Chapter 5: Interlude

The scent of fresh flowers pervaded the room, as it combined with a more exotic fragrance of various chemicals and tinctures. Two delicate but deft hands worked with those same chemicals, mixing them in ways that very few people understood, even among mages.

With a sigh of satisfaction, Fiona lifted the strangely shaped bottle and brought it to her face. She eyed the blue fluid for a moment and then took a whiff, her face stretching into a smile of victory.

“Perfect!” she said, setting the bottle back on the table. It was a fine day’s work. She removed her white apron, revealing her customary elegant clothing. Setting the apron on the hanger, she walked to the open window and took a big breath of the pleasant afternoon air. The nature around Countess Silvana’s estate was truly beautiful and Fiona was about to go for her afternoon walk. But the sound of knocking at her room door brought her out of her reverie.

“Enter!”

A pretty, young maid entered the room, curtsying to Fiona.

“Mistress asks if you could join her in the salon.”

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Fiona replied, sighing dramatically when the maid left. So much for her afternoon walk.

A couple of minutes later, Fiona entered the salon and saw the Countess fiddle with some papers.

“Silvana.”

“Fiona, my dear!” Countess Silvana replied, embracing Fiona and kissing her cheek. “I missed you at lunch. You are constantly busy with your potions.”

“I am sorry,” Fiona replied with an apologetic smile. “When I get immersed into my work, I lose all track of time...”

“Sit, please,” the Countess said, motioning to the table. “So ... this has just arrived for you,” she said with a knowing look. Fiona took the letter from her hands and turned it over.

“This is the seal of the king!” Fiona said, surprised.

“Indeed. I thought you should read it as soon as possible.”

Fiona squeezed Countess’ hand gratefully and then broke the seal. She had become quite close with the Countess and she didn’t want to keep the content of the letter from her, even if it was from the king himself. Countess Silvana smiled at her affectionately, recognizing the gesture.

As she was reading the letter, Fiona was becoming increasingly baffled. She had expected an official summons of a sort, but it turned out to be something quite different. The king was kindly asking her to come to the royal court at her soonest convenience, over a private matter.

“This is strange...” Fiona said after reading the letter once again. “The king isn’t requesting my presence; he is kindly asking me to come to the court...”

“Well, even if he is just asking nicely, one does not ignore an invitation from the king,” Countess Silvana said after a moment.

“Indeed ... and I will of course heed his call...”

“Do you want a horse or a carriage prepared for tomorrow morning? I assume you will be departing to Highfort as soon as possible.”

“A carriage, I think ... I don’t know what this is about, so I better take all of my luggage with me.”

“Anything you need, my dear.”

Fiona smiled gratefully. The Countess had been good to her. Ever since Fiona had gifted her that potion of desire years ago, their relationship had soared to new heights. She smiled thinking of the ‘special ingredient’ that potion required.

“Where are you now, Apprentice...” Fiona thought with a pang of loss, which she quickly covered with a smile.

“I suppose you want to start packing, then. I am still expecting you at dinner,” The Countess said.

“Of course.”

Fiona went to her ‘research room’, a spacious chamber that the Countess had put at her disposal for the potion-making. She had a lot of packing to do.

“Silvana will likely invite me to one of her ‘private nights’ as she calls them...”

The Countess had indeed invited her several times, but Fiona would always find some excuse. She didn’t have the enthusiasm to attend those mini-orgies. Her sexual desire was still quite strong but she satisfied it with an occasional young maid or servant who would sometimes spend the night learning how to pleasure a sophisticated sorceress...

And all of the young maids and servants had had the opportunity to learn it in the many months Fiona had spent on the Countess’ estate. In the wake of Magnus leaving, she had had trouble finding her balance, so when the invitation from the Countess had come, she had accepted it without hesitation. She had needed peace and quiet and she had found it on the Countess’ beautiful estate, immersing herself in work with an almost fanatical dedication. But same as everything else in life, the period of peace and quiet was coming to an end...

