Page 43 of Under the Lion Star

Sanna was sitting in the garden when I found her nose-deep in some old leather-bound tome. The strange markings on the spine let me know she was putting her Old Elvish to work.

I commended her but wondered if she felt the skill was worth the time it took to learn once she discovered that all the oldest texts in the castle were nonfiction.

“What are you reading today?” I asked as I took the seat next to her.

“This one’s really interesting,” she said with excitement. “It’s about Elldara, and based on the publication date, it was written prior to the Wall of Teldurin being built.”

“Let’s solidify peace with the humans before we try diplomatic measures with the Elldaran.”

Sanna laughed, something she’d been doing more of.

“It’s about blood magic,” she continued. “Even has some spell instructions.”

“Sanna,” I growled. “While I can protect you from many things, I would have a hard time defending you if you began using witchcraft.”

“Reading about it isn’t illegal,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to start performing forbidden rituals. It’s just interesting.”

“What do the spells do?”

“So far, I’ve read that they can alter your appearance to make you look like someone else,” she said. Her breath became shorter as she continued, and her excitement built. “There are spells to incapacitate people, some for changing your voice, all kinds of stuff.”

“Can anyone perform them, or is it like the clerics where you must be born with the initial gift?”

“I’m not sure. There are some paragraphs about something called,” she paused, her fingers tracing over the foreign alphabet. “I guess ‘blood weaver’ would be the closest translation. However, it seems they perform magic outside of what we know as witchcraft, which is mostly just imbuing herbs and objects with magical properties. Unfortunately, every recipe calls for Elldaran blood, so I don’t think we need to worry about anyone masquerading as someone else.”

“If you need Elldaran blood, then why is there such an issue with witchcraft in Krannar?”

“The humans are just using any old blood they can find, so the spells work but are much less effective.”

“Hmm,” I mused. “Keep studying. I’d rather have someone on my side familiar with these things.”

“Alright,” I swore her smile was so bright that the flowers in the garden leaned toward her. “What are you up to?”

“I have to pick a wife,” I groaned. “What am I supposed to do here, Sanna?”

“Narrow it down and then talk to them individually,” she shrugged as if it were the most obvious answer. “Be realistic about what you can and can’t offer, both materially and emotionally. Most women are smart enough to make their own decisions from there.”

“Was there anyone at the party who stuck out to you?”

“Everyone was very kind to me, but it was hard to get a good read.”

“How so? You read people better than anyone.”

“Sure,” Sanna chuckled. “But people were on their best behaviors that night. Plus, they’re going to censor themselves when speaking to me.”

“True.”

“Zialda seemed nice,” Sanna smirked. “When I first arrived, I was too nervous to go in without you, but she found me in the hallway and helped me out.”

“How so?” I leaned forward.

“She lost her mom young, too,” Sanna pressed her lips together. “Did you know that? She was the one who found her, like me. I confessed that I was feeling guilty about enjoying myself–”

“Why would you feel guilty?” I frowned as my chest tightened.

“Just seems bad form to be happy when they’re gone.”

“Sanna,” my expression softened. “Mom and Dad loved you. And they loved seeing you happy, seeing you shine. That’s what they would want more than anything in the realm. You must know that.”

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