The Armor of Light Read online

  “Okay, class. Today we are going to work on our growing techniques. We want to send healthy energy into our plants and strengthen the roots and stems, and make the plant look like this.” He held up a full-grown bush with berries growing from it. Ember looked at her seedling, then back at the bush, and felt the impossibility of the task. How in the world was she supposed to do that when she couldn’t even do any of the magic she’d been able to do before?

  Lily took the desk next to hers and pulled over close, seeming almost friendly as she went into teaching mode. “Do you know how to tap into the green magic?” she asked.

  Ember shook her head.

  “Well, we’ll work on that. Ezeker asked me to help you because I can access the most colors of magic. Hopefully something will make sense and you can learn to use your white magic too. Now, to begin, reach your hand out very gently. Don’t touch the plant—just hover your hand over it and see if you can sense the green magic.”

  Ember took her hand out of her lap and reluctantly reached out. She closed her eyes, and immediately the green magic of the seedling sprang behind her eyelids. She could see it—could see how the small roots buried themselves deep in the soil and sucked at the nutrients and water. She could see how the leaves reached for the special magelights that were supposed to duplicate sunlight—but there was still a wall she could not reach through. “Okay, I see it,” she said. “What do I do now?”

  “Really?” Lily sounded surprised. Ember wasn’t sure why. Seeing the magic had never been her problem. “Well, then, the next step is to touch that energy and add to it. Almost talk to it and tell the plant to speed up and grow. Do you think you can do that?”

  Ember was afraid to answer, so she shrugged. When Lily scowled at her, she spoke. “I can try.”

  Her hand hovering over the plant, Ember attempted to push through the barrier that kept her from touching the green magic, but nothing happened. She brought her other hand up from her lap and cupped both hands around the plant, but the wall seemed impenetrable. She built up the energy within her, frustrated, then touched the plant like she had her face when she’d wanted it to mold and change, and with her touch, the wall fell, and all the pent-up energy blew into the plant in one swell.

  The seedling thrust upward, thickening to the size of her wrist in an instant, breaking out of its small clay pot and scattering the soil about the room. It had grown to a six-foot bush on Ember’s desk in a matter of seconds, and Ember and Lily both opened their mouths in astonishment. Master Stravin rushed forward and carried the bush from her desk to a large, trough-like pot at the end of the room. He quickly dug a new home for the huge bush, then returned to Ember, who was now red with embarrassment as everyone stared at her.

  “Well, well, that was a much faster grow than we’d planned on, but it will do. It will do.” He beamed at his new student, and Ember wanted to shrink under her desk. It was hard to be happy that her magic was working when it created such a mess and she had so little control over the results. She sat for the rest of the class saying nothing and pretending Lily wasn’t there, whose defenses seemed to have dropped just a bit with Ember’s blunder. She seemed more genuine, though she didn’t speak to her until the chime rang for class to be dismissed.

  “Orange class is next. This way, Ember,” Lily said in an almost kind voice. She took Ember by the elbow and steered her down the hall, away from the dining room and their living quarters. It was quite a distance from where they’d been, but they made it to class just in time. The chime rang twice and the door shut behind them as they stepped into the room.

  This classroom was completely different than the green room. It had stone tables with stools set before them, and the tables were multi-leveled. Lily led Ember to the middle of the room to the only remaining stools, got her seated, then brought over two large, squared pieces of soapstone one at a time. She then hiked herself up onto the stool and used her teaching voice again.

  “Okay, now, I’ve been told that orange magic was your father’s strong suit.”

  Ember interrupted her. “Really? I didn’t know that. What does an orange mage do?”

  The rest of the class had all gone to work without the teacher saying a word. Ember was finally able to focus in on what Lily was saying. “He was a master stonesmith. He could mold and shape any stone or wood with the heat of his hands alone. Much of the decoration around the halls was done by him. You didn’t know that?”