Fiona walked into King’s spacious private library, her eyes darting everywhere in search of some exotic books. It was strange, to put it mildly, that King Tristan decided to receive her here in his private library rather than in his audience room. It only reinforced her conviction that the reason for her invitation was some delicate, private matter.

“Ah, Lady Fiona! I am truly thankful that you decided to come on such short notice,” the king said, entering the room.

“I am glad to be of service, Your Highness,” Fiona said, bowing.

“Let’s drop the formalities, Lady Fiona, please,” the king said, waving his hand dismissively and smiling at her. “I have asked you to come here as a friend of the royal court.”

“I am thankful that you see me as one.”

“You have earned it twice over ... Anyway, I am not one to beat around the bush, so I’ll just go straight to the heart of the matter.”

“I am listening,” Fiona said, taking a seat across from the king. It felt unusual to be in such a private setting with the king. “I feel like I am the king’s mistress...” Fiona thought, smiling inwardly.

“You remember my daughter, Princess Vivien?”

“Of course,” Fiona said innocently. “I remember her tongue most of all...”

“Well, you see, a month ago, my daughter started exhibiting a talent for ... magic,” the king finally said, looking at Fiona with intensity. Fiona’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Your Highness, are you sure?”

“The head of my royal mages has confirmed it. My daughter has the ability to do magic.”

“Gods...”

“Indeed. I believe you understand the implications. It is not just about Vistania’s future queen being able to do magic. It is also about the fact that with the help and mercy of gods, she would rule for two hundred years at least, if what my head wizard said is true...”

“It is true. If she can do magic, her lifespan will be extended dramatically.”

King Tristan nodded. He stood up and started pacing around the room.

“So, you see my problem now. I can’t send her to the University of Magic in Charobny, obviously. Her position would make her a target and a liability for Vistania ... I can’t have her learn magic here either. Sooner or later, someone would notice her performing magic and the word would spread ... No, I need her to be ready to face all the challenges before we let the world know about her abilities...” King Tristan said, sitting down at the table once again.

“The only option is to have her learn magic incognito. I could spread the word that I sent her to attend a university in one of the Free Cities in the east. They are far enough and difficult to reach, so that would work in my favor. In reality, she would apprentice to a wizard or a sorceress, and learn magic in the relative safety of anonymity...”

Fiona was too stunned to do anything other than stare at the king. Was he asking her...?

“I wanted to ask one of my trusted mages to be her mentor and teach her magic somewhere far away from the royal court, but the girl is stubborn, you see, and she insisted that she wanted you and only you to be her mentor...” The king said with an apologetic smile. “I don’t know how you managed to win her trust, Lady Fiona, but she is quite adamant about this...”

“It will be my honor to teach her, Your Highness,” Fiona managed to say after a long moment. The king breathed out in relief.

“Thank you, Lady Fiona. I hope you understand how great of a responsibility you are taking upon yourself,” the king said with a serious face. “She is my only daughter, my only heir, and I will hold you personally responsible for her safety.”

“I understand, Your Highness,” Fiona said solemnly.

“On the other hand, it also means that you are a part of my inner circle of trust now.”

“I realize how much faith you are putting in me. I will do my best to teach her and keep her safe.”

“Good.” King Tristan said, rising to his feet once again and taking some documents into his hands. Fiona understood it as the end of her audience and she rose as well, turning to go.

“Oh, by the way, I have some peculiar news you might be interested in...” the king said suddenly.

“Your Highness?”

“A few months ago, I received emissaries from the elven queen. They wanted to resume the dealings they used to have with Vistania and were even willing to improve our relations further.”

“Huh, that is strange ... Why this sudden change of heart?!”

“I was asking myself the same question, but then they told me about a human who had become a friend of the elves, and how it prompted them to improve their ties with human kingdoms...”

“Wow...”

“Indeed ... You can imagine my surprise when that ‘friend’ turned out to be your former apprentice,” King Tristan said with a smirk.

“Magnus?!” Fiona said in disbelief.

