Chapter 39:

  The moment the breakfast room door closed behind the two children Sela activated the table’s built-in privacy ward with a subtle touch of her fingers. Only then did either of them consider speaking.

  Gabriel exhaled, slow and controlled, before he spat out the obvious truth like it tasted unpleasant.

  “You’ve noticed.” It was a statement, not a question.

  Sela’s gaze remained steady. “Of course I’ve noticed.”

  Gabriel’s eyes narrowed slightly. “How long?”

  Sela didn’t answer immediately. She was not a woman who spoke without thought. When she finally replied, her voice was quiet. “The day he met Aria.”

  Gabriel’s brows lifted. “That long?”

  “That morning, my son seemed lost,” Sela said simply, and the words hung between them like smoke. “The way he looked at me, it was as if a revenant had drifted up to his room to haunt him.”

  Gabriel went still.

  After a long moment he said, “I didn’t see it then.” His tone was factual, not defensive. “I only noticed later. After he snuck out.” His jaw set. “I paid more attention on the training field. His combat was not the same. He was not the same. He was eager, resolute. More so than was normal. I let my own desires cloud my objectivity.”

  “He is your son,” Sela said. They looked at each other and shared a smile; an entire conversation was spoken through that glance.

  It was a topic they joked about often. Gabriel would tease that it was only fair they try for a daughter since their son turned out so much like his mother. A mage's heart through and through. Sela would counter that at least her son was beautiful, how could they curse a daughter to have her father’s face, to which Gabriel would counter that a handsome face was only proper for a military girl, and since no man would be good enough for his future daughter anyway then it wouldn’t be a problem.

  The two turned away from each other, their moods slightly lifted. The silent exchange ended in the blink of an eye.

  “It’s understandable that you didn’t pick up on it right away. That boy has always been diligent, always been excellent, always been eager to live up to some impossible standard. I’d recently started teaching him some simple body enhancement magic as well,” Sela said.

  “Improvement was inevitable,” Gabriel agreed. “It’s why it took a while to notice something was off.” Gabriel said, voice lowered.

  “But what changed?” Sela’s hand tightened around her cup. “He is still just seven,” she murmured, as if saying it might help her divine the truth. “Perhaps an epiphany? He’s always been brilliant.”

  Gabriel’s response was immediate and firm. “Yes. But this is more than brilliance. This is-” He paused, searching for a word, but coming up short.

  Sela did not argue the point. They’d only end up going in circles, and besides. This wasn’t the place for it anyway. She dropped the ward before she looked over at where both her and her husband’s personal aides were standing inconspicuously at the edges of the room.

  “You are dismissed until notice,” Sela said. She was a spatial mage, and this keep was her domain. If she needed them, she would find them. The fact her son had even managed to slip away those months ago was yet more proof that something was going on. Hopefully, they would get answers today.

  In the corridor they walked side by side as they moved together toward the older wing, the one where rooms were built for function rather than comfort. Gabriel’s stride was measured. Sela’s was smooth. Their hands did not touch, but their proximity was a quiet kind of intimacy born of years spent reading each other without words.

  “How shall we handle this?” Gabriel suddenly asked. Sela smiled, a teasing grin.

  “The general cedes to the commander?” She asked. It was an old joke.

  In Adler, despite the land technically being granted to Sela when she was ennobled, her marriage to Gabriel was what allowed the ruling family to boost them to a 4th Step House. They ruled together, but he had the advantage in peerage, and the higher noble authority. However, in true matters of war and peace, Sela was the mage, and Gabriel, Lord of House Rodrigo was the reservoir. The laws were clear, the matter a fact; the mage is always, always the superior authority. It was why nobility paired down at least a step or two when bonding. It was why people like Aria nearly caused bloodshed when they were discovered, because a commoner of such talent was like tripping and falling into a mana crystal deposit. Insanely rare, incredibly unlikely, and valuable enough that even the powers would take up arms.

  Cases like Sela and Gabriel were so rare the statistic was almost not worth mentioning, cases that lasted so long were even more rare. Especially with houses that were higher than 5th step. Often, they ended in the bond between mage and reservoir breaking because of irreconcilable differences and an inability to separate and delegate authority or share power. Of course, breaking a permanent bond, especially a mature bond, had the unfortunate side effect of terrible backlash that often put the mage out of commission and could cripple or even kill the reservoir. With the crippled reservoir being the higher governing authority, the outsted mage unable to bring their full power to bear, and noble houses being what they were, the most common ending for pairings like the Rodrigo’s was a complete usurpation of the seat of power – often by family members or fair-weather allies.

  For Gabriel and Sela, however, that had never been a problem. Theirs was a love match. A true blue-moon partnership.

  The teasing mood didn’t last long as Sela put up a privacy barrier as soon as they made it past the main living quarters.

  “What do you think he wants?” Sela asked.

  “He asked for the strategy room,” Gabriel replied. “That concerns me.”

  Sela placed her steepled fingers to her mouth, thumbs resting underneath her chin. She tapped them against her lips a few times, her gaze sharp.

  “How does he know it exists? Have you already begun teaching him command and strategy?”

  “Not yet,” Gabriel said. “He’s too young.”

  They shared a look.

  “He trains with Master Moss. He learns of places most children never hear about and even most adults will never know exist.” Sela said, considering.

  “I never mentioned that room to Master Moss.” Gabriel’s reply was short.

  “I’d figured as much, however that man is a master.”

