Families

Once she entered the Guild, my mother lost contact with her family, although at the beginning, she tried very hard to retain the strong relationships she had had all her life, especially with her aunt. Magicians, however, did not care for dwells, even dwells with magic, so it was almost impossible for her to obtain permission to visit them. Later, once she became the High Lord's Novice, it was forbidden for her to leave the Guild at all, so she gave up any attempt to see them. Keeping track of where her family were living also became much harder as time passed because they moved from accommodation to accommodation around the slum areas of the city. As for Sonea herself, as she became more and more involved with magic and the Guild, remembrance of her aunt and cousins gradually faded until she rarely thought of them at all.

Akkarin, on the other hand, had no such problems, his family, being particularly prominent in Imardin's political circles, were viewed very favourably by the Guild. His father had been a companion of the old king, and both Akkarin and his brother had been boyhood companions of the young king and his siblings, so the family were very well known in Court circles too. Visits of family members from the Houses were encouraged by the Guild, especially where they sensed some influence might be gained and family Delvon, House Valen certainly fell into that category.

Although Sonea had had a loving relationship with her aunt and got on well with her cousins, Akkarin had no such experience. His parents were cold and distant, especially his mother, who favoured her elder son, so from his point of view, the less he saw of them the better. He tended to use the pressures of his work as an excuse to avoid visits home and only reluctantly entertained his parents at the Residence.

All of this was unknown to me in my early childhood. I knew I had been declared my father's family's heir and that meant expensive gifts arrived on my birthday and regular payments were made to Sonea to pay for tutors, but beyond that, my only family contact was my aunt, Lady Alkaria. She was about the same age as my mother, but always seemed so much younger to me. She had a cheerful personality which made her an ideal companion for a lonely child. She became a regular visitor to Sonea's apartment and was always happy to play with me. Nothing was too much trouble; no game was too difficult or boring, she joined in everything, taking part with a joyous enthusiasm I never saw in anyone else, and certainly not in my mother. Alkaria brought me interesting little gifts, a pretty scarf, or perhaps some sweetmeats or a book which had caught her fancy when she was vising shops in the city. Although her constant chatter and attempts to change the things that Sonea had already decided upon, irritated my mother, I think she was actually very fond of her young sister. I think, too. that my mother was secretly pleased that Alkaria spent so much time with me, which because of her Black Magician duties, Sonea was unable to do.

Once I became ten years old, though, everything changed and I was required to present myself at the family home in Imardin four times a year. Alkaria explained that arriving at the age of 10 was an important milestone for the children of the Houses. It meant that the child had survived early childhood when illness was more likely to cause long-term problems or even death and was now on the verge of being able to support the goals of his or her House, which might mean a potential marriage alliance, for example, or some other form of collaboration. In my own case, an additional purpose was for me to get an understanding of the family and its obligations, so that once I inherited the headship of the family, I would be in familiar territory.

When the summons came, Sonea was angered by the way it was worded, more like a command than an invitation. Until then, there had been no attempt by my grandparents to form any sort of bond with me. We had never met, apart from my presentation as heir when I was very young. I received no letters from them, only stilted phrases which accompanied gifts they sent. It was as if they tried to ignore my existence, apart from the requirements for gifts and coin laid down by the King. To add insult to injury, the summons clearly excluded Sonea. At first, she was determined that I should not go, but Alkaria soon persuaded her that would be exactly what her parents hoped so they could tell the King that Sonea had refused to abide by the terms of the agreement. Angry as she was, Sonea could see the sense in ensuring I complied with the terms of my inheritance, and at least I would have Alkaria with me.

The day before the meeting was to take place, Alkaria came to decide what I should wear. As I was not accepted as a novice nor had even been formally tested by the Guild, I was not bound by the rule which governed the clothing worn by magicians. I had a wardrobe full of garments suitable for a young noble lady but as Sonea had no interest in such things and very little knowledge of what would be suitable for me to wear, she was only too pleased to leave everything to my aunt.

