Sorry this took me so long-a number of things sort of piled up.

Shinigami Clara-It probably is, but I'm changing it.

Dusthorsie-No, you didn't, and thanks.

Winged Seraphin-You're welcome, and it'll all work out in the end.

Sesshoumaru of the Undermark-Thank you soooo much. Sequel? I'll think.

Kate-If you only read the first chapter, I can see why you feel that way.

Starkitty-Thanks, and sorry it took me so long.

Read 24-7 and more-Muchos gracias.

The Grand Mage

By Dragonlady

Chapter Twenty-one-Increasing Tension

After the Tusaine War, things calmed down for Ileana and her friends, with the possible exception of Alanna. The two masqueraders went to see Mistress Cooper soon after their return, Alanna because she wanted lessons in being a lady, and Ileana because she felt that it was time to tell Eleni who she really was. She did so, and that led to George's mother becoming the latest member of the Order or the Ring. Nine companions, the Mother had said, and now there were six. Ileana knew Myles would be the seventh, when the time came, but she was still uncertain of the other two. (And yes, I know who they will be!)

An opportunity for amusement presented itself on the day when Jonathan and George saw Alanna in a dress for the first time.

"You look like fish," Ileana commented wickedly upon seeing their faces, and was rewarded with three glares. All three of them were more than a little red.

"Now, children, be nice," said Mistress Cooper primly.

That was during the fall. As the season progressed and winter wore on, more wolves appeared than had in a long time. Some even went so far as to kill humans, and one such was Demon Grey. By February the situation had intensified enough that King Roald ordered every man (or woman, though they didn't know it) who could bear arms to go out on the hunt.

Everyone who was going met in the courtyard, awaiting the arrival of the king. Ileana grinned to see Alanna wearing every stitch of winter clothing she owned-Ileana herself reveled in cold weather.

"How can you stand this?" her friend complained.

"I suppose it has something to do with having a winter birthday," Ileana replied.

"When is your birthday anyway?" the Prince wanted to know.

"Figure it out," she retorted, grinning.

As the hunt wore on, the people spread farther and farther apart. Alanna dropped back, while Ileana stayed with Jonathan near the front. She worried for her friend, though, knowing that Alanna would be the one to find Demon Grey, and that the wolf would be driven by Roger's magic. Jonathan noticed her preoccupation.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, nudging Darkness closer.

"Fine," she said, deep in thought.

"Liar. What's wrong?"

"Nothing-or at least, nothing you can deal with."

He was about to say more when a horn rang out amid the quiet of the forest. Everyone whipped their horses around, knowing that a call signified the finding of the wolf. "That'll be Alanna," Ileana said, and galloped Moonbeam towards the sound, her nimble mare quickly outpacing Jonathan's heavier stallion.

She reached Alanna and the wolves before anyone except Duke Roger, who was already standing there. Alanna was grappling with Demon Grey, his mate dead on the snow beside her. Jonathan came pounding up, and Ileana grabbed his shoulder to keep him from going to help Alanna. Suddenly she noticed that Roger was drawing more heavily on his magic than before. That's an illusion-spell! she realized, and went cold. If the Duke made it appear that the wolf was in a different place than it really was…Alanna would be finished. "Not if I can help it," she muttered. All thoughts of being caught vanished out of her mind as she began to weave the counter-charm, moving her fingers in intricate patterns and reciting the spell in her mind, mentally tracing the words in violet fire.

"What are you doing?" the Prince hissed.

Ileana ignored him, the strain of keeping her spell undetectable beginning to show itself. As strong as she was, the spell wouldn't have been a great deal even against someone with the power of the Duke of Conté, if she hadn't had to disguise the fact that she was the one doing it. Roger realized that someone was keeping him from indirectly killing Alanna, and was scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes, probing with his magic. Ileana was saved from having to increase the power of her shields when Alanna finally killed the wolf. There was a mad rush for her, giving Ileana time to catch her breath. She was there, however, when Alanna discovered that her ember-stone would show her magic. She looked hard at Ileana, seeing the residue of her spell.

He was trying to cast an illusion, Ileana mind-sent. She didn't need to say more. Alanna's eyes widened, then narrowed. Jonathan looked sharply at them both, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the winter was thankfully uneventful. Ileana's seventeenth birthday past without her friends having figured out when it was-the day after New Year's, January 2. She didn't want anyone to find out when it was because she was afraid she would be overly emotional-she hadn't celebrated her birthday since the loss of her family seven years ago. She still couldn't believe it had been that long. But then, the time had passed quickly-summers as Thayet, and the rest of the year as Gerry.

Spring passed quickly, and Alanna's seventeenth birthday with it. After giving her friend her gift in the morning, Ileana made herself scarce until the ball that night. She noticed Jonathan and Delia with a grimace, and managed to see Alanna slip out earlier than she should. Ileana saw Jonathan leave a few minutes after, and suddenly she didn't feel like socializing. She walked back to her rooms for the night, laying awake thinking for hours.

Ileana went ice skating with her friends soon after that. She hadn't skated since Earth, but relearned fairly quickly. Alanna didn't fare so easily, and Ileana remembered what was going to happen because of Alex with a chill. Alanna was skating around a clump of weeds when the ice gave way and she went under. There were cries of alarm, and the noble ladies quickly went for help. Jonathan skated toward the place where Alanna had disappeared, and Ileana grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Stop it!" she said. "Will you do her any good if you both go under? Leave it to me." Sending out her power, she wove a net of sorts around Alanna to pull her back towards the hole in the ice. Alanna surfaced, taking in a huge gasp of air before disappearing again. The next time her head appeared, Jonathan and Raoul grabbed her, pulling her back onto the solid ice. Ileana approached, making sure her friend wasn't hurt, and upon knowing that she was fine she went to go tell the other people that Alanna was all right.