“Yes, I was surprised as well ... I mean, some time ago, the elves had become almost hostile, but now they are friendlier than ever, I would say. I have no idea how your former apprentice pulled that off, but I am very grateful nevertheless. It was one more proof that you are a worthy mentor for my daughter,” King Tristan said with a warm smile.

Fiona felt herself blushing. It wasn’t a sensation she felt very often.

“That is so good to hear, Your Highness. Have you heard anything other than that about my former apprentice?” she said, trying not to sound too eager.

“No, I am afraid that is all I managed to glean from them,” King Tristan said, turning to his papers once again.

The usual noise of a busy day in Highfort followed Fiona as she walked down one of the main streets of Vistania’s capital. She had decided to go to Lady Charlotte’s mansion on foot. She needed time to think and make some decisions...

“I am taking Princess Vivien as my new apprentice ... It is an enormous responsibility, but maybe this is the change I need to start moving my life forward,” Fiona thought, suddenly feeling elated. “I would need to go away from Highfort and from the nobility circles of Vistania. I can’t risk Vivien being recognized. Also, I can’t say a word to Charlotte. She is a dear friend, but she is also a huge gossip. There is no way she would be able to keep this secret...”

A couple of hours later, she was back in her room in Charlotte’s mansion, rummaging through her potions.

“Aha!” Fiona said with a satisfied grin. “I was sure I had made a few of these a while ago. One small bottle of my hair potion should keep Vivien’s hair black for months. Her lovely blonde locks are way too conspicuous...”

A faint rapping at the room door interrupted her train of thought. A moment later, Betty stepped in, displaying her lovely smile.

“Lady Charlotte says she has some important news for you,” Betty chirped.

Fiona approached her with slow, playful steps and took her pretty face in her hands.

“I will be with her in a minute,” she said and then kissed the girl’s lips with great affection. “I am expecting you tonight...” she added with a smirk, prompting a happy smile from Betty.

“I will come to you as soon as I am done with my duties.”

“Make sure that you do,” Fiona said with mock sternness that made Betty shiver in anticipation. She curtsied and then left the room, turning briefly to show a grateful smile to Fiona.

“This girl is such a gem. It feels so much better to be worshipped by her than by some random maid ... and it is not just because the girl is so good with her tongue. I feel so much affection for her and it makes everything so much more fulfilling. It was wise of Charlotte to make her a person of her intimate confidence in the household. Betty is truly worth her weight in gold,” Fiona mused, anticipating a long night of games with the lovely, petite blonde. She set the hair potion aside and then closed her huge chest of potions and reagents.

“I better go see what Charlotte wants...”

She found Charlotte in her study, or what passed for a study in Charlotte’s mansion. There weren’t many books and documents there, yet the room was pleasantly decorated, with plenty of tapestries and flowers to lift the spirit. Charlotte liked taking her tea there.

“Fiona, darling,” Charlotte said, motioning to join her at the table. An older maid poured some tea for both of them and was then dismissed, leaving them alone in the room. After taking a sip of her tea and swallowing with obvious delight, Charlotte took out a letter and handed it to Fiona.

“Fells like I’ve already lived this moment...” Fiona thought, turning the letter. To her complete shock, she recognized the royal seal of Ashad.

“What is it with kings and me these days...” she mouthed in disbelief.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Charlotte said with a chuckle.

Fiona broke the seal and opened the letter. The letter was brief but not less surprising for it...

Fiona stared at the letter for several moments, trying to process its contents...

“Tanya Santior? Gods, it’s Tanya Rastok ... She must have married the regent, Lord Marcus Santior ... But if she is Lady Regent, that means that he is ... dead?”

“So, are you traveling to Ashad?” Charlotte asked, breaking the silence.

“It would seem so...” Fiona said absentmindedly.

“When?”

“In a few days ... I want to spend a day or two with you.”

“And a night or two with Betty?” Charlotte said with a smirk.

“You know me too well,” Fiona said, smiling at her friend.

“All right, love. We should make the most use of these few days then.”

A large and comfortable carriage rolled down the road that led south from Highfort. The road was brimming with traffic. No wonder, considering it connected the capital with the town of Fairfield, a country’s center for the trade and distribution of iron and copper ore.

