Page 11 of Rogue Familiar

“You are absolutely wrong, baby sister,” Nic fired back. “And that is excellent sensing, Seliah. You have a gift for this.”

“She can’t put a hand through my magic because a familiar can’t affect me magically,” Alise argued, opening her eyes, but not sitting up.

“No, but a wizard could.”

“I don’t plan to engage in any magical battles.”

“Nobody plans to do that,” Nic replied with exasperation. “In your current state, even a minor wizard could punch metaphorical holes in you. Didn’t you do that exercise at Convocation Academy?”

“I might have procrastinated on that particular practicum,” Alise admitted.

Wonderful. “Training all around then,” Nic declared and turned to Seliah. “Here’s your first lesson in the Care and Feeding of Wizards 101.”

“Do they really call it that at Convocation Academy?” Seliah asked, brows raised in wonder.

“No,” Alise muttered from her chair, eyes once again closed.

“Yes,” Nic said over her, then reconsidered. “Well, it’s what the familiars call it. Officially it’s called Wizard–Familiar Dynamics and there are a number of levels, labs, and practicums. But the course overall is primarily focused on wizards, since familiars are of secondary importance, so…” She waved a hand in the air.

“That seems so wrong,” Seliah observed.

“Yes, well, you and your brother can complain about the unfairness to each other. It’s one of his favorite rants. He’d love to have a fresh audience, I’m sure.” Nic said it wryly, though the truth was that Gabriel’s insistence on reciprocating with the care and feeding of familiars never ceased to warm her heart. “So, when a wizard’s magic feels this brittle—”

“I’m starting to hate that word,” Alise said.

“Hush. When a wizard’s magic feels this brittle, the best things you can offer—short of magical healing—are sex, food, and rest.”

“Hey,” Alise protested, cracking open one eye, “leave sex out of it.”

“If the wizard in question is not sexually active, for whatever reason, then you can leave sex out. But sex is terrific for replenishing magic, for familiars, too. In particular, a lot of teasing and build-up without orgasm is one of the best shortcuts to refill the magic well. If Alise can’t find anyone to play with her, she can always employ a bit of self-love.”

“I can’t believe I’m having this conversation,” Alise commented in a wondering tone. “It’s so good to be with family.”

“Grow up,” Nic advised. “So,” she asked Seliah, “what will you do to take care of Alise?”

“Order up some food,” Seliah said promptly, “so she’ll eat here in her rooms and be more likely to rest afterward. Maybe a hot bath, too, to coax her to sleep.”

“Good,” Nic replied with a smile. “Hearty food. Also wine, to make her drowsy.”

“Elal wine would be nice,” Alise said hopefully.

“Yes, we all wish for that,” Nic noted acerbically. “No such luck.”

The ban on Elal trade included wine, as Gabriel didn’t want any Phel coin going to Elal coffers. Missing out on the excellent Elal vintages was nearly as bad as relying entirely on Alise to equip the house with elemental conveniences. Moving to the newly installed Ratsiel communicator, Nic sent a message to the kitchens with an order for a heavy, fat-laden meal for the three of them. Seliah could stand to eat more, too, and it seemed Nic was always hungry these days. While Alise wasn’t paying attention, Nic put in an additional request. She wouldn’t call for Asa to heal Alise, not yet—though she would have words with him about not reporting Alise’s exhaustion—as she had a point to prove first.

While they waited, she expounded on some of the finer points for Seliah, especially on sexuality, as she wasn’t sure what all had or hadn’t happened between Seliah and Jadren—judging by Jadren’s note, very little—and since it was an opportunity to give Alise sideways advice. Her sister was too tense, the lines of her body to sharp with stress, for her to be sleeping. Let her overhear then.

“Not all wizard–familiar relationships are sexual,” Nic said, “but if you have that aspect, it gives you an edge, and not only because of the quick magic regeneration on the fly as it were. Sexual communion intensifies the relationship, giving you another channel to communicate and interact. To reach one another when words aren’t working.” Though she tried to keep her mind on the abstract, Nic couldn’t help remembering a couple of salient episodes when she’d managed to steer Gabriel out of his wizardly rages by diverting his attention to her, with such stirring results that her face heated at the memory.

“I think Jadren used that some with me,” Seliah offered somewhat shyly.

Alise opened her eyes. “Ooh, do tell.”

“Well…” Seliah fiddled with a stylus on Alise’s neat desk, glancing about the room.

“You can trust us to keep your secrets.” Nic sat on a chaise, deliberately nonchalant, trailing a hand over the lovely upholstery worked in a design of silver moons dancing on water alongside gold Elal spirit symbols, showing Alise’s intertwined house affiliations. The Ophiel fabric wizard, Dahlia, had a knack for that sort of thing.

“Despite what you might think of him,” Seliah said, “Jadren truly is sensitive and compassionate.” She waited for either of them to argue, eyeing them both owlishly, but Nic nodded encouragingly and Alise listened with a gentle and attentive expression. And a fair amount of curiosity.

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