“Like what?” Tobias asks.

  “I’ve seen places where things were entombed because we could trap them, but not kill them. I’ve seen places where guardians still prowl, but no one knows why. Still, they must be guarding something. The question is why? Is it valuable or dangerous or both? Stories like this record something of what it might be,” I explain.

  Tobias snorts and shakes his head, clearly disbelieving me.

  I shrug, “It wasn’t that long ago that we found a tablet that was inscribed with a story my people had been handing down for nearly twenty thousand years.”

  “Anyone can bury a tablet that they carved,” Arno says.

  I shake my head, “The ruin it was found in dates from that time. The bodies atop it date from that time. The tablet itself has dates on it, and it’s from that time. To fake that, you’d have to fake twenty thousand-year-old clothing, jewelry, bones, buildings, and twenty thousand years of the mineral deposits that annual glacial melt leaves behind. That’s assuming that you could get through the glacier somehow without anyone noticing.”

  “How did they find it?” Luka asks.

  I smirk, “We had a really warm summer, and a few of the taller spires started poking through the ice. A team of scholars went to study it and announced that they’d found a city we’d thought was a fable. We expended a lot of magic moving all that ice and snow once we realized what was down there. What we found was a fable, a lost city. One that, the year before, most people would have laughed at you for saying was real. We found out why the city was covered in ice.”

  “Why was that?” Ulrick asks.

  I retell the story of Veridian Heart, the lost city. “There was a drought, and the mages tried too hard to make it rain. The spells they cast didn’t seem to work, so they kept casting. They added more and stronger spells until all the spells finally worked. All of them, at the same time. They altered the weather, and blizzard after blizzard dumped snow on them. They didn’t even have a chance to run. They’ve all just been there, all this time, frozen solid. People, plants, animals, all of it.”

  “Hah! That’s what they get for using magic,” laughs one of Kenric’s men-at-arms.

  “No,” I reply calmly, “That’s what they get for misusing magic. What they did was stupid. Piling up spell upon spell was just dumb. It’s like going to a restaurant and ordering food. Your food doesn’t come fast enough, so you order more. It still doesn’t show up, so you keep ordering more. Finally, the kitchen has your order ready, and you’ve got enough to feed an army. That’s exactly what happened to them.”

  “It’s tragic,” Kenric says, “I’ll bet most of the population didn’t have any say in all that.”

  “No more than I do over the dukes in Centis,” I reply, “That’s why it's tragic. So many snuffed out for the stupidity of a few.”

  Dinner discussion reverts to speculation about what’s happening back in Dobile, and I eat in silence. I sit lost in my thoughts, grappling with what to do about these dukes and wondering how much magic I can safely use on them. Minor spells that rachet up slowly over time are generally the least obtrusive.

  Even when dealing with other Fey, I can often cast something small that goes unnoticed until it's too late. I can arrange for all the straps on your armor to tighten up slowly. That’s a spell that, if it runs long enough, will render an opponent immobile. It will even kill them if I don’t get to them before the straps are all cinched as tight as they can possibly go. I’ll have to see what I can do with the dukes that’s similar. I’ll need to research their heirs to see if any of them might be more amenable to leaving me alone.

  It might be easier to deal with the heir than the current holder. That remains to be seen. Some investigation is necessary, assuming they have heirs. Some might not have named an heir just to protect themselves. People are less likely to kill for your title if they’re unsure they’ll get it. In Centis, titles usually pass from father to the eldest son, but there are exceptions. Having the eldest son as the heir is common but not required. It’s rare for the eldest to be bypassed, but that usually means the younger brothers are also bypassed.

  I’ve researched the human studbook enough to know that there have been times when the eldest son has been set aside. It’s usually for a cousin or nephew, so these oh so precious lands and titles still remain within the family. Jellema has offered for one of his aging earls to make Kenric his heir since the earl is childless and his family is nearly extinct. There are many nieces and sisters, but no male relatives. I’ve advised Kenric to accept his offer. I’d rather see him sworn to Jellema than to that viper, Vellam, and his master, Nelis Doerr.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  There are things I won’t even tell Kenric because if he’s asked, he can honestly claim to know nothing about them. I believe he’d also try to talk me out of some of it if I shared. I don’t think he’d see me differently if he knew my entire plan for Oskar, but he might. That’s why I usually keep my plans to myself. Kenric might see part of it. Melina might learn more. Inaba probably knows more than most. Mostly, I keep my plans to myself. The palace walls have ears and eyes.

