Chapter 1
Isabel Mason
It was a brutally cold morning. As I jumped out of bed, running a hand along the wooden frame and snagging a few splinters, I shivered. My thick woolen socks did nothing to prevent the chill rising through the significant gaps in the floorboards.
Jumping from foot to foot and tugging down on my two layers of nightgowns, I shivered.
I’d overslept, and I’d let the fire in the hearth almost extinguish itself. There were only a few unhappy embers glowing reluctantly amongst the already blackened coals.
Teeth chattering, I leaned down to the basket of kindling, rummaging through it until I found a handful of dried pine needles. Throwing them onto the coals, I made a bellows with my mouth by cupping my fingers firmly around my lips, and I blew and blew until finally the needles caught light. I then took advantage of the flames and added more kindling which I had readied the night before.
Running my hands down my arms, I jumped to my feet and shivered.
That’s when there was a knock at the door.
Ever since my mammy had died, I lived alone, far up in the hills. Though there was a town nearby, it was a good 20 minute walk down into the valley.
Alarmed, I made a face as I carefully reached for the poker hanging on a hook by the fire.
Few people bothered to visit me without warning. But this autumn had already proven to be a brutally cold one.
It wasn’t unheard of for trackers and disgruntled miners to come upon a warm-looking house in the woods and try to turf out the current inhabitants.
“No need to reach for your fire poker, Miss Mason,” a friendly voice called from the door, “It’s just me, Wallace from the store.”
I relaxed. “Wallace, you scared me half to death! I thought you were a vagabond or some such.”
“Vagabonds rarely knock, Miss Mason,” Wallace said with authority.
I shrugged my shoulders and conceded his point. “Wait just a moment while I get my jacket.”
I ran over to the bed in my single-room house, grabbed the thick buffalo coat, and shrugged into it.
Only once it was firmly buttoned did I open the door to Wallace.
He tipped his hat before shoving his hands back into his pockets. “A cold one,” he pointed out.
“Indeed. Though I don’t suppose you’ve trundled all the way to my house to tell me that,” I pointed out perceptively.
He nodded. “With that, you are right. There is a curse, Miss Mason.”
I stiffened. “Where?”
“One of the mining teams working in one of the new veins came across it. Nasty,” he said.
I shivered again. “Old Betsy—”
“Has taken ill. She suggested you as the only other practitioner in town. Are you up to it?” He asked directly.
I considered him for a few short seconds. Was I up to it? I had cured a few curses on my own, and I could most definitely use the money. But it was dreadfully cold out there....
I shook my head, then nodded. “Of course. I will leave with you now.” I reached behind the door to grab a shawl.
“No rush, Miss Mason. You can dress first.” He nodded at my bare legs peeking out from underneath my long buffalo coat. “The miners have all been evacuated. We just need that vein cleared so we can begin work again.” With that, he took a respectful step back, closed the door for me, and I heard him turn his back even though there were no windows on that side of the cabin.
I smiled, then set about dressing quickly in no-nonsense, sturdy clothes. Then again, every stitch of clothing I owned was no-nonsense and sturdy.
Once I was done, I grabbed a portion of an old loaf of bread for my pocket, locked up the house, and stepped out to meet Wallace on the porch.
It was a fiendishly cold morning. Frost covered the rough dirt path that led down from my house, and with every footstep I had to be careful not to slip.
“What kind of curse do you think it is?” I asked.
“That I don’t know, ma’am. I was brought here to get you.”
I nodded. Wallace was a stalwart fellow with a pair of round-lens spectacles, a splendid grey beard, and a usually blank expression.
Nice enough though.
“There’ll be plenty of ether at the mine site if you’ll be needing it,” he said.
I shook my head and smiled, grabbing my dark black hair and quickly knotting it into a plait. “I don’t need ether, Watson.”
“Oh, of course, I forgot, you can practice without it, can’t you? Curious, that.”
“It’s not curious. Betsy thinks I just accidentally swallowed pure ether as a youngin' or something,” I explained with a shrug.
Watson nodded. “She is a wise woman who knows better than I,” he conceded.
“You don’t need to accompany me the whole way,” I said with a smile. “If you give me directions, I’ll make my way there directly.”
“You’re a dutiful lass, Miss Mason,” he said approvingly.
I smiled at that.
I was a dutiful lass. Always respectful, reliable, and I usually did what I was told. If I agreed with what I was told, that was.
“One last thing though,” he turned, his rough boots grinding into the loose stones of the path. “You might run into some foreigners on the road.”
“Foreigners?” I asked curiously.
“Visitors from the North. An envoy,” he said the word carefully, moving his lips around it with a cautious look in his eye as if he was scared of getting it wrong.
