Page 99 of Iron Unicorn

“We’ll do this in the round pen. It’s already had some excitement this week, and they’re going to be replacing all the sand in it anyway. Your princess made a lovely patch of glass during one of her tests. This put her at a higher flameweaving rank than she appreciates.”

“Was that the test that sent her running?”

“It sure was. Empathy was next. I hadn’t specified which type of empathy.”

Olivia would drive me insane. “Unlike her, I promise I will not run away if I do not like the talent evaluation results.”

“You’ll be the first of the three of you. Eddie also ran at the first sign of empathy test. I let him off the hook, as I got some positive results on some underlying talents. I tested him on a suppressor set with a lessened leak. I’m tempted to have it locked around his wrist to lure Princess Deidre back to the Royal States.”

“Do you have one that only blocks most of concentrated and generalized empathy talents?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. It’s open for horse empathy, which we’re certain he has but we can’t get a positive on it.”

“New branch,” I murmured.

“That’s my thought. Magic is not a static thing we can consistently label. We learn more about how it works every day. But I think the regular empathy suppressors have crossover. But as he likely has a Royal talent, we’d make certain there is just enough of a leak to make them both uncomfortable without harming them. Ideally, she’ll become uncomfortable enough to ride to the rescue.”

“I’ll help hold him down so you can put it on him.”

Brenda chuckled. “I appreciate the offer. With luck, we’ll get you evaluated within two hours and with no drama. You should be an easy nut to crack. Your potential flameweaving is the only one I think we might get surprised on.”

“There could be waterweaving or airweaving, too,” I admitted.

That earned me a glare. “Why would you think that?”

“My iron has properties of being tempered, and tempering is something that happens after quenching, and quenching involves fluid. Tempering involves air.”

“For fuck’s sake,” the woman muttered. “If that’s so, you’ll have refined control on both, but you’re naturally inclined to work with metal. A four-way combination would be highly unusual, and it would be an automatic Royal ranking. There are dual hybrids, and there are a few with three, but not many. I can’t think of anyone with all four of any applicable strength.”

“Should I apologize now?”

“No. You can’t help how you were born. I will yell at your parents.”

I laughed. “I’ll even give them a call so you can do just that.”

“Put them on the phone, please.”

I got out my phone, activated the speakerphone, and called my father’s cell phone.

“What’s wrong, Terry?” my father demanded in a tone indicating I had ten seconds to answer or I would face some heinous punishment the next time I made it back to Montana.

I grinned. “Nothing’s wrong, Dad. I’m going through talent evaluations, and Brenda, the nice woman doing the evaluation, has some questions for you. You’re on speaker. However, I’ve been a bad son, and I failed to report that I got pneumonia. I’m fine. My Montana princess had herself a blast while I suffered.”

“We were notified you had pneumonia,” he admitted. “Rachel gave us a call personally and begged for forgiveness for letting the Montana royals play at kidnappers. How are you enjoying your trip to Texas?”

“Honestly? I’m having a great time now that I’ve been horse shopping. I’ll have to bring you to New York to meet my young equine children. I am also going to have to take you to Maine, as you have an honorary granddaughter. I adopted her to make certain she could get a heart transplant. Custody is going back to her parents after all the procedures are done.”

“Thank you for letting us know, although we’d already been told. Rachel was determined to make sure you didn’t earn our wrath being an excellent man of sterling reputation.” He snickered, and after a few moments, he added, “We’ve been notified of the trouble that you’re getting into, although I’m impressed you’re calling. You usually call after you come back from your outings.”

“I mean, I call before the outings, too. Calling just wasn’t an option this time, and it’s been breakneck the whole time. Anyway, I’m about to be tested for flameweaving, airweaving, and waterweaving, and I believe Brenda would like to know if there are genetic reasons we’re having to do this.”

“Let’s see,” my father said, and he drew out the words, the only warning I needed that he was about to unleash his sarcasm on us. “It couldn’t possibly be because your loving mother is a hybrid airweaver and waveweaver while I, your loving father, am an earthweaver and flameweaver.”

“It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with that, Dad. At all.”

We laughed.

Brenda shook her head. “This explains a great deal. Can you manipulate metal, sir?”

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