d like Pearl.
He might like her a lot.”

Ailsa tugged on her braid. “I wouldn’t want her to cause any
trouble.”

Jathan laughed. “What trouble? Father’s horse master has
been trying to find a mare Diamond doesn’t look down his nose at. I think yours
might just be the one. Or wouldn’t you want a foal of Diamond’s?”

“Oh, yes.” She blinked and smiled back. “A foal of Diamond’s
with Pearl’s steadiness would be perfect for Mayra, wouldn’t it?”

Jathan laughed again and shook his head. “Only you, Ailsa.
Let’s introduce them first before we start arguing over who the foal would
belong to.”

Rishiart shifted his feet. “Yes, well. I’m sure Father will
want to have
all
of you come to supper up at the palace. Meanwhile, the
luggage wagon has probably already arrived and they’re wondering what happened
to us.”

Papa let go of Ailsa. “Yes, we shouldn’t keep the emperor
waiting. And I’m sure there’ll be a better chance for a visit, later.”

Grandmama came out of the kitchen making shooing motions
with her hands. “Yes, and more room, too. Besides, these two still have a
lesson this afternoon.”

Mama laughed. “All right, Mama. We’ll get out of your way.”
She hugged Ailsa again. “We’ll see you again tonight.”

~

Jathan spoke quietly to Rishiart as he went past. “Just make
sure to put Pearl in next to Diamond.”

Rishiart clapped him on the shoulder. “I will. Believe it or
not, I can recognize a good idea when I hear it. I’m ashamed I didn’t think of
it. She’s a pretty little mare. To look at her, it’s obvious she has some
unicorn blood, too. Now I know why little Ailsa took to riding Diamond so
easily.”

Jathan shook his head. “Experience with a part-blood didn’t
hurt. Ailsa was able to ride Diamond because she’s that good a horsewoman. No
other reason.”

Rishiart smirked. “Whatever you say.” He nodded toward
Prince Savyon. “Watch out, Jathan. I think you’ve got some competition for
Ailsa, now.”

Jathan turned to look at Prince Savyon. The Far Terran
prince stared back at him. So that was the one, the other man who’d kissed
Ailsa back in Far Terra and made her confused about what she felt. And, of
course, he had to be a prince—a real prince—too. Jathan stretched to his full
height—which was noticeably less than his rival’s—and took a step forward.

Rishiart grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear. “Down,
boy. Acting like Arrigo isn’t likely to impress Ailsa, now, is it? And
she’s
the one you need to impress, not Savyon.”

Jathan forced himself to relax. Rishiart was right. He’d
been allowing things to develop slowly with Ailsa. Maybe too slowly. But she
was the one he needed to concentrate on. And it just so happened that he had an
opportunity to work magic with her right now. Something Prince Savyon couldn’t
ever do.

He smiled. Prince Savyon might have the advantage of sharing
Ailsa’s early years, but Jathan had the advantage of sharing her future. They
were green mages together, and could be the strongest green mage team ever to
leave the Institute. That had to be much more powerful than her largely unhappy
past. What he needed to do was remind Ailsa of that. And then show her how he
really felt about her.

He clenched his jaw. That, and try not to let the
competitive nature he’d developed as one of four active and spirited brothers
get the better of him. It was one thing to let that drive him to push his magic
to its limits. It would be something else altogether to allow it to encourage
him to start a fight with one of Ailsa’s oldest friends. He didn’t think she’d
like that much. She already looked about as overwhelmed as he’d ever seen her.
Worse than the first time she’d been summoned to the palace to meet his father.
No, that wasn’t the way to impress her at all.

Jathan had long ago decided that Ailsa needed a light touch
and not to be rushed into anything. That was truer now, if anything. It was just
going to be a lot harder for him to do, but he’d find a way. He’d do almost
anything for Ailsa.

~

Ailsa looked forward to sinking into the tranquility of her
green magic. She very much needed that right now. Fortunately, they didn’t have
far to go for today’s project. They’d be dealing with a simple case of aphids
in the rose garden at the Institute. It wouldn’t take a lot of magic or much
concentration. All they had to do was increase the roses’ natural defenses
faster than the plants could do it themselves. When the leaves tasted bad
enough, the aphids would move on. At least, that was the theory.

The work wasn’t as complicated as the oak root fungus, but
it would still be time-consuming because the Institute maintained a very large
rose garden. And they’d have to do it all at one time. Otherwise, the aphids
would just move from one part of the garden to another. That’s why a team of
mages was needed. This was going to be similar to working on the burn area in
that regard. Ailsa on one side of the garden and Jathan on the other, working
their way down the length of the garden.

It was Ailsa’s turn to lead. She spread her magic across the
rose garden, but hesitated just before her magic would meet Jathan’s. She’d
seen him and Sav glaring at each other and she was pretty sure Jathan knew that
Sav was the one she’d kissed before him. Would he be angry? She didn’t want to
hurt either of them, but that seemed likely to be impossible, now.

Under Grandmama’s tutelage, she and Jathan had worked with
other green mages as they passed through Terranion. Nothing ever matched the
euphoria of joining her magic with Jathan’s. There was always something special
about that. Now, she was afraid that would be changed. She took a deep breath
to brace herself and let her magic reach out to Jathan’s.

She rocked back on her heels at the warmth and support that
reached her through that link along with the exhilaration. She hadn’t expected
that and it took her breath away for a moment. It felt almost like a
long-distance hug. Ailsa wanted to run across the rose garden and kiss Jathan,
but she forced herself to concentrate on the aphids, instead.

For the moment, she was able to let her own misgivings go
and concentrate on the work in front of her. As she did, Ailsa’s shoulders
relaxed. It felt good and natural to work with Jathan this way. She let all her
stress out with the magic.

When they’d circled all the way to the far end of the rose
garden, Ailsa found herself face to face with Jathan. Despite the lingering
euphoria of their joined magic, her earlier uncertainties rushed back. She
ducked her head. “Thank you.”

Jathan took her hand. “Hey, we’re partners. Aren’t we?”

Ailsa looked up and smiled weakly. “Yes. Always. There’s no
way I’m giving this up.”

Jathan smiled back. “Good. Me either. And friends?”

Ailsa nodded. “The best.”

Jathan leaned forward slightly. “And . . . maybe more?”

Ailsa’s breath caught. Her smile wavered and her eyes darted
to his and then away again. Her free hand automatically reached for her braid.
She couldn’t answer that question right now. She wanted more than anything to
run to her quiet room in Grandmama’s house, lock the door, and just be alone
for a while. Maybe then . . . maybe she could sort out her feelings and make a
choice. She just couldn’t right now on the spot.