Because of her icy dunking, Alanna resolved that she needed to go see her brother to tell him what was going on with Duke Roger. George refused to be left behind, and Ileana went too-she wanted to meet Thom. Jonathan argued, but against the three of them, he was forced to back down.

The journey to the City of the Gods made Ileana start to reminisce about her own years at the convent. Both of her friends remarked at her silence, but she felt like thinking, not listening to funny stories. She wasn't sure whether or not to tell Thom who she really was. She finally made up her mind right before she reached the city-she would tell him about her Gift, but not that she was the Grand Mage, and she would appear as a woman so that no connections would get back to Roger.

"Alanna? George?" she said as they were riding towards the city walls. They both turned and looked at her. "Look, I'm going to appear without the illusion, and take down the shields on my magic. I might need it, and the mage-teachers know who I am here, and that I'm the equivalent of a black-robe. That might impress your brother."

The squire and the thief were surprised, but nodded. Ileana, closing her eyes, removed the illusion. Her friends, used by now to Ileana's real appearance, were still amazed at her beauty. Snapping her fingers, Ileana magically exchanged the squire's uniform for a mage's robe.

"Gods, I am so jealous," Alanna said.

"Don't be," said George. Ileana grinned to herself.

The three of them quietly entered the city gates. Even after all the time she had spent there, the City of the Gods still struck Ileana with the amount of stone in its buildings. Looking around, the time it took to reach the convent passed very quickly. They were greeted at the door by Master Si-cham.

"Ileana!" the Master greeted. "How is it with you?"

"Fine, thank you," Ileana said, smiling. It was so refreshing to hear people other than the members of the Order calling her by her real name. "This is Squire Alan of Trebond, and this is George Cooper."

"Pleased to meet you," Si-cham said, shrewdly taking in Alanna's features. "Shall I escort you to Adept Thom's rooms?"

"That would be lovely," Ileana said. Si-cham raised an eyebrow, and she explained, "Alan has become a friend of mine, and judging on his stories, I am…looking forward…to meeting his brother."

Si-cham nodded, leading the way. He mindspoke to Ileana, Young Thom is very powerful, but quite foolish in some ways. See what you make of him, and if you can help him, for I think you know that your power is stronger than his, as well as anyone else's here.

Ileana was saved from replying to that by Thom himself. They reached his rooms, and Thom greeted Alanna enthusiastically, George cordially, and Si-cham curiously. Ileana got a penetrating look before he invited them in.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Ileana said. "My name is Ileana Melinsere."

Thom's eyes widened. "Yes, I've…I've heard about you, and your power. I am honored," he concluded, sounding a bit nonplussed.

The visit proceeded as it had in the book. Ileana didn't really listen, as she knew all of the news already, but occupied her attention with studying Thom. He is powerful, she thought, and outwardly self-assured. On the inside…I sense that this is a very troubled young man. Alanna then surprised both George and Thom with her tale of the ember-stone, and Faithful, who had been left behind.

"You don't seem surprised," Thom said somewhat coolly to Ileana, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not," she said evenly. Alanna frowned at the two of them, but was distracted when Thom threw the ember-stone in the air, uttering a word of command. Si-cham came in, and informed Thom that his Ordeal of Sorcery would be to repair the damage done that night. The next morning, Ileana, Alanna and George departed for Corus.

They were interrupted along the way. The three of them were riding past the road that led to Trebond when they were attacked by bandits. Ileana sensed them first, reining Moonbeam in and drawing her sword (she had resumed the illusion of Gerry). She was in time to block an arrow aimed at George. "Ride!" she yelled, and they did. The bandits closed in fast, and they parried clumsy blows aimed at their horses as well as them. They were able to do away with the bandits fairly easily, and left the last one alive to be questioned.

"Who sent you?" Alanna yelled. "Who?"

"It-it was-" The bandit choked. Ileana could see him glowing with a faint orange aura-Duke Roger. She looked at Ileana, and her friend nodded. Not saying anything, the three of them mounted their horses and rode grimly towards home.

They reached Corus three days later. Jonathan was relieved to see them all back safe, and said that nothing of importance had happened while they were gone. He looked as if he wanted to be alone with Alanna, and Alanna looked the same. "I'll go tell Myles that we're back," said Ileana, and left. By now she was more or less reconciled to their relationship, knowing how it would turn out.

Winter turned into spring again, and Ileana turned eighteen for the second time. Alanna's birthday came soon after, and Ileana surprised her friend with the gift of a set of throwing knives from Raven Armory. Ileana herself had received a new set of chain mail and war equipment. The significance of this was not lost on her-the Ordeal was fast approaching, and soon she would be a knight. She didn't know what was going to happen to "Gerry" then, for after earning her shield she wanted to spend more time as Thayet learning her way around Court more. She decided to worry about that problem when it came.

Soon after her birthday, Alanna told Gary who she was, and he agreed to instruct her after the Sacrificial Bath along with Jonathan. The two of them were also going to be performing the rites for Ileana. They all spent an increasing amount of time with each other, and the Ordeal of Knighthood came ever closer…

All right, I apologize. That chapter was simply to get us to the Ordeal, and we all know it. I hope that I'll be able to get the next chapter up a lot sooner than this one. At least this is the longest yet. At least 87 reviews to update, preferably more.