A week later, the cat still slept.
Selena was convinced the animal would never wake. She had unintentionally murdered the poor thing, condemning it to starvation. Since a cat corpse was not something she could stash in the back of her closet, she pushed the bundle of warm fur far under the bed. If the chambermaid happened upon it, she would likely think the cat was just napping—or, later, had died of natural causes.
Selena lacked the affinity Evelyn possessed for animals. Although finding a dead mouser in the castle was not uncommon, she hated the idea that she was responsible for the loss of a life, even a cat’s life.
She was more concerned with what the slumbering cat represented. What if she had tried to put a person to sleep? Hubris had led her to believe that she could teach herself magic, but this was not the same as learning geometry or memorizing King Eldrake’s line of succession.
If she made a mistake, someone could die.
She tried to talk the problem out during her next visit with her grandmother. Though her grandmother’s eyes were open, Celeste was as responsive as the cat back in her bedroom. Selena kept her voice low, telling her unhearing grandmother that she was learning magic for her sake. If she could master the science of spell casting, she might accomplish what Thom Mello, Father Briarbridge, and the rest of the family could not.
Yet even as she spoke the words, Selena knew they were not entirely true. Healing her grandmother was not her only goal. She had appealed to the Goddesses of Magic to come to her aid after they appeared in her dream, but she had not bargained for Celeste’s life. No, she had promised only that she would become a great wizard, a true disciple for their sake—for her own sake.
Selena spent most of the evening at her grandmother’s bedside, mulling over her dilemma. Her thoughts drifted after a while, until she began to recall the fond rituals that had taken place in that room. Was it really so long ago that she, Riley, Evelyn, and the twins had gathered to listen to stories?
“Tell us about Sinner the Saint,” one of them would demand, resulting in cheers from everyone except Evelyn.
The wistful smile evaporated from Selena’s lips as she considered the legendary hero. Would anyone ever know the truth of Sinner the Saint, whether he was one man or two, a champion of justice or a treacherous anti-hero? If King Jarlen had taken on the mantle of Sinner the Saint, he had risked a lot by fomenting a rebellion in his own kingdom. How many thousands had died in the ancient king’s scheming?
Selena had always appreciated Jarlen’s cunning, his pragmatism. He had not balked at sacrificing pawns in order to win the game. His methods were unconventional—immoral, some would say—but his actions had saved Lorecca from crumbling beneath the pressure of perpetual civil war.
What were a few dead cats compared to that?
If Selena had learned anything from the myths, it was that the gods required sacrifice. She had promised dedication and perseverance in exchange for magic. Mistakes are inevitable, Selena thought as she kissed her grandmother’s wasted hand. She made her way back to her room.
In the flickering torchlight of the castle corridor, she recommitted herself to her course. She would approach magic with the same patience and thoroughness she utilized in her other studies. This would minimize errors. Her first step, then, was to perfect the sleeping spell.
One spell at a time, until she found one that could help her grandmother.
Selena opened the door to her room and jumped when something pushed past her legs. She turned around just in time to see a black shape race around a bend in the hallway.
* * *
In the year that followed, Selena learned most of the incantations in the old spell book. Not a single cat perished in the process.
Despite her growing confidence, she resisted the desire to show off her tricks. One of the most useful incantations proved to be the spell that rendered her invisible for limited periods of time. The enchantment gave her the means to prowl the castle at night, at which time she would raid the kitchen—or other rooms—for ingredients for her spells. It also afforded her risk-free passage from the castle to the stables.
There had been only one moment of weakness. It was late, and she heard Barclay and Lucian en route to their bedrooms. She waited until the twins were a mere yard away and then nullified the invisibility spell. To her brothers, it appeared as though she had stepped out of the wall.
In response to their astonished expressions, Selena said, “Why do you look so surprised? I thought you knew of all the castle’s secret passages.”