  Ember fought the tears that welled up in her eyes and looked around the room. The upper half was decorated with knotwork that looked like vines running the entire circumference of the room. Unable to speak, she pointed at the knots and Lily nodded, a slight smile on her face. Unable to help herself, Ember stood and approached the carving, tracing the lines all around the room. In the middle of the door was a large knotted symbol. Ember brushed it with her fingers, then turned to go back to her seat. Her da had made that beauty with his own hands. She felt a pang for him, and wondered where the white hawk was now that she was buried in the caves. Would the mountain let him in? Would she see him again?

  Everyone in the class watched her with a mixture of awe and fear as she returned to her seat. Ember realized that was just going to have to be part of life for now. There was nothing she could do about it, really, but for today, she was in a room where her father had sat, had worked, had created a masterpiece—and she had the chance to do the same. It provided a comfort nothing else could give her.

  She turned to Lily, who had remained silent this whole time. “So, teach me,” Ember said, touching her own stone.

  Lily started to speak, but Ember made the mistake of putting her hands on her stone after all the emotion had built up from seeing her father’s creation. Her hand melted into the stone, embedded in it like a piece of clay, and she couldn’t get it out.

  Lily looked appalled. “What did you touch it for? Didn’t I tell you not to touch things until you were told?”

  Ember felt like a three-year-old, but those were the only words she heard Lily say. The rest were a string of nonsense to her ears. She imagined going through life with a club hand. Anyone ever needed a hammer, all they’d have to do is yell for Ember. Soapstone, being soft, would eventually wear away, but she wanted the stone off now. She put her energy into it, wrapped up the fear, and smashed the stone down on the table. Instead of it cracking or letting her hand free, it exploded . . . and the table along with it. Pieces of granite and soapstone blew outward, screams and cries coming from the dust.

  The mistress of the orange room spoke up. “Everybody outside! Let’s see who’s injured and assess the damage. Come on, out with you. Let’s go.” Ashamed, Ember moved to the door and filed out with the rest of the kids. The last person to leave was a small woman with braided hair, and glasses with darkened lenses. She moved from child to child as if she could see them, but Ember realized quickly that the woman was blind.

  Several guards had come running at the explosion, and the Mistress sent the injured children with them to the healers’ hall. Only four would require stitches, but everyone had inhaleded the stone dust, including Ember.

  After dismissing the class, the woman turned to Ember and extended her hand. “I’m Mistress Vanine. Are you the one who made this mess?”

  Ember slowly nodded, then realizing the woman couldn’t see her, she answered. “Yes, I’m sorry. It was an accident.”

  Mistress Vanine stopped her there. “I realize that. I should have paid more careful attention. I’m sorry for my lapse, girl. You’re new to class, yes? Have you a name?”

  Ember nodded again, not thinking. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Ember. Ember Shandae.”

  The teacher’s face lit up. “Ah! The new white mage! It is a pleasure to meet you, even under these circumstances. I hadn’t realized you would be in my class today or I would have given you my personal attention. Stone sculpting is no easy task, though your father was beautiful at it.”

  “You knew my father?”

  Mistress Vani
ne nodded. “Yes, I did. He was in my entry group. Poor little guy, only six and so gifted and having to be with all the olders. You’ve got a bit of the opposite problem here, I see.” The woman smiled, making it obvious the pun was intended.

  “Yes, I’m a bit old to come to the academy, but my mother held me back until now.”

  “That sounds like her.” Mistress Vanine chuckled. “Your mother was another of our group members. She used to be my best friend. I’ll have to see if I can weasel the story out of her.”

  “I’d love to hear her version of it,” Ember said, which made the teacher laugh.

  “Oh, I’ll bet you would. Well, enough excitement for today, eh? Why don’t you run on to your next class. Lily can help you find where you need to go. Again, a pleasure to meet you, Ember.”

  “Thank you, Mistress. It was nice meeting you too, though I wish the circumstances were different,” Ember said, looking around the destroyed orange room. It would take a while to repair the damage, she was sure, and she wondered what Mistress Vanine would do in the meantime. All because Ember couldn’t wait to learn to mold stone like her father.