“Envoy?”
“From the Coalition Army. A cavalry unit, a few gentlemen, and a fine lady,” Watson said. Though he had a prodigious beard, I swore his cheeks touched a little red as he spoke of the fine lady.
I frowned with deep curiosity now. “But who on earth are they? What is an envoy of a cavalry unit, a few gentlemen, and a fine lady doing coming to a small town like this?”
“They are inspecting the raw ether,” he said knowledgeably. “They are staying at the new inn in Grangetown.”
“Grangetown? That’s more than an hour away by horseback. Why not stay here?”
“She is a very fine lady,” Wallace said by way of explanation, even tipping his head back and shooting me a strict look.
“I don’t doubt it, Wallace. But this is very strange indeed. Why are they inspecting the raw ether?”
“Well, I heard from old Betsy – who is very ill,” Watson pointed out quickly, “That the gentlemen and lady come from the Campbell dynasty.”
I searched my memory. Campbell dynasty? Didn’t they own the major processing plants for raw ether this side of the divide?
Watson must have seen me frowning in thought as he cleared his throat. “They have a controlling interest in all the mines in this valley. They are here to inspect them.”
“So why bring a whole cavalry unit?” I questioned.
“Well, she is a very fine lady,” Wallace defaulted to saying.
“If she’s that fine, they should have left her at home, as it sounds like she has no place in these woods,” I said as I deftly dodged around a slippery patch of ice.
“She’s adventurous, or so I’m told. She is also Mister Theodore Campbell’s direct descendent. He had no sons. She may soon inherit his entire enterprise should his ill-health continue. The gentlemen who accompany her are looking out for her interests and are to guide her. Apparently, according to old Betsy,” Wallace caveated, “It is Theodore Campbell’s wish that his daughter become experienced with every aspect of his enterprise before she takes over the reins. Which includes observing how raw ether is extracted from the ground.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line and shrugged my shoulders. “This is very curious,” I conceded.
Before Wallace could repeat that Miss Campbell was a very fine lady, I cleared my throat and nodded towards a branch in the path. “I’ll be on my way now.”
“Hold on. You’ll be wanting to be paid. Be sure to come into town once you lift the curse, an
d I’ll arrange for your monies.”
“You should take them yourself, Mister Wallace, to cover the tab I have at your store,” I said earnestly.
He nodded. “Very well. You keep safe, Miss Mason.”
I nodded.
Then I turned down the left branch of the path.
I liked these mountains and forests and woods. A part of me felt alive when I was walking alone down these winding rocky paths.
There was nothing to judge me here. Nothing but the trees and animals and rolling rivers, and they offered precious few opinions at all.
Though practitioners of magic were accepted in these parts and throughout most of the country, occasionally we had visitors through town who shot me atrocious looks when they found out what I was.
Especially if they were from the south.
But the folk of this fine town understood me.
Well, not entirely. I was a woman who lived on her own far up in the hills. I had never married, and many considered me too old to bother with now, even though I was still quite young.
Truth be told, I had no intention of ever marrying. In my estimation, marriage came with an immediate and permanent restriction of freedom. I’d watched a few of the lasses in town marry and disappear into their husband’s houses never to be seen again.
“They’ll tie you to the kitchen,” old Betsy was fond of saying.
I could barely cook. Enough that I could satisfy my own needs, but not to please the tastes of anyone else.
I was a witch. A natural witch. And that is what I intended to be for the rest of my life. I was still studying, and I was quite content to be studying forever.
I had a great big stack of books by my bed, which I was constantly reading every night by candlelight.
They taught me of foreign cultures, of history, of different languages, and most importantly, of a true understanding of magic.
As I walked, I began to hum, then sing. I did love to sing. I couldn’t cook, but by God could I sing.
It would also take my mind off what would come next. Though I had cured numerous curses under old Betsy’s tutelage, there was still so much to learn.
And yet I was determined to do this myself.
I curled my fingers into my palms and continued to sing as I walked.
…
Captain Benjamin Carmichael
I plunged my hands into my pockets, trying to warm them as I pumped them into fists. Every exhalation caught in the air like a white cloud.
I turned towards the horses. They were neatly tied up in the stalls, but I caught their eyes blazing and tails flashing.
They were no ordinary beasts of burden – these were cavalry horses. White Cavalry horses, to be exact.
They were accustomed to battle. To carrying their riders forwards and towards glory.
And now what were they doing? Carrying around an heiress and her entourage on a fruitless expedition.
Not for the first time, I cursed the fact I’d been assigned to this mission.
According to my superiors, I had been hand-picked. My diligence, skill, and overall respectability were what they’d looked for.