She struggled to restrain her laughter until she was back in her room. The looks on their faces had been the best birthday present that year. She wondered how many hours the two of them would waste groping at the wall, vainly searching for a hidden avenue that did not exist.
* * *
Selena poked halfheartedly at a pile of peas on her porcelain plate. As per usual, her thoughts lingered on magic.
More specifically, she pondered her own limitations. The spell book held no answers to her grandmother’s malady. She needed more spells. Remaining at Castle Nelesti was a waste of time.
Yet she could not bring herself to leave.
Graeme, oldest of the Nelesti children, had returned home from Fort Majesty a few days ago. Selena could not remember the last time she had seen him, though he must have come home in between her coming-of-age ball and now. She was happy to see him, even if the two of them had virtually nothing to say to each other. Already, she was tired of hearing about his life as a full-fledged Knight of Superius, though the twins never seemed to weary of it.
According to her mother, Daphene had written, saying she planned to visit Castle Nelesti before the month’s end. The news did nothing to lift Selena’s spirit. Then again, better for Daphene to spend the summer there than Vivian, to whom Selena had never apologized for her drunken accusations.
Unless a royal summons called her father away, the entire family—minus Vivian—would be home at the same time, a rare occasion to be sure.
Maybe I will be gone before Daphene ever arrives, Selena thought.
“So we are going to welcome a witch into our home?”
Selena nearly choked on a piece of pot roast. She looked up at the speaker, Barclay, expecting to find him, along with the rest of the family, staring at her. She soon realized, however, that the conversation was not about her at all.
Godfrey looked as though he were about to say something, but Graeme—looking so much like a thinner, younger version of their father—spoke first.
“Do not be so quick to believe nasty rumors, my brother.”
Selena saw Evelyn smirk at the words “my brother.” Graeme had developed a flair for formality over the years, a bloated sense of propriety that the Knighthood in no way discouraged.
“Half of those at Court believe he is a magician,” Charlotte said offhandedly. It amazed Selena that her mother knew so much gossip, considering how long it had been since she had made the journey from Castle Nelesti to Castle Borrom.
Godfrey frowned slightly, not looking at his wife, but rather at Barclay.
“I have worked side by side with Delincas Theta on many occasions and have never found cause to suspect the ambassador’s intentions,” Godfrey said.
“Maybe he is a good wizard,” Evelyn said. “Like in the story of Sinner the Saint, where that wizard uses magic to help King Jarlen.”
Selena might have corrected her sister—Legiras the Roamer was a sorcerer, not a wizard—but she was too entranced by the topic to do anything.
“Ambassador Theta’s keen mind borders on brilliant, but I assure you, there is nothing preternatural about the man,” her father said. He was not angry, but neither did he sound very happy.
“How can he be an ambassador if he never leaves the capital?” Lucian asked.
“The fact that he is to spend the night at Castle Nelesti disproves your claim,” Godfrey replied gruffly.
Nothing more about magic was said after that, much to Selena’s chagrin, though she listened eagerly for every bit of information she could about the ambassador’s pending visit, memorizing the date of his expected arrival.
She speculated about where Delincas Theta might be headed but lacked sufficient information to make a logical guess. The route from the capital to Castle Nelesti would take him southwest, but that told her nothing. The King’s highways, well-protected though they were, lacked any semblance of efficiency.
Assuming the ambassador continued on a southwesterly course, he would end up in West Cape, one of Continae’s larger nations. Perhaps Theta was acting as an envoy, negotiating some agreement or another between Superius and West Cape. Maybe he would board a ship there and serve as the representative of both Superius and the Confederacy of Continae in some unknown land across the Aden Ocean.
Or maybe, she thought, this was not official business at all, and Theta was just going to visit a wizard friend who lived in West Cape.
Selena knew she ought not to get her hopes up. In all likelihood, the ambassador was no more a wizard than her father was. So many lies were whispered at Court. Yet she could not give up hope because at the moment, Delincas Theta was all the hope she had.