Fiona glanced through the carriage window, easily recognizing some of the landmarks. Her eyes returned to her lap, where the letter from the Lady Regent of Ashad sat in all its brevity. She had tried to glean some more information from the few sentences it contained but without much success. Across from her sat a pretty girl who was fiddling with her brunette hair. She was dressed in tasteful but not overly rich clothing. Her mischievous eyes rarely strayed from Fiona’s face ... or body.

“What is your name?” Fiona suddenly said.

“Umm, Alice,” Vivien replied after a moment of hesitation.

“Not good enough. You need to get into your role properly. Who are you, Alice?” Fiona said with a hint of annoyance.

“I am a daughter of a lesser noble from eastern Nessia. He asked you to take me as your apprentice even though he couldn’t afford the full price of such an apprenticeship. You accepted because you are such a generous person ... and because I intend to work hard,” Vivien said, licking her lips. Fiona couldn’t help chuckling at the lusty smile the girl had given her.

“Her obsession with oral sex aside, I think she has a crush on me...” Fiona thought. “Make sure you remember all the other details as well. We need to make you believable and inconspicuous.”

“I will do my best to please you, Mistress...”

Fiona sighed at the double meaning of the girl’s words. But she could hardly complain. She intended to make full use of her submissiveness and her amazing tongue.

“I am going to make her my plaything ... but only in the bedroom. As tempting as it is to make her my submissive, loving minion, outside of the bedroom, I intend to do the opposite ... I want to build the strength of her character and boost her confidence and assertiveness. I want to do everything to help her become a strong and wise woman and a competent mage. She will be the queen of Vistania one day, after all. And through all of that, I want to keep her submissiveness inside the bedroom ... A difficult task, but one worthy of a sophisticated sorceress,” Fiona thought, smirking at the girl. The girl replied with a mischievous smile of her own.

“She definitely has a crush on me ... When I look back, I remember having a crush on my own mentor, the renowned wizard Aurus...” Fiona thought, remembering the mentor she hadn’t seen in a long time. He had been much older than her, although he had looked like he was in his thirties at the time.

“Even though I flirted with him so much, he kept our relationship strictly professional ... I remember being so jealous of all the women he would take to his room, of all those lucky bitches who would get to run their hands through that lovely golden hair of his...” Fiona thought with a nostalgic smile.

“Yet when the time came, I was so eager to set out on my own, to be my own master...” Fiona thought with a more serious expression on her face. “Is that what Magnus felt when ... when he left me?”

That feeling of loss was in her heart once more, even though she had vowed not to dwell on it again. She gazed through the window, taking notice of the beauty of the landscape. The line of the forest in the distance contrasted with the much lighter colors of the meadows they were traveling through, while far away to the east, the mountains that made a natural border between Vistania and Fluvia poked the sky with their mighty peaks...

“No, enough of this ... I am going to start looking forward and focus on living my life fully, starting with this apprenticeship...” Fiona thought, giving Vivien a sudden smile that made the girl blush.

Days stretched into weeks as the duo traveled south, crossing into Ashad, and then turning east to Mearinth, the capital of the country. As much as traveling through Ashad’s beautiful countryside had been a feast for the eyes, Fiona felt elated when the first rooftops of Mearinth came into view.

The capital of Ashad lacked the grandeur of Highfort or Charobny, but it also felt less crowded than the capitals of Vistania and Fluvia. One of the rare capitals that had no stone wall surrounding the city, Mearinth still had sturdy wooden fortifications built in three rings around the city. The innermost ring encompassed the castle and only a couple of mansions belonging to the highest among the nobility. The second ring of fortifications surrounded most of the city core, while the outer ring had been built to include most of the city outskirts. While building in stone was probably an expensive endeavor in Ashad, there was clearly an abundance of timber.

As the carriage rolled down the main streets of Mearinth, Fiona couldn’t help noticing the difference in architecture. Since most buildings were built out of wood, the builders made sure to put enough space between them, to lessen the fire hazard. Large water barrels were visible at the corners of every building, serving the same purpose.