  If it stays inside my head, they’ll have no idea what’s coming for them. I can keep it hidden and keep them guessing. I’m sitting there mulling over the best way to handle the dukes and their pesky earls when Melina taps me. She’s prepared a bath. As easy as it is to use magic to whisk away any lingering traces of the hunt, baths are soothing. There’s something to be said for a nice long soak. Kenric is still sitting at the table, drinking and laughing. This is good for him.

  He's bonding with his family, and this seems like a great excuse for him to visit. It’s been too long since he’s visited these people who care for him. I like them, too. I hope they can weather the storm. The wolves will help. They’ll be able to warn them about things that Torsten and his men can’t sense. With a bit of luck, we’ll all make it through unscathed while I sabotage these dukes and their schemes. These dukes think I’m part of the trade deal with Ellisar and that controlling me will give them some leverage with my king.

  That’s tricky because Ellisar isn’t exactly fond of me, despite all his protestations to the contrary. If you look at his past actions, he might be quite pleased to have me trapped here for a while. I wouldn’t be trapped here, since I know I can at least reach the dryad grove. Getting Kenric there, if he’s hurt or incapacitated, would be more difficult. I can move him with magic over short distances, but he’s large enough that traveling any significant distance would require several short jumps. That could take more time than I’ll have if I have to flee.

  Inaba’s plan to disguise us as two more of them is one of the better ideas anyone’s had. Wearing similar armor with a touch of glamor to make myself look taller should do the trick. It’d be reasonably easy to put on the helm and walk out, right past all of Oskar’s guards. Ride to the border, find a ship, and leave. Kenric, however, isn’t planning to go. He’s determined to return to his estate and manage his holdings. On one hand, I can’t blame him for that. It’s the source of his wealth and status.

  I understand why he wants to save it, but it’s already gone. Whatever Ellisar is planning won’t leave much standing. Any male willing to marry a feral female is likely to have a few quirks. This seems to be his, but it’s also why I know he’d never walk away from me. It’s part of the reason I love him so much. I believe I can get us through this intact. It won’t be easy to do without exposing my ability to use magic. I worry about my safety if I have to cast spells openly. These humans burn magic users.

  They believe that they can burn the magic out of us. Yes, I can control fire, and my gift is strong enough that these humans would have a hard time building a fire big enough that I couldn’t control it. My ability to control fire is part of why I’m so emotional at times. Strong emotions seem to come with having an affinity for fire. I send Melina out to remind Kenric that we have another practice tomorrow and dinner at Torsten’s house so that he can meet his other cousins.

  I sit for a while talking with Melina about Nelis, Basten, and Aart. Melina’s cousin is married to an accountant who works for Nelis, keeping the books on his gambling business. Mila’s youngest brother works for Basten as a guard overseeing their vault. Aart employs Larissa’s brother-in-law as his steward and personal assistant. I have only the faintest beginnings of a plan to pit those three against each other in a struggle over the gambling empire Nelis and Basten have built.

  Now, if I can find a way to shove Vellam and Kempe De Boer into that same rowboat before I set it adrift, perhaps on set it on fire, that would be a nearly perfect plan. I think about this for a while and finally ask myself what Ellisar would do. That gives me the answers I need to incite a quarrel among the dukes, keeping them busy with each other and out of my way. While the dukes are squabbling, the earls will be occupied with that, and if they’re not, I’ll find a way to pit them against each other, too. Having the dukes fighting should also keep Oskar busy.

  I’m satisfied with this plan. It will work and won’t require much effort. I owe “the spares” a gift for their information. I’ll craft something special and give it to them. I know just what it should be. Their older brothers are often unkind, taking anything of value that “the spares” get. The gift can’t look valuable, so they’ll be allowed to keep it. Still, it must be a worthwhile gift to thank them for their information. A Fey cloak should work perfectly. They don’t look like much, but they’re incredible.

  You’re never too hot or too cold in a Fey cloak. They’re weatherproof, nearly indestructible, and will muffle any sounds you make. If you have magic, you can use it to hide yourself perfectly. If I give fancier but less practical versions to their older brothers, they’ll be allowed to keep their gifts. Alone in a place with no one watching, I am comfortable enough to use magic to create what I need. It’s not like these humans would notice someone using magic. Focusing my magic, I create a few of them and tuck them into one of the trunks.

  Do you think that she's right about humans having spent so long burning magic users that there are no human ones left? Let me know in the comments...