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"Do you ever miss your birth home?" Morgan inquired, interrupting my train of thought.
"Sometimes. I miss the warm springs and even the hot summers. I miss my father, my brothers and my mother. It seems I forget more about them every day."
"Once you are a fully trained Mistress, you could visit them whenever you wish. Help them out with your magic. No one would judge you or reprimand you for doing so."
I wondered how my family would react if I just showed up, dressed like a queen and with mighty magic at my fingertips.
“Do you visit your family?” I asked. Morgan laughed and rolled her eyes.
“You sure ask a lot of questions!”
“I am sorry, My Lady.” I tried to keep my voice emotionless, like a well-trained Mistress would. Morgan laughed again, but it was hollow.
Her face had become serious. “I rather like your inquisitive nature. But in the Sisterhood, asking too many questions can be bad for one’s health.”
I opened my mouth to speak but paused, taken aback by this turn of mood.
“Oh don’t worry, Little One.” Morgan tried to reassure me. “Me you can ask almost anything.”
Was all of this part of my testing? Could I trust her?
“As for my family,” she continued, “I share the Ironfall Tower with three of my sisters, and I do visit my mother quite often. My other sisters occasionally visit, but I rarely see my brothers, if at all, as they’ve all joined the Brotherhood, of course.”
I wondered if Morgan had any children of her own. After all, a Lady could choose when to conceive, so unlike most women, for us there were no surprises. But at this point it would be one question too many; I did not miss Morgan’s hint. I was being too nosy.
“Would you like to see your birth family?” The question was sudden. Unexpected.
“See them?” I echoed, astonished.
“Well, I remember where it is. And I can summon a Sight Wisp to show us what is there now.”
“I would love to see them!” Morgan smiled at me. “But… wouldn’t that drain you?”
“Well, this is a good demonstration as any, and dear Draken has given me more than enough for this spell.” She shifted in her seat on the bench, and I could sense her spinning a dozen spell fragments in the air and in her mind as she spoke.
Morgan lifted her hand and a small, pulsating light appeared in her palm. As she cast the spell, I could see the small, magical construct forming,almost like an insect, a nearly translucent crystal grasshopper. They could be used to spy, to scout or to explore across the kingdom. The Wisp’s lifespan, and so its ability to reach and see farther and longer, was directly influenced by the Lady’s magical capacity. It slowly rose from her hand, and darted away, leaving behind it the glowing light from which it was born.
Morgan motioned her hand forward, as though letting the light spill off. It floated forward, becoming a kind of flat, liquid surface right in front of us.
At first, all I could see was a blurry image, but as the Wisp neared Redland and Morgan’s spell strengthened, I began to recognize shapes. The Wisp flew over the fields, where my father and brothers had just finished working. The twins had grown into handsome boys who oddly resembled Draken with their light hair and muscular bodies. They looked tired, but happy.
The Wisp entered the house through an open window, settling on the kitchen counter. From its perspective, I could see the living room and fireplace. My sister was sitting in the rocking chair, holding a baby and my mother sat beside her.
I couldn’t hear them speak, as the Wisp only granted us sight. I looked at my mother’s aged face, suddenly very aware of how long had passed since I’d last seen her. Before I left, my sister was about to become engaged to a trader’s son. Was this his baby she was smiling so happily at?
It surprised me how much I missed my birth family. Seeing them made me feel so very alone. A tear slid down my face, and I sensed Morgan’s eyes on me. She seemed to have noticed it before I did. I quickly wiped it off and opened my mouth to speak.
“My Lady, I-”
"Oh! Look at the pretty vision!" A voice yelled from the bushes. The Wisp Sight faded instantly, the vision crumbling to the floor. Draken hurried in the direction of the racket, just as a red-haired, bright-eyed initiate ran out to the path, looking wildly excited.
"Can I do that?" she asked, staring at Morgan. The glow in her eyes indicated that she had just recently drawn power from a man, and lacked the skill to hide it. I recognized her as Daria, one of the Initiates in my age group at the college. She studied a few subjects with me, but was never particularly good at any.
Morgan rose from the bench quickly, looking worried and slightly annoyed.
A figure hurried down the path leading to us. As she approached, I could see it was a Mistress dressed in black and red. She oddly resembled Clarida, the Lady at Redland, but was taller and prettier than our old “angry witch”. Draken and Mason glanced at Morgan, waiting for her command.
"By the Gods, Daria! Oh, Morgan, I am so sorry." The woman apologized, gasping, as she stopped between the over-excited young initiate and us. "She just got away from me. I only looked away for a moment!"
"Don't fret, Merida." Morgan dismissed the Mistress’ concern.
"I brought her to the garden to walk off her power high."
"Ah, your first feed?" Morgan turned to Daria.
"Oh yes! It was marvelous! I can't wait to be a Mistress!" The initiate was far too loud.
Morgan and Merida exchanged meaningful glances. Such embarrassment significantly lowered the chances of Daria becoming a Mistress. She should be able to control herself.
"Why don't we go practice some practical magic? Pick up some rocks?" Merida said as she put her arm around Daria and led her away down the path.
Morgan and I looked at each other.
"Well, that was awkward." The Mistress grimaced.
"Is it always like that?"
"You do feel the high. Always. But there's no reason to make a fool of yourself." She smiled and sat back down on the bench. "But yes, it is as fun as it looks.And you learn to contain it. Enjoy it without giving in to it too much. Control is always key," she added.
"Like in sustained magic," I added, quoting the schoolbooks.
"All magic is sustained magic." Morgan was arguing one of the accepted theories in the field of magic study. "Magic can be used to create, but all magic must be sustained. Its results, however, do not."
I didn't really have an answer to this ancient argument in the Sisterhood, source of many a discussion. Is healing creating, even if it is a temporary spell to close a wound or hold a broken bone, and the magic relies on the process around it, the healing of the body itself?
Morgan seemed to be pondering something. Weighing options in her head as she sat on the bench and faced me. I could see the sun beginning to set over the trees and towers of the Citadel.
"Are you tired?" Morgan asked.
"Not particularly".
"Normally, you would not get a taste of power until tomorrow," she mused aloud. "But you arrived early and the day is still young. How would you feel about me inviting one of my Knights for a bath with us?"
I stopped breathing for a moment, and all the blood in my body rushed to my head. I tried to say something, but couldn’t quite choose what.
"Not just watching this time," Morgan added gingerly. I was still trying to form an appropriate answer. "We don't have to. It can wait until tomorrow and you can explore the halls and gardens of the castle, if you prefer."
"Is this some kind of test?" I had known very little about how and when I would experience my first taste of the power. I knew it would be somewhere along my initiation, but this was much sooner than I had expected. Morgan would be there to guide and watch, and though I knew she would have to be, I assumed we’d have more time to get to know each other before sharing a man.
"Not more of a test than anything you say or do while you're with me." It was as though she was playing a game. One moment she was a mysterious Mistress, and the next she was the closest thing I’d had to a friend at that time. This must have been a test too.
"I am curious. And I do believe I am ready, with your guidance," I managed to say. Morgan smiled as though that was the answer she was expecting.
"Good," she said. "Now the real fun starts. And I have just the Knight in mind."
-=-=-=-
Next Saturday: Things get steamy.
My endless gratitude to the wonderful ladies (and gents) at @isleofwrite (and an extra THANK YOU to @jrhughes , my shoulder to whine on) for reviewing, editing and holding my shaky hand.
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