Once the carriage had passed through the gate of the innermost ring, the castle showed itself in all its beauty. Smaller than the castles in Highfort and Charobny, it was built from relatively small slabs of pale grey stone that made the castle look like a giant puzzle. It also gave a certain sense of warmth to the building.

“One day I want to live in a castle just like this one...” Fiona thought with a smile. She turned to see that Vivien was equally impressed with the building.

“It has that feeling of a home...” she mouthed after a moment.

“Exactly,” Fiona replied, smiling at her apprentice.

They were soon escorted inside and led to the guest chambers. At Fiona’s specific request, they were given a set of rooms connected by the inside doors. She wanted to be close to her apprentice, for teaching purposes, obviously...

After having a bath and some refreshments, Fiona and Vivien found themselves in a large, richly decorated room.

“Lady Fiona!” Tanya Santior, Lady Regent of Ashad exclaimed, entering her audience room.

“Lady Regent,” Fiona said, bowing lightly. Sliding into her role, Vivien bowed somewhat more, the way it was proper for a daughter of a lesser noble and an apprentice on top of that.

“No formalities in here, please ... not for someone to whom I owe so much,” Tanya said, gliding to Fiona and pulling her into a warm embrace. Fiona responded with a warm smile.

“The last time I saw you, you were a nobleman’s daughter. Look at you now...”

“I suppose plenty of things happened since the last time we saw each other...”

“I bet ... But let me introduce you to my apprentice, Lady Alice.”

“Your apprentice? Oh ... I thought Magnus was still with you...”

“Eh, no, he went his own way some time ago,” Fiona said with a forced smile. “But as you can see, there are plenty of new mages out there who need teaching.”

“Pleased to meet you, Alice.”

“Your Ladyship...”

“Anyway, please come, sit,” Tanya said, motioning to them. The servants hurried to bring some refreshments. “I suppose you are curious to hear why I asked for your help. I couldn’t risk saying more in my letter...”

“I admit I was puzzled by it...”

“My husband was murdered,” Tanya said suddenly. She took a sip of her wine, trying to gather her composure. Fiona watched her with compassion and curiosity.

“I’ll start from the dramatic events you took part in...” Tanya said, taking a big breath. “Following the defeat of Lord Sarane’s army, the army of the Regent had stayed in Sunwallow for some time, and the Regent himself visited us, wishing to assess the whole situation. Now, I won’t deceive you here, I seduced him in an attempt to gain some political leverage and in order to strengthen the position of my lands ... But I grew to love him and respect him, and I would have never done any harm to him!” Tanya said fiercely. A small tear appeared in her eye, but other than that, her face was radiating fury, not sorrow...

“I am truly sorry...”

“Thank you ... Anyway, we were soon married, and even if he was much older than me, I was truly satisfied with my marriage. For a couple of years, everything was going well. His position as a regent was strengthened, helped by the fact that Lord Sarane had met his end soon after the failure of his military campaign. Being unable to pay off a large mercenary army isn’t a healthy thing, apparently...” Tanya said with obvious satisfaction. The man had killed her father, after all.

“How did your husband die?”

“I am getting there ... Several months ago, the first blow landed. The heir to the throne of Ashad, the seventeen-year-old prince Phillip was killed in a hunting accident...”

“An accident?”

“Yes ... While he and his party were hunting at the foothills of a mountain, there was a landslide ... and they were all killed,” Tanya said solemnly.

“Seriously?” Fiona said, surprised.

“That was my reaction too ... It looked suspicious as hell, considering that the prince would have come of age in just a couple of months ... I don’t even need to tell you that my husband became the obvious suspect. No one had the balls to say it publicly, but they were clearly thinking it...”

“Huh ... Ah, I see ... now that your husband died too...”

“Yes...” Tanya said, sighing heavily. “He died two months ago ... in his sleep. The healer said that he died of a heart attack, but you see, he never had any heart problems. One more suspicious death, except that this time, I am the suspect. They are not even afraid to voice it anymore. Some of them are convinced that I took out the prince and my husband both, all in an attempt to grab the power for myself...”

