Chapter: Food for Thought: 18 of ?

Author: Sam

Series: A Deeper Magic

Last Chapter: DG and Wyatt rescue Ambrose and Leona and hide the pair. Leona tells Randu's plans. DG loses her temper.

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As the couple entered the lady's room, Ambrose studied them carefully. He hadn't missed their conversation despite the closed doors; even as Princess Dorothy had changed her voice to sound meek, she still had been clearly audible. "And that proves that Leona certainly doesn't need to fix my ears," he thought absently, then flushed at the idea that she had offered to 'fix' him at all.

After DG put the tray on the bed and sat next to Ambrose, Leona still on his other side, the bed felt very crowded but in a surprisingly cozy way, though he was glad that Wyatt took the chair instead of joining them on the bed.

Reaching for one of the spoons, DG firmly demanded, "the magic information. I need to know. And," she lifted snapping blue eyes to meet Wyatt's serious gaze, "lineage preferences, if you know them." It seemed an odd request, but no one protested as the princess sounded like she barely contained her anger.

Ambrose looked at her, suddenly realizing that he must have forgotten quite a bit in the last eight annuals. He should have remembered the princess had been married off to her bodyguard, an unusual but certainly not unheard of practice . . . the queen had married an unknown visitor with nothing at all to recommend him, at least marrying a personal bodyguard made more sense.

"Ambrose," Wyatt's low baritone drew the advisor's attention back to the group and he smiled at them, feeling sheepish at how easily his concentration wandered. "Yes, clan magic," he said. Taking a small piece of bread and using it to scoop up some stew, he began to explain.

"Well, there were twelve clans once, with eleven ruling the different areas or realms of the Outer Zone, and each clan name has something to do with their magic ability." He ate the bread then reached for more, smiling as the others began their meal, Leona and DG using the spoons and Cain using chunks of bread like him. He ignored his own shaking hands, too hungry to rest yet, and too fascinated by the history lesson he was giving. "The twelfth clan is Lux . . . ruled by the Gales. The Lux Clan is maternal," he nodded to DG, "and rules over the entire O.Z. with palaces in each clan territory which, until the witch's coup, the Gales would visit regularly to hear petitions, arbitrate problems, and head the Royal Court."

"Okay, so Mom rules everything." DG frowned and reached for some bread as she spooned up more stew from the bowl she shared with Wyatt. "I should have guessed, though I thought we ruled Central City."

"That was the Mystic Man," Wyatt said, his look alerting Ambrose to the great man's demise.

DG nodded, looking sad before adding, "and we use Light Magic."

At Ambrose's nod, DG added "And the witch used Dark Magic."

"No," Ambrose corrected. "Despite being Tenebris Clan, she was using a very twisted translation of Death Magic, not Dark Magic. Technically, it wasn't even pure Death Magic." He tilted his head thoughtfully then added, "some members can cross over and use other clan magic. It's rare, but possible, but without strict training, the results are often convoluted. Dark Magic involves using the night and other dark spots to power you. It involves easing the light or sometimes extinguishing it, but not permanently. Also, as mobats are darkness creatures, it involves controlling them and other night creatures. Tenebris is a maternal clan, though there're few that will admit they're part of that clan right now."

Wyatt and Leona seemed content to merely eat, not interrupting the lesson DG should have received when she'd reached fourteen and started training to rule either Lux or Nature Clan, based on the results of the treaty.

Taking another bite of bread and stew, Ambrose reached for one of the glasses of apple juice they'd been provided. He paused and offered it to Leona who made a face and shook her head. DG also refused it, so Ambrose nodded and took a sip, smiling. He had always loved apples.

"Nature Clan is paternal. They control plants specifically, though if powerful enough past Nature sorcerers have moved rocks or earth, too," The royal advisor smiled as DG met his eyes, looking impressed at the power other clans potentially had. "When we were cut off from the Nature Clan, the papays' fields experienced drought so severe they lost their orchards and farms."

Her shoulders stiffened. "Oh! That's what happened!"

He nodded. 'You've seen the wasted fields then?" At DG's and Wyatt's odd stares, he realized he'd forgotten something they considered important. Frustrated with his handicap, he swallowed another bite and said, "Aquam Clan is maternal and use Ice and Water Magic." He determined to really have a good think about what he'd forgotten, when he had more leisure time. "They live in the frozen lakes up north and in Mount Runcible."