  It looked like orange magic wasn’t one of her gifts after all.

  Chapter Nine

  Kayla awoke from dreams of kisses to banging on her door, powerful enough to jar her from sleep. She sat up from the hammock and without a thought hummed a tune that thawed the ice from around the door she’d put there the night before to keep out unwanted visitors.

  It wasn’t until T’Kato stormed in the room that Kayla realized she’d done magic without the assistance of the flute. She wasn’t sure how that was possible, but obviously it was, since she’d just done it. Perhaps becoming guardian to the flute had enabled her to use its powers. She didn’t know, and T’Kato wasn’t giving her any time to think about it.

  He swam toward her, held the back of her head, and brushed back her hair as best he could underwater, so that he could clearly see the gills Niefusu had given her the night before. For some reason, he didn’t seem very happy about them, though why they should bother him, Kayla wasn’t sure. She was grateful for them. Now she could breathe independently instead of relying on Sarali’s bubbles or Niefusu’s kisses. She only hoped that once she was on land, the gills would not be visible. She had enough trouble with her evahn ears—the last thing she needed were gills added to the mix.

  T’Kato growled when he let go of her head. She would have thought he’d be happy, as having the gills should speed up their journey, but he seemed almost livid at the sight. He picked up her bag, then gestured for her to follow him. She swam as quickly as she could, but she did not have his advantage of webbed hands and feet, and he quickly outdistanced her.

  Still, she did her best, and eventually they reached the royal stables. Kayla stopped in the doorway and stared at the array of animals like she hadn’t the day before. There were the dolphins that had pulled the sleds, but there were also sea turtles, sea lions, giant sea horses, a squid, and more animals that she could not name. None of these were hitched to the two fine chariots that awaited them, though. Kayla wanted to rub her eyes. The animals that would pull the chariots were shaped like horses, but were almost invisible, as transparent as the water they were made from. Only their constant fidgeting and movement made them visible at all.

  She wanted nothing more than to approach one of the beasts and pet it to see if it felt anything like a real horse, but she didn’t dare. Instead, she turned her attention to Sarali, who was arguing with her father. A giant bubble enveloped the king, his daughter, and eldest son. Niefusu glanced at her, fire still in his eyes, and Kayla blushed, turning away from his gaze. Jihong was nowhere in sight.

  Kayla discovered something interesting about the way sound travels underwater when Sarali leaned forward, her face red as she shook her finger in her father’s face. As the princess yelled at the king, Kayla found she could hear every word they said. She had to strain a little to interpret it, but she understood the gist of the conversation.

  The king insisted that Sarali stay behind to help with the challenges their kingdom faced. “Ye cannot be a leader if ye aren’t willin’ to do the things a leader does. Sometimes that be inconvenient,” he said, rational and calm. Sarali was fuming.

  “And what am I supposed to be doing about the promises I already made? What of Kayla? What about the promises I made to her? How can I be protecting her when I’m down here?” she said, throwing her arms out so her fingers skimmed the surface of the water surrounding them.

  “T’Kato can handle it,” the king said, glancing at the tattooed man. “And I’ll send Niefusu and Jihong to take your place.”

  Sarali began to object, but the king raised a hand. She stopped talking immediately, though she looked as if she were about to explode. “I have spoken,” he said with a ring of formality. “We cannot do this without ye, Princess. Ye have the most power of us all. If any can fix this problem and save our people, it be ye. None other.”

  Sarali slumped in defeat, and even from this distance, Kayla could see tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t know how, Da! I don’t have the power Kayla and her flute have. What am I supposed to do?”

  The king took Sarali in his arms now that her anger was gone. She collapsed against him, but still did not release the tears. She clung to her father as if he was comfort personified.

  And now Jihong entered, carrying a satchel and swimming toward the back chariot. He cast a neutral glance Kayla’s way, then ignored her as he packed.