For all her childish behaviour, Alkaria had a complete understanding of style and fashion. She had been trained from early childhood in all the social graces appropriate to a daughter of one noble House and the future wife of another. She not only understood what was appropriate in all social settings, but she had an innate ability to always look suitably dressed and adorned, whatever the occasion. I never saw her poorly dressed, or dishevelled; on the contrary, whatever she wore, she always looked charming and stylish, and even when she indulged her odd preference for male dress, she still looked beautifully turned out.

Sitting on my bed, surrounded with garments of all colours and textures, I watched fascinated as she fingered, sorted and rejected garment after garment. Eventually, she was satisfied with her choice, a gown of green silk, with fashionable slashes showing the crimson underskirt.

'Our House colours are crimson and green,' Alkaria explained, 'so it will be appropriate for you to show your allegiance and perhaps my parents will be pleased.'

Alkaria was fully aware of her family's feelings towards me, although apart from one to two throw-away remarks, she never spoke of them to me. I overheard her sometimes talking with Sonea, but both of them were careful not to nurture in me a dislike of my only relatives. But I was an intelligent child and I understood the tensions which existed between Sonea and her adopted family. The fact that they never visited nor wrote to me pointed to a lack of interest. In spite of that, I was excited to be actually visiting them. I was not afraid – Alkaria would be with me - and I was sure my charm would win them over.

Once the gown was chosen, Alkaria turned to what jewels I should wear. There had been an argument with Sonea about jewels. She grumbled that a young child should not be wearing jewels, but Alkaria was able to persuade her that some jewels would be expected. I had a large collection because Akkarin's parents had sent all his possessions to Sonea after his death and among them had been his gifts set aside for a future wife. As Sonea rarely wore them, many had been passed to me. My circumstances were such that I had little opportunity to wear any either, so I eagerly sorted through the various boxes looking for the biggest and brightest jewels.

Alkaria vetoed all my choices and found a small jewel on a slender chain, barely bigger than a coin, which she declared perfect. Although small, it was pretty enough, made in the shape of a golden shield and set with diamonds and rubies.

On the day of the meeting, Alkaria arrived to inspect my outfit and arrange my hair. When she finished, I had some difficulty recognising myself as I usually wore loose trousers and a shirt. I certainly looked like a daughter of the Houses and more like Alkaria's child than her niece. Sonea could see that too, judging by her sharp intake of breath when we walked into her room.

'You are so like Akkarin,' she murmured. 'They will never be able to forget him while you are in the world.'

I was pleased that I resembled him. I had spent many hours gazing at the portraits of him wishing that I could see him for myself.

Look in a mirror!

I clearly heard Akkarin send to me, he was always louder when I was near Sonea.

But I want to see YOU, not just a painting!

I heard him laugh as he faded from my mind. Sonea heard him too and a wistful expression crossed her face. But there was no time for further conversation as Alkaria was concerned we would be late.

I had grown up in the Guild which was full of grand and imposing buildings, but my first sight of Akkarin's family home took my breath away. It was large, with vast expanses of gleaming white marble and tall columns. The entrance gates were almost as large as those at the Guild, heavily decorated with intricate designs painted with gold. The gardens were full of tinkling water features, bright flowers and various shrubs and trees.

We were met at the door by a uniformed lackey who bowed deeply and showed us into a guest room. There were refreshments laid out, but I was too excited to eat. Alkaria, who had grown up here and for whom its grandeur was normal, laughed to see my reaction.

'One day, you will be mistress here,' she said.

Somehow, I did not believe her. I had magic. I would be a magician. Magicians lived in the Guild or in rural communities. As far as I knew, they did not live in large houses in the capital. Still, that was a matter for the future and what I wanted now was to see my family. They kept us waiting, of course. I was too full of energy to sit down, so I began to walk around the room, examining the ornaments and paintings. There were a few books carefully scattered around, to give the impression of intelligent study. I looked at one or two but they were dull tomes with few illustrations and were obviously part of the decorations of the room.