"I've met Arista," DG filled in. "She said she knew you."

Ambrose laughed. "Arista? That girl was such a little hellion! If you weren't causing mischief, she was!"

DG smiled. By now her anger had apparently dissipated or at least was in firm check.

Encouraged, Ambrose added, "but she showed as much promise as her older sister, Lady Rimi, ruler of the clan. Rimi is one of the greatest physical healers of living memory . . . as skilled as Raw in mental healing." Confusion suddenly overcame the advisor and he puzzled over his own comment. "Who's Raw?"

With a sigh, DG sounded patient as she said "the royal viewer. Don't you remember meeting him?"

Ambrose began to nod, mouth forming a 'yes' then sighed and honestly said "no", shaking his head in the negative. "I've lost more than just half my brain . . ."

"No. It's been returned . . . you had the surgery last night to put your brain back," DG informed him, studying his pale face.

"I did?" Ambrose felt pure shock at the revelation that not only had he survived on half a brain for eight annuals, but that he'd lived through the never-before-performed restoration surgery. Of course, he might have simply forgotten that the dangerous operation had been performed hundreds of times.

Tone gentle, DG prompted "the clan magic, Ambrose?"

Nodding, glad to latch onto such an academic subject, the advisor said, "of course, DG. Cogitatio Clan is neither paternal nor maternal. Anyone can rule, and they choose whichever line they wish to follow. Of course, that's the mechanical clan . . . full of living machines with self-awareness and conscious thought. They use Mental Magic and are some of the top inventors and mechanics in the O.Z., though their center of ruling, Milltown, was one of the most fertile areas in all the O.Z." He smiled as DG opened her mouth, shaking his head to cut her off. "No, not me. I'm pure gillikenese."

Fine blue eyes flashed in amusement and DG reached for an apple from the tray.

"You're familiar with viewers, another either-lineage clan?" Ambrose asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. You explained that they can see with the heart, and I've seen Raw heal Wyatt's leg before." She looked at Ambrose. "He helped with your surgery, too."

"Did he?" Intrigued, Ambrose wanted more than ever to remember this feline-man he'd forgotten. "They're clan is called Corde. They practice Heart Magic." He smiled at the princess. "Next would be the Fortitude Clan, the Munchkin Guilds, paternal lineage if ever there was one. The females are rarely allowed out of the villages, in fact, and are fiercely protected and . . . limited." Before DG could interrupt, Ambrose hurriedly said, "they use Strength Magic, but it's a very rare trait among them. Most munchkins don't have any magic at all. Only the most magical males rule them. Magical females are prized as spouses."

"Right," Wyatt finally jumped in, offering the other apple to Leona, who took it with a bright smile. "The rest of them base their rank on tests of physical prowess."

DG looked at the blond man, her eyes worried. "Do they really flay people alive?"

"Yes," came the reply not only from Wyatt but Leona and Ambrose. Only someone totally unfamiliar with the O.Z. could have asked such a thing. The royal advisor added, "the days of the Lollipop Guild are long over, DG."

She mouthed the words 'Lollipop Guild' as he continued the lesson she'd demanded. "Papay Clan doesn't follow either lineage, nor do they even have any known pairings. They simply mate with the one they choose that season and switch off if they wish the next." At her apparent interest, he shrugged. "The Papay practice Dream Magic, and only the females can use it from what we've gathered. It's hard to understand entomological behavior. They seem to be able to communicate without words, and over vast distances."

"Wow," DG interrupted, "they're bugs? I saw them, but I was too scared to really notice." Standing carefully to walk into the water closet, retrieving the glass there and filling it with water, she drank the entire thing. After refilling it, she brought it back to the bed and offered it to her cousin, who smiled and accepted the glass. "We're too limited to worry too much about germs," Ambrose thought with a grimace. DG went on to say, "you already said they could read unconscious memories."

"I did?" Ambrose frowned, wondering why he felt he knew that. Suddenly, a most recent memory, of the four of them discussing Leona, came to him and he nodded, grimly. "Well, that covers eight of the clans," he informed her, pleased he'd still been able to keep mental count. The idea of two brain surgeries worried him more than he wanted the others to know.

"Phlogiston Clan lives in the desert surrounding the rest of the O.Z. They deal with Heat Magic." Ambrose broke off when he noticed Wyatt looking away, towards the hall door. Not hearing anything from the other side of the door, Ambrose nonetheless whispered. "Cain . . . uh . . . Wyatt?" he corrected himself, still uncomfortable with the idea of referring to the other man as 'Gale'.

