Chapter Six Marinie of Tasride
'Why me why me why me why me why me why me? I know life's not fair, but er! It isn't fair! And If I just agreed with my subconscious, why is it still nagging me?' Audra snapped mentally. It was impossible for her to fall asleep, what with all of the thoughts she was receiving.
She's lovely. Her smile is so radiant…
To create a Gate of Idramm…
This was very tedious, as Audra didn't particularly want to know what everyone was thinking every second of the day and night. But it was too late to ask Thom for help and the gods had decided to ignore her pleas for mercy.
Well, His Grace will be pleased. The plan will work after all. Audra's attention was captured and she desperately tried to figure out who had thought that. No one in the cloisters and university went by titles other than Master or Priest. Of course, there was the occasional title thrown in mockingly, but this voice hadn't been sarcastic.
The girl is quite powerful, but no matter. His Grace may even wish to make her an ally. Yes, I think I will present this plan to him soon. We'll need to dig up some information on her. Her stepbrother is already at the palace and friendly with Sir Myles, and Duke Baird is known for his loyalty to the crown.
'They are talking about me.' There was no doubt in Audra's mind. She wasn't a Queenscove by birth; her mother was the second lady of Queenscove. Her mother had married Duke Cameron of Queenscove when Audra was a four-year-old tot. She and Kristen were Lady Catherine's only children. Baird was their stepbrother, the only son of the late Duke Cameron. Her stepfather had died four years ago, right when she was preparing to leave for the convent. Audra knew that she should now be thinking of him as Duke Baird, considering he had inherited the title, but it was too strange.
She strained, desperate to hear more. Nothing came. 'Stupid, good-for-nothing-Gift!' Audra snarled. 'Only works when I don't want it to!'
"Audra! Get to the door this minute!" a very angry sounding female yelled. 'What on earth?' Audra wondered as she obeyed. 'This doesn't sound good. It's the middle of the night.'
Warily, she opened the door. And found her pulled from the room by what appeared to be black velvet arms. The next second she was being smothered in a polite hug that was so tight she couldn't breathe.
"Audra darling! You poor dear, living by yourself out here for a few days without any other woman for companionship! How are you? I'll have to talk to the First Daughter about her ideas on punishment—I don't like this at all!" the woman began ranting and greeting at the same time. Her voice was not truly glad, most of the happiness sounded forced.
Audra managed a weak smile. "Mother!" She took a moment to collect herself and resist being sick. Her mother was wearing way too much perfume. The hallway fairly reeked of orange blossoms. 'Polite or impolite? Well, it's not like we've kept our dislike a secret all these years….' "What an unpleasant surprise. Did you come to visit for long?"
"Audra, that's no way to speak to your old mum." Her mother scolded mildly. 'Your old mum? This settles it, she wants something.'
"What do you want, Mother?" Audra purposely drawled out the words as long as she could.
"Why just to visit with you, of course. Show me in, there's a dear." Audra had no choice but to allow her mother into her room. She immediately sat regally on the bed and looked around with a sniff. Audra shut the door, and her mother took off her mask of politeness.
"Dreadful living area. But then, I suppose you like it." Audra glared at her mother until she continued, "Well. I'm on my way to the palace. We've just stopped for the night. I absolutely must be there for the wedding."
'Wedding? Did I miss part of the conversation?' "Who's wedding?"
"Kristen's, lovey, Kristen's! Why else would I care?"
"Kristen is getting married?"
"Yes!" Audra had never seen her mother so positively thrilled before. Then again, Kristen was her favorite. "To Sir Alexander of Tirragen!"
Thom, coincidently, was having an upsetting moment of his own. The latest letter from Alanna said that their smiling friend was still suspicious of her. Not that he'd expected him to stop trying to remove her from the picture; it was upsetting all the same. Thom growled a curse and threw a ball of fire at the letter. Then he sat and watched it burn, idly thinking that it was a pity Audra had see Alanna killing Roger. Roger had threatened Thom's sister, and Thom was damned if he was going to let him get away with this. If Alanna took too long to kill him, he would do it himself.
'Where is Audra?' he wondered a few minutes later. 'You'd think she would die if her Gift wasn't trained, and yet she's late.' Thom gave her another two minutes to show up and then, disgusted with Audra's inability to be prompt, got together his own studies. He began studying while keeping an ear out for Audra. His concentration kept wandering to the possible reasons she was late, and with a grumble of impatience Thom snapped the book shut. Standing, he cast an invisibility spell and set of to find Audra's bedroom.
Looking back, Audra decided the situation was rather funny. She and her mother had gotten into a disagreement, as usual. Lady Catherine had said Audra would need to get married in a few years. When she turned sixteen, in fact. Audra had demanded to know what the rush was. After all, if she never got married, her mother never had to fork over a dowry. Lady Catherine had responded that it would cost far more to provide for Audra on an everyday basis than a dowry would. And this caused Audra's temper to flare up.
"So you want to marry me off because it costs less! And I used to think you couldn't sink lower. Besides, what's it to you, anyway? Baird is the one paying the bills, since he holds the money."
Her mother got even sharper. "You wish to be beholden to your stepbrother and his family, then? Never. You are a King's Reach by birth, and have your pride."
"Oh, I have pride, Mother. Pride in my ambitions and myself. But in being one of your offspring? Not really, no."
Lady Catherine sucked in her breath. "How dare you!"
"I don't know how I dare. I dare because you leave in the morning and I don't have to put up with you for long. I dare because all my life I refused to stand up to Duke Cameron and I should have. I dare because I dare!" Audra was livid now, ranting at her mother.
"You, young lady—no. This place has done no better at turning you into a lady than I have. You wild, impudent animal, listen as I say this once, and make it stay in your memory. You will join your sister in Corus by your fifteenth birthday. I'll arrange it with the First Daughter myself!"
Audra immediately paled. "Mother, I—"
"Silence! I do not wish to hear it. Another word and I'll make it your fourteenth birthday."
"Mother." Audra almost succeeded in keeping the quaver from her voice.
"You are pushing your fate, child." Lady Catherine's voice dripped poison.
Tension filled the air as the two glared at each other, woman against girl, mother against child, lady against mage. Audra clenched her teeth so tightly together she felt her jaw ache. 'I wish I knew magic! Than no one, not even her, especially not her, could hold dominion over me.'
"Please don't do this, Mother," Audra began. She meant to continue, I beg your forgiveness, but the words refused to come.
"You will leave for the palace in one year." Lady Catherine's voice brooked no argument.
"No." Audra murmured softly so her mother could not hear. "Not unless Thom comes. I need to learn first!" Annoying tears welled up in her eyes. Being a child was not fair. Nothing was fair, not love, not war, not childhood, not life, not the Gift, not anything. The triumphant smirk on Lady Catherine's face was too much to bear.
There was a sharp tap at the door. Both turned to stare at it. It was after midnight now…why was someone knocking? There was another tap.
"Audra, open this door!" a furious Thom snapped in a tense tone of voice.