Her Reputation (The Empire: Book 1)

CHAPTER 6

  Phoenix stepped quietly into the doorway to observe the last few minutes of Gavin’s class before escorting him to dinner. This lesson was being taught by Lorcan and Raina of the Myaamia tribe. They had served as envoys between the Forgotten Tribes and the two kingdoms, Gelendan and Treymayne, before all three had united as one with Katya as the Speaker of the Tribes. Now, the couple spent their time teaching about the cultural differences among the kingdoms.

  “Long ago, we were all one big country.” Raina waved her arms across the classroom as the students looked around at one another. A few murmured conversations broke out but quickly silenced. She paused a moment and clasped her hands while they quieted back down. “After the Dark King, many of the mages who had survived his massacre fled to the north to become the Forgotten Tribes. These peoples cut themselves off from the lower section for their protection. The people in the lower section also spilt, separating into two halves that became known as Gelendan and Treymayne. For many years, a magical barrier prevented contact between these two halves. These separations allowed each group to develop their own very unique cultures.”

  Lorcan moved, drawing the attention of the students to where he waved his hand over a blackboard. Images magically sprang to life showing a map of the country split into three. Raina glanced back at this and smiled at him in thanks. Then she continued.

  “In the north, where the fleeing mages had gone,” she pointed on the map, “a large group of mages from all over found themselves thrown together by circumstance. Because of their vast differences in background, differences in opinion on how to run the new group soon arose. It was therefore decided that this group would divide into five tribes, each to govern themselves how they chose and each claiming a different area of the north. Each of these five tribes was given one fifth of the great powerstone that the first circle of mages had come together to create to tame the wild and chaotic magics of the north in order to live there. From there, the Kanza went to the plains, the Dena’ina to their mesa caves, the Gwich’in to their swampy paradise, and the Dakelh to the river, while the Myaamia stayed at the edge of the Ferryn Plains, guarding the path that led to their old home.”

  A tinkling bell sounded from the hallway. A little girl skipped down the stone passage, happily ringing the bell that sounded the end of the day’s lessons.

  “Please read the first three chapters in the book I handed out for tomorrow, and come prepared to discuss the similarities and differences in the cultures of each part of our kingdom.”

  Children swarmed from the room, most of them late adolescents but some young toddlers. Many of the younger children enjoyed Lorcan and Raina’s lessons because of their well-known story-telling abilities and would attend even though much of the discussions were over their heads.

  Phoenix moved farther into the classroom to make room for the mass of children flowing outwards. She caught Gavin’s eye and waved.

  He smiled at her and held up a finger, indicating that he would be ready in just a moment. He moved to the front of the room and spoke in a low voice with Lorcan for a moment before joining her by the door.

  “What did you think of the class?” she asked as they left the room and began walking down the hallway. “It’s one of the most popular, as you may have guessed by the hordes of little ones crashing it.”

  “I did notice it was particularly cramped in there,” Gavin agreed jovially, “and I can certainly see why. Once again, learning these things from someone who has actually experienced them is far more informative and exciting than simply being taught from a book.” His stomach growled loudly and Phoenix bit back a giggle. “What’s next, Princess?” he asked, “I hope that it’s dinner, because I’m famished.”

  “You’re in luck. That’s precisely where I’m to escort you next, and the rest of the evening will be yours to do with as you wish.”

  “A whole evening to myself?” he joked. “Whatever will I do?”

  They made their way down the halls, pausing at each intersection where Phoenix allowed Gavin to try and guide their way so that he’d better learn how to navigate the maze of rooms and passages. He guessed wrong twice, but realized his mistake both times after no more than a few steps. Eventually he led them to the dining room. Phoenix congratulated him.

  “You can now find your own way to food. What else could a young man want?”

  They took their seats at the main table, Phoenix on her mother’s right and Gavin on his mother’s left. Lady Aria gave him a forced smile and asked how his lessons were going. Phoenix had spoken to her own mother about Lady Aria’s odd behavior towards her son. Layna had responded that Aria was simply trying to figure out how to treat Gavin who had grown up with other parents. It was no doubt an awkward situation and an uncomfortable one. Phoenix tried to initiate as much conversation between the two as she could which earned her grateful looks from both mother and son.

  The heralds and the young man, Nathiwen, sat at a table in front of the main one and were positioned close enough that Phoenix could interact with them if she spoke loudly. She directed a question to Herald Siajan.

  “A friend came across a page in the library which indicated that an adventurer many years ago actually crossed the sea and set foot in your lands. Do your records indicate that such a thing happened?”

  “If it did, Princess, it was not given much credit, for it did not make it into any official logs. There are sightings of all sorts of absurd things,” he paused and scratched at a non-existent beard, “though since coming here, I must admit that many of them seem less absurd now. Your wildlife is like nothing I have ever seen.”