Wyatt looked at him, his face unreadable, his eyes distant, as if he'd shut down any emotions. "Yeah?"

The royal advisor frowned, brown eyes worried. "Um . . . you have a problem with the 'Fire' Clan?"

"No," the larger blond man replied, his tone a warning not to pry.

Not fully understanding, and not liking the confusion at all, the genius turned back to DG. "Uh . . . Heat and Fire Magic, though it's not certain how many are even magical let alone able to control fire. The Phlogiston Clan is extremely private and don't really interact with the rest of the O.Z." He finished his juice and put the empty cup next to the empty bowl he'd shared with Leona. "They're paternal. Next to the Guilds, the Fire People, as most of the O.Z. call them, are supposed to be the most anti-social."

Mild surprise lit DG's face as she removed the tray from the bed. Wyatt took it from her silently and carried it to the other room, and she turned back to Ambrose. "Arista pretty much said that." Sliding onto the bed once more, the princess added, "and that leaves three. Arista mentioned the Unwanted . . ."

"Sapientiam Clan," the advisor gladly filled in. "They started as a group of underground people, and no one recalls which lineage they followed. About five hundred annuals ago, they were flooded with refugees from the witch's first attack. Various random people from all the clans went there for protection. Over the annuals, they've become infused with the rejects of the O.Z. Criminals and unsavory types are said to be down there."

Wyatt came back but stayed in the doorway. He seemed impatient but remained silent, frowning.

Nervous suddenly, Ambrose said, "the survivors of the original clan would use Wisdom Magic, but no outsider has ever been able to figure out what that means precisely. I'm not even sure anyone remains from the original clan . . . Wisdom Magic might be lost permanently to the O.Z."

Leona sighed in an apparent echo of his sentiments. "With the fall of Sapientiam, the powers would unbalance. There must be one left."

DG frowned. "But with Tenebris and Mortem gone, isn't the power already unbalanced?"

"You know about Mortem?" Ambrose asked quickly, surprised.

At the same time, Leona laughed softly. "Of course they aren't lost. Your sister can do Dark Magic, and there are survivors of Tenebris Clan who can still control Darkness, too." She leaned over to her cousin as if imparting a great secret, "and there is definitely one Mortem Clan magician left."

Ambrose flushed.

DG was quick, he could tell, because she immediately turned to him "You! You're from Mortem Clan, Ambrose, aren't you?" Her quiet accusation brought Wyatt's intense attention.

"Uh . . ." Ambrose temporized then asked weakly, "what gives you that idea?" He couldn't meet her intense blue gaze, instead turning his own brown eyes on the princess' husband. Wyatt watched him with crystal colored eyes that seemed to see right into him, and the advisor flushed.

"Az said you were taught at Shiz Academy before it shut down and Mortem Clan joined Lux Clan."

Reluctantly, Ambrose nodded his agreement." Yes, but so was Leona and Lavender!" At the younger woman's direct look, he caved in and lowered his voice. "Yes, I'm from Mortem Clan. We're a paternal lineage clan and we practice Death Magic."

"Death Magic!" DG straightened, a look of horror on her young face.

He shook his head. "It's not what you think, DG. It's not what most people think, actually. Remember what I said about the witch twisting it? Death Magic is actually the guiding of death into rebirth, not final death." He sighed. "It's about releasing the spirit trapped in something dead or dying and helping it be reborn into something new and fresh and alive. The witch corrupted it!" He shook his head. Before DG could interrupt his defense, he added "It involves time, too: manipulating, traveling . . ."

"What? You can go back and forth through time? You can change things or stop them?" DG looked stunned and impressed. "Why didn't you . . ."

"No! DG, time travel is not like that at all. No one can change what's been done. And everyone has control over his own destiny, nothing is set in permanence." He shook his head. "This was the reason Mortem Clan opened educational centers, so different clans could share knowledge so these misunderstandings wouldn't happen anymore." He felt all the frustration and loss he'd experienced when the House of Shiz had been overwhelmed. Softly, he clarified, "Death Magic allows us to see the past by leaving our consciousness and witnessing it as if we are there, but not interfere with it. Only the truly powerful can use it to see what might happen. Viewers can use this to some extent, but it's not easy for them and it hurts a lot for them to try to view the future. The best result of time travel is when a Death Mage works with a viewer to display what the mage sees, because viewers can show what they see using a reflective surface."