“How unstable is your position right now?”

“Well, if it weren’t for the support of my mother from Sunwallow, and the support of the few lords who are running the country’s finances and trade and whose trust I have earned over time, the other Lords would probably be at my throat already...”

“Do you suspect anyone in particular?”

“That’s the whole problem ... No one among the Lords is strong enough to even dream of taking the throne ... not to mention the fact that most of them lack the balls to try something like that. I honestly can’t see who gains something from all of this mess...” Tanya said bitterly, “ ... unless it is a play from one of the neighboring countries. But Ashad has friendly relations with all of them...”

“It is certainly not Vistania’s play,” Vivien suddenly said.

Fiona glared at her. “Tanya, I understand your situation ... but what exactly are you hoping that I can do?” she said after a moment.

“I need someone from outside to take a look at these deaths ... someone in whose judgment I trust. I want to find out what happened. I need to find the culprit, or I will be left with no leg to stand on...” Tanya said angrily, “ ... and of course, I want to hang the bastard who killed my husband!”

“This isn’t going to be easy,” Vivien said, breaking the long silence.

“Mmm, no, it won’t...” Fiona said with a sigh of satisfaction. Vivien had been skillfully massaging her feet for some time, while Fiona was trying to figure out how to approach the problem. The massage was usually a prelude to long sessions of body worship, but Fiona’s mind was too encumbered with thoughts about the assignment she had accepted.

“Do you think he was poisoned?”

“It is quite possible. There are some herbs that can make the heart stop beating ... but the thing is, all of them have a very strong unpleasant taste that is almost impossible to mask. The Regent should have noticed the unusual taste. The smells of such poisons are even more noticeable. More than that, even if ingested, such poisons do not act immediately, so he would have had plenty of time to take an antidote. There is a reason why such poisons are rarely used for assassinations. They are too damn obvious ... No, it feels like there was something more at work here...”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that it would have taken a potion specialist with a skill rivaling my own to make a poison with such properties and to make it undetectable by smell or taste. It would involve a touch of magic...”

“So if this was an actual assassination and not a case of natural death, it would mean that a first-rate potion expert was involved?”

“Exactly,” Fiona said, pensive. There weren’t many mages who could match her skill with potions.

“Will you be able to find a trace of such a poison?” Vivien said after a while. She was eager to move up from Fiona’s feet and feast on her mistress’s delicious juices but Fiona seemed too engrossed in her thoughts.

“After two months?” Fiona snorted. “Not a chance. There is only one way to approach this problem...”

“Which is?” Vivien asked when Fiona didn’t finish her sentence.

“Deception...”

“Deception?”

“Yes ... I need to talk with Tanya again,” Fiona said, rising from the bed. “Don’t tire your tongue, I am going to need it later.”

“I can’t wait,” Vivien said eagerly.

Several minutes later, Fiona was ushered to Tanya’s study, only to find that Lady Regent wasn’t alone. To Fiona’s surprise, it turned out to be someone with whom she had been acquainted ... intimately.

“Lady Fiona! I believe you remember Sanela, the herbalist from Sunwallow. When my husband was killed, I sent for her, hoping that she would be able to find something. I asked her to remain with me for a while. I need people I can trust here...”

“Of course, I remember her...” Fiona said with a wide smile. That lovely face, those incredible curves, that chocolate skin, and those exquisite breasts ... She could barely stop herself from licking her lips in a lewd manner.

“She has matured a bit and she looks even more ripe ... Gods love me, after all,” Fiona said, gliding to the dark-skinned beauty.

“Lady Fiona, good to see you again,” Sanela said with a shy smile.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine...” Fiona said, taking Sanela’s hands. She leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Sanela blushed, her eyes darting towards Tanya.

“I see you do remember each other,” Tanya said with a mischievous smile.

“How could I forget such a woman,” Fiona said with a wink. She figured that Tanya probably knew all about their sexual encounters from years ago, so she wasn’t going to pretend.