  Kayla wanted to do something to help. She was devastated that Sarali wouldn’t be joining them. The thought of spending days alone with three men was terrifying to her. Jihong had tried to kill her, Niefusu seemed to have his heart bent on having her for his own, and T’Kato—well, T’Kato was just scary. Period. But she saw no other choice. If only she could help speed up the process for Sarali, maybe the princess could join them.

  That got her thinking. Was there something the flute could do to help Sarali? She nibbled at her lip and took a deep breath through her gills. It was still odd, feeling the air coming through her neck rather than her nose or mouth. She shunted aside the distracting thought and focused on what the flute might be able to do. She obviously couldn’t just give it to Sarali. But could she create something that would breathe air into the rooms? Maybe even cool the overheated hotpots?

  An idea began to form in her mind. Kayla scanned the sandy bottom of the sea for a stone of some kind. It took her several minutes, but she finally settled on a large seashell—a conch, she believed—that sat in the corner. She swam to it and picked it up, then nearly dropped it. It hadn’t been washed into the corner by the currents, but instead had walked there on the back of the crab that lived inside. Something clicked in her mind, and she smiled. The crab made it even better.

  Kayla set the conch shell back on the floor. Raising the flute to her lips, she began to hum, creating a small bubble around her head that she expanded once the water had cleared and she could blow across the flute. She made the bubble grow larger and larger until it reached the sand and encompassed the conch shell at her feet. The crab within must have been frightened, for the shell began to rock and bob and move away from her. She froze it with a small trill, feeling only slightly bad for the crab. She was about to make it something so much more.

  Twisting the sound, and with a firm purpose in mind, she sent the music and the thought of air and cold to the conch. It didn’t freeze as Jihong had when they were battling. Instead, it began to glow a pulsing blue and rose into the air. Kayla tried to give the shell and the crab instructions with music alone. No words were spoken, obviously, and yet she spoke to the shell and asked it to become a token of power for Sarali. She keyed it, tuned it to Sarali’s energy and being so that it was connected to her as if it were a part of her. Hopefully it would work like the flute, and Sarali could use it to clear the flooded rooms of water, but with it being keyed to her, no one else could use it. It was hers alone. She asked the new
ly created air elemental crab to cool the super-heated hotpots and save the people. She asked it to use the power of the flute to save the sea people, MerCat and other, and she felt an intelligent nod in her direction.

  The crab lived and had become an elemental of air. Kayla opened her eyes and saw the crab swimming out and around the shell, increasing the bubble of air, trying to drain the room dry here. She sent out a burst of sound along with a thought to make it stop, then lowered the flute, walked over, and picked up the shell. She turned to face Sarali to find that everyone was staring at her. Evidently they’d never seen someone create an elemental before. Jihong, Niefusu, and the king looked a little scared and in awe. T’Kato seemed proud, and Sarali had a mischevious gleam in her eye. Kayla swam through the bubble, letting it pop at her exit, and entered the bubble the king had created for his conversation with his daughter.

  “Here,” Kayla said, handing the conch to Sarali. There was a spark of blue light as the girl’s hand connected with the shell, and Kayla felt it make the final connection to Sarali. She wouldn’t have to worry about the crab elemental going rogue now. “I’m sorry I can’t stay behind to help, but this will clear a room for you and cool your hot pots. It’s not much, but it’s the least I can do after all your service and friendship.”

  Sarali didn’t say a word, but those brimming tears were back. The princess stared at Kayla for a moment, then hugged her. The conch shell dug into Kayla’s back, but she didn’t care. “Thank you,” Sarali whispered before giving her a tight squeeze and letting go. Kayla grinned as the girl released her. She wasn’t used to being hugged, except by Brant, but Sarali was like the sister she’d never had. She felt bonded to her like she had no woman in her life and she was going to miss her. She couldn’t bring herself to express all of that, so instead she answered Sarali, trying to get her emotions under control.