Page 12 of Rogue Familiar

Though Alise would be eighteen soon, she didn’t seem to have had much sexual experience yet. Not that the two of them were close enough for Nic to know. Still, though fraternization wasn’t against the rules at Convocation Academy, relationships were strongly discouraged. They had a tendency to interfere with the arranged wizard–familiar pairings, as amply demonstrated by Han and Iliana’s impetuous escape so they could be together. Nic wasn’t at all clear why Alise had aided them. Surely her little sister—also a product of House Elal—didn’t believe in true love.

“Please don’t tell anyone else,” Seliah said with a released breath, restlessly pacing to the window, “but I still have occasional… issues. From the madness.” She turned and faced them with a brave tilt to her chin, though she was clearly braced for censure.

“It would be surprising if you didn’t,” Nic replied with equanimity.

“No one expects you to just get over what you went through, Seliah,” Alise added, nodding.

“I expect it,” Seliah replied, sounding defiant. Not surprising, as Seliah’s repetition of the assertion that she expected more of herself had made it too clear to Nic just how often people told Seliah they didn’t expect this or that of her. Seliah then sagged a little. “I just don’t want to be treated like I’m fragile. I know I have things to overcome, but I can do it.”

“Of course you can,” Nic agreed, and Alise nodded, shrugging as if that were a foregone conclusion. “And Jadren understands that about you,” Nic added, prompting Seliah to continue.

“Yes, well, closed in spaces, feeling trapped…” Seliah rolled her eyes and scrubbed her hands over her face. “I tend to ‘lose my shit’ as Jadren so succinctly puts it. But he is able to distract me.”

“Distract you how?” Alise asked, bright interest in her dark gaze. “As many details as you’d like to include.”

Seliah chuckled, lightly blushing. “Kissing. Caressing. Arousing.” Her voice had gone throaty at the memory. “He’s really good at it.”

Nic didn’t doubt that. Jadren might be an ass, but he was also singularly focused in his approach to everything. What was surprising was that he apparently possessed some level of empathy for Seliah, not at all typical for a Convocation wizard. Had he really left in order to protect her and not for some other nefarious or selfish reason? If so, why did he believe he was such a danger to Seliah? Though Seliah hadn’t commented on that aspect, it seemed that she had some idea there.

“He has soft hands,” Seliah was telling Alise, in answer to her question. “Not like the farmers around here, but gentle and sensitive. The way he touched me…it was like he could sense how I felt through his fingertips. And his kisses!” Seliah touched wondering fingers to her lips. “It was like being swept up in a dream, overwhelming, sweet and hot. I forgot everything but him when he kissed me.”

Alise sighed dreamily. A knock on the door had Nic getting up and going to the antechamber to answer, which allowed the two women to keep talking. Though Seliah was substantially older than Alise, Nic couldn’t help thinking of the pair of them as similar in age. Seliah younger than her physical body and Alise older than hers.

Nic opened the door to Sage and Quinn. As she’d asked, the bonded pair from House Byssan had brought up the requested food and wine, cheerfully greeting her over the laden trays, curiosity piquing their smiles. The lady of the house didn’t typically ask wizards or familiars to do fetching and carrying. Of course, House Phel wasn’t typical in many ways.

Nic quickly and quietly conveyed to Sage what she needed. The glass wizard, not battle trained by any stretch, expressed doubts, which Nic quickly dispensed with, confident she could rely on the wizard’s solid craftsmanship to carry it off, however unorthodox the task. Then Nic kissed her old friend and sister-familiar, Quinn, on the cheek, relieving her of a couple of carafes of wine.

The kitchens had sent large servings, plus extra, which was hopefully because the lady of the house had placed the order and not a habit of profligacy. The people of Meresin tended toward generosity, a reflection of their easy, warm natures. An admirable trait, but House Phel couldn’t afford to be generous, not with their finances in such bad shape. One more issue for Nic to address.

The blonde Byssan sisters, so alike they could be twins—except for Sage’s wizard-black eyes—bustled into the sitting room, saying hello and setting down their trays. With an offhand glance and admirably little warning, Sage hurled a burst of fulminous magic at Alise. Caught off-guard, Alise slammed into the back of the armchair, emitting a small squeak before passing out entirely.

Feeling grimly vindicated, Nic sent for Asa while the other women exclaimed over Alise, tending to her. As Nic turned back from the summons, an angry Seliah confronted her. “Why did you tell Sage to do that? Alise is hurt!”

“I barely hit her at all,” Sage said apologetically, her pretty face contorted in concern. “My magic isn’t all that strong.”

“That’s entirely the point,” Nic replied crisply, refusing to feel guilty, though Alise’s skin had taken on an even more translucent hue, her face slack in unconsciousness. Wedging her way in, Nic patted Alise’s cheeks briskly. Tough love was still love. Alise’s eyelids fluttered, awareness returning. Good. “A wizard of Alise’s MP scores, however much training she has yet to complete, should never have been taken unawares by a light punch from a glass wizard, no offense intended, Sage.”

“None taken,” Sage replied, clearly relieved that Alise had already come to. “Quinn, let’s dish out the food for these noble ladies.”

Alise glared up at Nic. “That was a rotten trick, even for an Elal.”

“Brittle enough to punch holes through,” Nic said softly. “I trust I’ve made my point?”

“Bitch.”

Nic patted her baby sister’s cheek one last time, gently with affection. “I love you, too.”

~4~

Selly finally returned to her room late that evening, after eating formal dinner with all of House Phel. She was weary to the bone. Though Alise had gone to bed—after food, Asa’s healing treatment, and a hot bath, in that order—and slept the remainder of the day, that hadn’t spared Selly from Nic’s relentless tutelage.

No, Lady Phel had simply conscripted Sage instead, relocating them to Sage and Quinn’s shared rooms, which weren’t quite as spacious as Alise’s, but occupied a corner and sported fabulous windows, naturally. With the tenacity and remorselessness of a military general, Nic had walked Selly through the steps of giving up magic to Sage and then refusing to allow it.

Nic had also instructed Sage to drain Selly’s magic over and over, so Selly could get a feel for when she was dangerously low. That experience had been deeply unsettling. Selly had to admit, however, that she’d learned from it. Though Jadren had taught her a great deal about yielding up her magic and working with him, he’d never taken all that much magic from her at one time.

None of them had been sure how fast Selly’s reserves would rebound if she were completely drained. Nic observed that Selly still generated a bounty of magic, more rapidly than most familiars, and perhaps that would settle down over time as her magic equilibrated, now that it was able to flow freely instead of being blockaded. For the time being, however, Selly seemed to replenish her magic nearly as fast as Sage could tap it.

When Sage, quite out of breath and flushed, complained that she had more magic than she knew what to do with, Nic set her to making flasks and carafes of varying sizes, commenting that they could be used for the new product line of ever-replenishing water flasks and purifying water carafes.

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