"The magic mirror!" DG breathed in, but Ambrose only felt confused by her words.

"Magic mirror?" a flash of a freezing cold room and a dresser mirror showing a child's death blended into a dark one room cabin with a dresser mirror showing a frantic conversation between himself and the queen. He shook the confusing memories away. "Really, DG, it's hard to translate the ideas into the gillikenese tongue. The Mystic Man was one of the few men who had no trouble using Death Magic." He touched his bandaged head; his headache had returned with a vengeance, and he actually found he longed for the IV pain medicine he'd so willingly left behind.

DG looked over at Wyatt. "The Mystic Man was from Mortem Clan?"

The Tin Man nodded, sounding forbidding. "Yes, and he was one of the first people the witch attacked, right after your mother." He shook his head as DG opened her mouth to ask another question. Curtly, he said "Spiritus Clan uses Life and Breath Magic . . . Air Magic." He pulled out his key to their room. "I'm going to get you some medicine from that box in the hall, Ambrose, Leona." He apparently referred to the medical kit that was maintained on each level. Wyatt passed the water closet key to DG. "Lock the washroom doors, both of them, and tell Randu I'm in there, if he comes back and hasn't found me." He didn't clarify how he could be overlooked raiding the hall medical kit. "Wait in our room." Before they could stop him, the Tin Man left the room, locking the hall door behind him.

DG glared at the closed door for a long moment then sight. "Fine," she sounded angry. "Let me know when he gets back," she commanded before obeying the blond's order and leaving, locking the doors as she went.

"A wonderful match, I'd say," Leona said, smiling after her cousin.

She looked at Ambrose and he groaned, lying back in the bed, hand slipping over his eyes as he closed them. "Thankfully they're already married so you can stop plotting to interfere there," he snapped, groaning as she laughed above him.

The hall door opening distracted Ambrose from responding and he uncovered his eyes, relieved to see Wyatt bringing in a small pill bottle marked "River Pods". He gladly took the narcotic, along with the water Leona offered him, swallowing it. He noticed Leona take half a pill but didn't comment; she knew her own pain and tolerance levels, he was sure. Lying down once more and closing his eyes, Ambrose waited with almost eager anticipation for that drifting, painless stupor the heavy pain medicine would bring him.

He listened as Wyatt crossed to the water closet door, tossing the pill bottle into the fedora as he passed and calling softly to DG to let him in. She responded quickly enough, probably had been just outside her side of the small room. Wyatt left but only locked the one connecting door between his room and the water closet, leaving free access for Ambrose and Leona to use the facility at will. He and DG would be required to use their key every time they wanted to get in.

The pain finally began to recede and Ambrose sighed in relief, enjoying the drifting lethargy. A kiss on his lips forced him to open his eyes in confusion. Leona leaned over him with a playful smile.

To his unspoken question, she laughed softly and whispered, "I suppose I can fix you tomorrow. Rest well, my Ambrose." She settled next to him, wrapping one arm around his waist.

Too tired to protest, and secretly rather pleased with the contact, Ambrose closed his eyes and let himself drift into a drug-induced sleep.

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Continued in Chapter Nineteen: Danger in the Dark

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The Twelve Clans of the Outer Zone with the Ruling House of Each Clan:

Aquam Clan/ House of Rimi . . . (Ice- Mount Runcible)

Cogitatio Clan/ House of Idae . . . (Milltown)

Corde Clan/ House of Animum . . . (Viewers)

Fortitudo Clan/ House of Greyhatt . . . (Guilds- Munchkins)

Lux Clan/ House of Gale . . . (formerly House of Ozma- Gillikin)

Mortem Clan/ House of Shiz . . . (Alma Mata- Gillikin)

Nature Clan/ House of Terrae . . . (Vinkus- Thousand Year Grasslands)

Papay Clan/ House of Somniabunt

Phlogiston Clan/ House of Pyre . . . (Fire- Desert surrounding O.Z.)

Sapientiam Clan/ House of Quinolui . . . (Quadling- Realm of the Unwanted)

Spiritus Clan/ House of Aeris . . . (Air- Lake Country)

Tenebris Clan/ House of Fugae . . . (Witch's Dark Tower- Gillikin)