This was a waste though.
Especially at a time like this. With the Federation breathing down our necks and the dogs of war ready to race from the gates, I should be out there with my brothers preparing for battle.
I plucked a hand from my pocket to massage my brow, trying to draw the tension down, but it would not resolve.
This entire expedition was a waste of time. Mister Theodore Campbell was eccentric, and if it weren’t for the fact he had a controlling share in all magical ether refineries, I would not be here.
Before my thoughts could descend too far into anger, I heard light footfall behind me.
Miss Campbell.
By the time I turned, I ensured a dashing smile spread across my lips. “Good morning, Miss.” I tipped my hat at her.
Her cheeks blushed. “A glorious morning it is too.” She clapped her gloved hands together and smiled.
Glorious? It was freezing.
She wouldn’t notice that, though, as her clothes were spun from a new kind of yarn that incorporated byproducts from the ether refining process. According to reports, they could generate enough heat to keep a man warm and toasty even during a blizzard.
“Did you sleep well, Captain?” She asked earnestly, pressing her hands together and holding them before her chest.
“Of course,” I lied. There were not enough beds in this small establishment for our entire entourage. As I was the Captain, I had given my room to some of my men, and I had slept on the floor of the storeroom.
“That’s excellent. Now, we shall begin,” she said as she drove her top teeth into her ruby red bottom lip.
“Miss Campbell,” I began settling into what I hoped was a genuine but firm tone, “I really must reiterate that this is an unnecessary step in our voyage. If you wish to see raw ether, I can take you to the general store where it is bundled up and ready to be shipped.”
“Father is adamant. He told me I must go to the mines to see how it is extracted. Only when I see every aspect of the ether refining process will I understand it,” she said as she brought a hand up as if reciting from a script.
I stiffened my lips into a smile. “Very well.”
She turned, the black taffeta of her skirts flying around her ankles and catching the rough wood of the porch posts. The splinters snagged the fabric, and pulled a few threads free.
Miss Campbell tutted, patted the fabric down, then trotted down the porch steps.
“Carmichael,” someone said from my side.
I turned slowly to see Mister Frank Bates at my shoulder. He was Mister Campbell’s lawyer, and he was here to ensure Campbell’s daughter’s journey ran smoothly, which meant he was at my throat every other moment. “This does not bear repeating again, Carmichael,” he said in a severe tone that did not carry, “Because I have repeated it far too many times already. You understand Miss Campbell’s itinerary. All you are here to do is to provide protection. Not advice,” he said quickly, “Protection. Do you understand that? Should I explain it to you one more time?”
I did not shift my stiff smile. I did however let my eyes dart over his small form. “No, Bates, you do not need to repeat yourself.”
“That is Mister Bates to you,” he corrected.
“And that is Captain Carmichael to you.”
I watched him grit his teeth. “Your performance here will be noted. Your superiors back in Washington hand-picked you, I was told.”
“You were told correctly. I was selected for this mission,” I said mission carefully, trying to control my derision, “Because of my skills.”
“I do not honestly care. All I care about is that you stop getting in our way. Miss Campbell is to visit the mines, so we will visit the mines.”
“In that dress,” I said, indicating it with a shrug of my shoulders. “Miss Campbell does understand that we are to ride by horseback? There is no way a cart could travel that path.”
“Miss Campbell understands. Now prepare your men.” With that, Bates flicked a dismissive hand my way, a single gold ring glinting on his right thumb.
Why Theodore Campbell had picked such an odious lawyer to look after his daughter’s interests, I didn’t know. For the man was always getting in my way. Every time I indicated a potential security risk, he would dismiss me. He was continually taking Miss Elizabeth Campbell into areas that were unnecessarily exposed and into situations that did not befit her status. If I were a suspicious man, I would suspect he was deliberately trying to put her at risk.
With a heavy sigh, I realized I did not need to be dealing with this. I’d heard from one of the local men last night that more and more Federation spies were crossing the border. In fact, according to an old woman known as Betsy, a very curious fellow had crossed through the town barely two weeks ago. After she described him to me, it had left me with no doubt that he was Federation.
I should set to the hills to hunt him down.
Instead I would have to walk around like a bellboy after this heiress.
With another grumble, I tugged on my jacket. Then I turned stiffly on my heel and headed towards the horses.
Mister Bates had assured me Miss Carmichael could ride a horse. Still, I had specifically selected a tame mare for her, one I was sure would heed my every call. It would not get startled, and would hopefully not be too bothered by the mounds of taffeta that were about to mount it.
“Come along, Captain!” Elizabeth Campbell called.
I briefly closed my eyes.
This was not why I had joined the army.