Page 6 of A Conduit of Light
Theyagain turned expectantly toAsh.
“Hyrithia.”
Shetried to suppress her amusement at their surprise, a knowing grin lighting her face.
“But…Hyrithiais off limits.”Clairanniaset down her fork, a piece of turkey thigh still speared. “Accordingto theTreaty, channelers fromHyrithiacannot be taken.Itwould start a war if that was done.”
“Therewas a…compromise,”Ashanswered, unsure of how much she was allowed to tell anyone.Therehad been great secrecy about theBlackFeverinfecting the people ofHyrithiain case trade was deemed too dangerous to risk from other parts ofArcaynen. “Itdoesn’t matter now,” she said, taking a sip of wine from her cup. “I’mhere, and there isn’t going to be a war.Though,IdoubtI’llbe here for long.”
“Areyou sure you’re telling us the whole story,Ash?”Figuerahcalmly asked across the table. “Doesn’thistory tell us that none of theBaronshave taken someone born ofHyrithiafor centuries?Notsince theTreaty?Notsince…”
Theyall knew the stories of theBaronwho slaughtered five channelers after theirOfferings.Hehad gone mad, though the history books had never detailed why.Afterthat, to prevent an all-out war, theTreatywas made.Differentregions could decide if they would allow their citizens to be given anOffering.Hyrithiawas the only one to decline, and so, it was impossible to be born inHyrithiaand be trained as a conduit.
Yet, here she was.
“TheTreatydidn’t matter in my case.”Ashsighed and leaned into her high-backed chair, ridiculous in its ornate black tassels. “Lifeand death were on the line.”
Shegazed upward at the twelve-pronged chandelier glinting gold in the flickering candlelight.Sheremembered the cries of joy, altogether in one glorious sound throughoutHyrithia.
Onespell.Onesingle spell fromBaronHeimlenand all was cured.
Sheremembered watching from the door of thePrince’sroom the moment it happened.Herlegs felt glued to the floor outside of his chambers knowing her fate and his were tied.
Onewould stay and one would go.
Hiseyes had fluttered open, his breathing had stabilized.Thegasp and cry of theQueenwas heart-wrenching as she clasped her only son in a mother’s embrace and wept into his black curls.
Ashhad felt relief, and yet, the dread had begun then.Ifthe cure worked, she was to be given freely.Nowar, no fighting, no chance at refusal.
“Whereare you going?Youdon’t even know how to get around theFortress!”Clairanniaexclaimed asAshrose to leave the dining hall.
“I’llmanage.”
Andshe left, unwilling to discuss her past or future the very day she had let go of them both.Backstraight, eyes forward, with her stomach writhing in her belly, she pulled open the dining hall doors and stepped back into the foyer.
Chapter4
Ash
TheFortresswas enormous.Andblack.Somuch dark stone, dark wood.Bitsof greenery were laid here and there, andAshwondered who had decided on that feature.Italmost seemed out of place in the windowless abyss.
Shebegan with the massive spiral staircase, countless stone steps leading to the tallest of towers.Ifshe was going to leave here as soon as possible, she was at least going to have good stories to tell.Nodoubt thePrinceandGeyrandwould be begging her for details someday.
Sheclimbed and climbed, holding onto the stone rail, counting seven landings before exasperation got ahold of her, and she decided to just make up a number beyond.
Fewpeople were moving about.Servants, she assumed, as they were carrying bed linens or lighting candles in ornate iron sconces along the winding walls.Theywere channelers, all of them, using their magic to complete their tasks, no conduit rings on their fingers.Hereyes narrowed as she watched an older woman dust the frame of an enormous painting on what must have been the twentieth landing.Hermagical essence flowed from her wrinkled hand, a steel gray, controlling the cloth in gentle strokes around the painting.
Asa spectator, she watched the woman at her work, hundreds of questions forming even in her exhaustion.
Wasthis woman a channeler brought toFelgrento train in her younger years?Sheknew some channelers did not pass the conduit trials and she did not see a conduit ring on her finger.Channelerswere people with the use of magic but lacked the ability to harness it in more specific ways.Moretimes than not, they eventually lost their magic completely.
AsAshwatched from the stairs, the old woman’s silvery glow gave out, her dusting rag falling with a slump to the stone floor.
Tearsswelled in the woman’s grey eyes and she slowly bent her body down to retrieve it.
“CanIhelp you with that?”Ashstepped closer, unsure of her own role to this woman.
Shelooked up, smiling warmly atAsh, her pale skin crinkling with the fine lines of long years. “Akind heart keeps theBlightressat bay.”