Finally, the door opened and another lackey took us down a wide corridor to a large room where the family waited. There was quite a distance between the door and the area where they were sitting and I was conscious of all eyes on me as I made my way over to them.

'Grandfather, grandmother, Uncle Vettin and Aunt Perla,' I murmured as I swept into a curtsy that would have made my dancing tutor proud.

One of the skills I had inherited from Akkarin was an ability to easily read people's surface thoughts and those of my family were quite entertaining. They were exactly what I was expecting, but two of them did surprise me. Vettin's wife, his third, whom he had married two years previously after the death of his second, was totally engrossed in working out the value of my clothing and jewels. She was not interested in me in the slightest, only in my possessions. Grandfather's thoughts were more interesting. They were a mixture of cool examination and surprise at how I resembled his favourite, Alkaria. I even caught a glimpse of faint pride in the way I conducted myself.

'Karine, welcome,' Grandfather said. 'Do sit down'

He indicated a chair and motioned for Alkaria to sit also. We spent the next few minutes in dilatory conversation, the sort that I imagined the Houses indulged in constantly. I amused myself by looking for signs of magic. Vettin and his wife showed no signs at all. Lukon had the same flickering magic source as Alkaria, but to my surprise, grandmother Alechia had a larger magic source which glowed, faintly, but steadily. It seemed that Akkarin had inherited more from her than just her features.

I had decided before the visit, that I would refer to my relatives by their relationship to me rather than 'my lord' or 'my lady'. I was secretly pleased to see how much it annoyed them but there was little they could do about it. They were my relatives after all! I was soon bored with that game, and was pleased when the meal was announced. We followed yet another lackey into a large dining room. I was seated next to Lukon but Alkaria was placed far away. Evidently, I was to be judged and for an instant, I contemplated behaving really badly, confirming all their preconceptions, but the moment passed and I was determined to be on my best behaviour.

The food was delivered by even more lackeys and was delicious. Again, the conversation was dull chatter about people and events I did not know, designed to show how little I had in common with the Houses, but at least it gave me time to observe the others. Nothing they said or did changed my initial feelings about them – grandmother was a bully, Vettin was miserable, his wife empty-headed, but grandfather was more of a puzzle I looked forward to unlocking.

After the interminable meal of many courses, grandfather indicated the time had come for a private conversation. I followed him into his study, another vast room, filled with comfortable furniture and a huge collection of books. He pointed to a chair near to the fireplace and sat down in the chair opposite. For a moment, he said nothing, but simply looked at me. His surface thoughts showed uncertainty, although I had little idea what that meant.

'I expect you have questions,' he said finally.

'Are there no small rooms in this house,' I blurted without thinking.

His eyebrows shot up, 'No,' he said.

He continued to stare at me and I noticed the faint glimmer of a smile briefly touch his lips before his expression reverted to the cool, distant one he usually maintained.

'Thank you for the gifts you have sent over the years.' I said. 'They have been most welcome, although I would like to have visited sooner, to thank you in person.'

He ignored that comment. 'You look very like Alkaria.'

'I am told I am very like Akkarin. I would liked to have known him, what was he like?'

Lukon frowned, 'I am sure your mother has told you all about him. This meeting is not about the past, but about the future. You need to learn something of our House's history and I doubt that your mother has told you anything.'

'My mother is busy with her work at the Guild…..' I began.

'Yes, yes, but here you are now and here are the books you need to read.' He reached over to a small table and took down a pile of books which he passed over to me. 'I will expect you to have read all of these by your next visit, so I will be asking you some questions about what you have learned.'

'The reports from your tutors have been very complimentary. You are an intelligent young woman, Karine, so I expect you to do your duty to your House without complaint. There will be a lot for you to learn over the next year or two, to ensure you are ready for your marriage.'

'Marriage?' I said faintly.

Lukan smiled, but it was not a friendly one, 'You are the heir to an important family and you will need to provide further heirs, so your marriage is important and will be arranged soon.'

The rest of the visit passed in a blur. My mind could not stop thinking about marriage and what it would mean for me.

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