  “Oh?” Phoenix asked, intrigued. “How so?”

  “Even the smallest creatures, the birds and the little rodents running around, though familiar in many respects, are all foreign to us. And the other day I thought I spotted one of these little rodent creatures flying!”

  Phoenix laughed good-naturedly. “No doubt your wildlife would be just as foreign to us. I hope that someday we might be able to visit your lands.”

  “We would like that very much,” Siajan agreed, nodding. After a moment, he posed a question. “If I may be so bold as to inquire,” he said slowly, “I have seen a few people with magical adjustments to their features that hardly seem useful. I cannot figure out what purpose many of them seem to have. Are these simply fashion statements?”

  Phoenix was surprised to note that it didn’t particularly seem to shock him that these people had changes to their appearance; rather his confusion seemed to stem from the fact that he couldn’t see any practical purpose for the change. “It was not intentional on their part,” she answered, glancing around quickly to ensure that none who might take offense were within hearing. She caught Wren’s eye briefly, and smiled at him, but he only managed a thin-lipped grimace back before he looked away. She continued to Siajan, “Their appearance is a result of magical manipulation and experimentation during a dark time in our past. Many now see it as a reminder of the dangers of magic.”

  He once again surprised her with his answer. “It’s not the magic itself that is dangerous. It would seem that it was the person wielding the magic who was the dangerous one.”

  “Forgive me,” she replied, “but I was under the impression that magic wasn’t something that the empire looked favorably upon.”

  He answered her slowly. “Not magic,” he explained, “but pure manipulation of the power.” He avoided delving further into this subject with an obvious shudder, instead continuing, “We use magic quite frequently in the empire. The Alchemist makes sure that every town gets its rations of the harvest spells, the healing spells, the communication spells, and so on and so forth.”

  “May I ask how such spells are distributed?” Phoenix’s mother chimed in. “Are all these spells in the forms of potions like these?” She waved a finger towards the many bottles and flasks that adorned each of the visitor’s clothing.

  ?
??Indeed, Your Majesty,” Siajan nodded. “The Alchemist knows how to safely bottle the magic so that it can be used without fear.”

  The young man next to the heralds suddenly reached out to pick up his wine glass, but instead ended up flinging it off the edge of the table, spilling its contents below.

  “What do you think you are doing?” Herald Kedum roared, his temples bulging. The tables around them hushed as all eyes turned to the visitors. Kedum lowered his voice but continued to glower at the young man. “You must be more careful,” he said through clenched teeth, tilting his head slightly away from the boy as though merely the sight of him might cause him to lose his temper again.

  Phoenix was surprised by his vehemence, and quickly stood, going over to kneel by the boy’s side. The maids were rushing to bring cloths to mop up the spill, but they were stuck in the maze of tables, so Phoenix grabbed her own napkin and began sopping up the mess. The sticky-sweet smell of wine mixed with some kind of spice filled her nostrils as the red liquid soaked into the white cloth.

  “It’s nothing,” she said, standing and handing the soaking rag to a maid who had made her way over to them. Another servant held a new goblet for the man, and Phoenix took this from him, pouring the boy a new glass of wine herself, and handing it to him with a smile. “No harm done,” she said firmly. The boy’s blank stare looked back at her.

  Herald Siajan was the first to recover. “Well, now. I thank you, Princess, for your understanding, and I apologize for my associate’s outburst,” he said, giving Kedum a stern look. “He’s been under a lot of strain, you see. He has a wife and children back home who we have been gone from for far too long, and he has received word that a little one is ill.”

  “As I said,” Phoenix repeated, putting on a kind smile, “no harm done.”

  Siajan cleared his throat. “I believe you asked about the distribution of potions?”

  Queen Layna nodded. They all ignored the servants now cleaning up the remainder of the mess to avoid causing further embarrassment, though Phoenix nodded a thank you to them as they left.

  “Certain potions, such as those which ensure healthy crops and people are stock-piled by the Alchemist and regular shipments are sent out, just as I’m sure you do with supplies. Heralds such as myself travel around the different sections of the empire making sure that every town has what they need. If they are lacking something, we report it to the Empress and most times are able to deliver it by the next patrol.”

  “Do you ever have problems with bandits raiding the shipments? It seems like that would make an enticing target.”

  Herald Siajan hesitated, and Phoenix could tell that he was holding something back. “There are certainly some problematic people, but nothing that The Most Exalted One cannot handle.”

  Phoenix broached the subject that she had been itching to ask about. “Why is it that reaching for the power is so dangerous in your empire?”

  Siajan’s face turned a bit paler than it had been previously. “Let’s just say bad things have happened.”