“It really isn’t fair,” Nic said with sympathy.She did feel kind of bad for Nander, awful as he was.He might grow out of it, but he would never be half the wizard Alise was.His MP scores had never been up to snuff and he didn’t have the smarts or strength to head a high house.The only person who didn’t know that was Nander.
“I know it’s not fair,” Nander replied, petulant but also maybe a little gratified to have Nic’s sympathy.“You and Alise do whatever you want and everyone justlovesyou, but me?I’m right here and I get treated like shit.I could rot away at this stinking academy and none of you would even notice.”
There was a grain of truth to his words.“I’m sorry,” Nic said sincerely.“You’re welcome to visit House Phel any time.”
“In the swamps?No thank you.”He laughed in contempt, his voice breaking unevenly, reminding her that he was still a boy, teetering on the precipice of manhood, but not there yet.He’d benefit from being around Gabriel and the other solid men of Phel.“I’d rather suck a pig’s teat,” Nander added with transparent defiance.
She shrugged, as if it didn’t matter to her, which it really didn’t.This offer was for him.“The invitation is open.Come any time.You can meet your niece, Bria.”
“My niece…” He seemed as if that hadn’t occurred to him, that he was an uncle to that snivelly baby.“Maman liked babies.”
“Yes.”Nic also nodded, struck by how sad Nander sounded then.Of course he’d have grieved for their mother also.They’d never even had a memorial service, where they could all remember her together.“Maman is buried at House Phel,” she told him on impulse.“You could lay flowers on her grave.We could have a ceremony, to remember her.”
He glared, fully mean again, but with a glimmer of tears in his eyes.“Papa says you killed Maman.You and Alise.”
“No,” Nic said firmly, sinking the weight of truth in that.“That’s not what happened at all.Alise and I loved Maman as you did.We never would have done anything to harm her.”
He sneered, a disdainful baring of uncleaned teeth, but Nic also thought he believed her.“It doesn’t matter anyway,” he said, shrugging into the chair.“She was only a familiar.”
Nic let that pass, feeling very adult to do so.Nander was clearly a festering mass of hormones and hurt, and it had been wrong of her not to communicate with him following Maman’s death.
“So,” she said, feeling through what was probably her last question for him.At least for the time being.“You haven’t seen Alise—she hasn’t contacted you?”
“I am thelastperson Alise is going to contact.”Nander expelled that bitter cough of a laugh again.“What amazes me is that none of you seems to know that.She hates me.The last time I saw her, she put spirit mites on me.It took me hours and exhausting two grooming imps to get rid of them.”
Nic suppressed a smile with valiant resolve.She could only imagine what Nander had said or done to Alise for her to pull that trick, a favorite among young Elal wizards.And sad that Nander lacked the skill to get rid of them on his own.“All right,” she said.“Thank you.Just let us know when you want to come visit House Phel.I have a room set aside for you,” she added on impulse.She didn’t—hadn’t thought of it—but they had plenty of space now that they’d finished the renovations on the manse, and she’d designated Alise’s suite as her permanent space.Nander should have one, too.Only fair.
“You do?”He asked incredulously, looking at her directly for the first time since his shock upon entering the office.“Why?”
“You’re my brother,” she said simply.“You’re welcome in my home.So long as you behave,” she felt compelled to clarify.“But come visit anytime.Just show up if you like.”She caught Tandiya’s subtly quiet clearing of the throat.“With permission from the provost, naturally.”
Nander glanced at the provost, then right back to Nic.Then tried to look cool.“Yeah, maybe I could visit you, next break.Instead of kicking my heels doing nothing in Elal.”
Nic nodded, surprisingly pleased.“Good idea.”
~14~
The hot springswere rough and barely adapted to human soaking, but also sheer paradise.Alise sighed in utter bliss and sank down in the steaming water to her chin.Beside her, Cillian gave her a sleepy blink, his soft black eyes mostly veiled by his extraordinary fringe of lashes.
“Better than stewing in stinking hunter goo, huh?”he asked throatily and she giggled.
“Just a little.”She tipped her head back, watching the purpling sky.Evening in the mountains cooled down quickly, especially in springtime, but the steaming water had her balanced perfectly between too hot and too cold.If only she could find that middle ground in her life.Though… seeing Cillian beside her, their fingers interlaced under the water, in possession of the heady skills imparted by her father and yet away from his crushing possessiveness… maybe she had found a kind of balance.“Can I get your opinion on something?”
“Anything,” he answered immediately, sounding much less sleepy.“You know that.”
She did know that, and this seemed like the time to talk about it.Jadren had woken up, hobbled to the hot springs, and yipped like a stepped-on puppy at the sting of hot, briny water on his freshly healed wounds.Seliah had quickly bathed, then returned with him to the comfort of the carriage, where they were now no doubt snuggled under fur blankets, peacefully resting.
Well out of earshot.
Seliah hadn’t exactly winked or waggled her brows, but she’d made it clear that Alise and Cillian would have the privacy of the hot springs.Except that so far, they’d both been too tired and grimy to do anything about it.Then she’d started thinking.
“I’ve been mulling this question…” She trailed off, wondering if she really wanted to say this aloud.Cillian knew about her ability to severe the wizard–familiar bond, but they didn’t talk about it much.She’d finally reconciled herself that she hadn’t actually killed her own mother by severing Maman’s bond to her wizard, but she would never rid herself of the guilt of her role in it—and her fear of the tremendous power she wielded.Not to mention that the Convocation would likely execute her if they knew she could do that.No wizard wanted their familiar to go free.
“Yes?”Cillian asked gently, after she paused for too long.“Mulling what?”
She turned to face him in the water.“My ability to sever the wizard–familiar bond and how it relates to us using Anciela’s method for unlocking the block in familiars’ minds to allow them to be wizards.”
He nodded, following her train of thought easily.“You’re thinking that, even if familiars can become wizards if we are able to decode Anciela’s notes, the ones who are bonded to their wizards might still need to be… liberated.”