  “And that room was warded by you.” Gabriel rebutted. Sela smiled at the compliment. It was, after all, true. Whether the master knew of the existence of the room was difficult to say, but Sela knew that the likelihood of Master Moss being able to enter that room on his own was almost nonexistent, and if by some stroke of immense misfortune he did manage it, the probability of him surviving unauthorized entry was even smaller. However, even if he’d discovered it she seriously doubted that he would tell their son about that room. Not only would it reveal he knew of it, but she couldn’t think of a single good reason he would share its existence with Eli. Unless they were colluding?

  No, that was utter nonsense. Sela discarded the idea as quickly as it had come That trail of thought only led in endless circles. Instead of thinking herself into unhealthy paranoia, she would restrain herself to the much more reasonable, much healthier amount of paranoia she maintained as a noblewoman and powerful figure. As for her son, she was more than confident she could get the answers she sought directly from him.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  However, even this reassurance couldn’t stop her speculation.

  “So, the boy knows about the room,” Sela said. “What does that mean?”

  “I assume he will tell us.” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “Or he will speak nonsense, or lie, or we are overthinking.”

  Sela gave him a look.

  Gabriel held it without flinching.

  “Our son is not simple,” Sela said.

  “No. He is not,” Gabriel replied. His request was proof enough of that.

  A seven-year-old asking for a war room was either absurd or alarming. Him asking for this specific strategy room meant either the child truly held a secret, or there was a security breach so severe they’d need to involve the capital. Neither Gabriel nor Sela liked either option.

  Gabriel’s gaze went distant. “Do you think he found something?”

  Sela’s voice stayed even. “What kind of something?”

  “A relic,” Gabriel said. “A grimoire. Something old and forgotten.” He didn’t say what he truly meant. That maybe their son had found a relic from the Time of Ancients also known as the ‘Pre Separation’ era. All recorded history of that time had been nearly completely wiped out. The only reason most people knew that era existed was because occasionally someone or something would unearth ruins or items that predated both the present ‘Familial’ era, and the ‘Imperial’ era that preceded it.

  Pre-Separation relics were notoriously mystical, said to have been more powerful than modern enchantments and more terrifying. Records of such relics were sparse, and often unbelievable. If Eli truly had found something from the Pre-Separation era, then perhaps that could explain his changes.

  Sela’s mouth tightened. “Folklore,” she murmured.

  Gabriel’s response was quiet. “The histories are full of folklore that turned out to be facts.”

  Sela didn’t deny it. Instead, she said, “If there were ruins in our own territory, wouldn’t we have found them?”

  Gabriel’s eyes flicked to her. “Not necessarily. Besides, we border the deep wilds.”

  Sela’s brows drew together. “He couldn’t have gone that far.”

  Gabriel’s voice was measured. “Are we sure?”

  “He is seven,” Sela said.

  “He has changed,” her husband rebutted, quietly.

  Sela’s pace slowed by a fraction, then resumed. This time she added an obscuration spell to the privacy one. Gabriel felt the shift and looked at her in question.

  “There is his time affinity,” she said slowly.

  Gabriel’s eyebrows drew fractionally closer on his stoic face. “How strong is it.”

  “Strong,” Sela said. “It has always been strong.” She hesitated, then continued. “Recently it’s gotten stronger. A lot stronger. His spatial affinity was always his strongest, but now they’re almost balanced. He’s stronger than I was at twice his age. By then I had been in the academy for years, and you remember what they said about me.”

  Gabriel nodded. Her absurd talent was the reason that despite being from the main line, his family had allowed them to bond in the first place. Gabriel wasn’t a mage, and hadn’t been the heir, so tying Sela to their house through marriage was an event beneficial to both parties. Otherwise, Gabriel had no doubt she would have eventually been ennobled just on the power of her spatial affinity alone. When you added her healing magic to the equation, her rise was inevitable.

  The number of people who knew of her time affinity was incredibly small. The proctor who had overseen her awakening had been silenced before the testing had even concluded. The representative of House Cerso that had done it was under a strict geas, and Sela had been assured by the member of the ruling family that had overseen her appointment to Adler that the information was under strict lockdown.

  The number of people who knew Eli had a time affinity at present were three, and all of them were surnamed Rodrigo.

  Gabriel’s expression remained stoic, but his aura became suffocating. Sela looped her arm through his and squeezed gently until he regained control. “Do you think he saw something?”

  Sela shook her head slowly. “I don’t know, but I’ve felt it recently. His mana feels different. It was subtle at first, but recently we were working together on a project.”

  “Ah, the bag.”

  “Yes, he needed help with the stasis enchantment. I felt it then, his time mana. It was- I can’t properly explain it. Deeper, stronger? Just different.” Her brows knit. “It reminded me of something, but I can’t remember what. It’s like a word that clings at the edge of your thoughts. You know you know it, but it remains just out of reach.” She took a deep breath and gave her head a gentle shake, as though she could dislodge the memory.

  “If he saw something,” Gabriel said. The rest of the sentence was implied. Why not come to them first?

  “Perhaps, he was protecting us?” Sela asked slowly. This time it was Gabriels turn to cast doubt.

  “He’s seven.”

  “He’s a very filial boy. And he’s almost eight.” Sela said, and the faintest hint of dry humour touched her voice. “I’ve already sent the invitations.”

  “Pomp and ceremony, and so many people.” Gabriel grumbled wordlessly.

  Sela’s eyes warmed. “Didn’t you grow up in it? How aren’t you used to it by now?”

  “Military household,” Gabriel replied. “It was different.”

  “Was it?”

  “Different enough. Besides, being used to it doesn’t mean enjoying it.”

  Sela smiled, her expression teasing as she feigned a tiny swoon. “Woe is me; my family is too well respected, my invitations are too plentiful.” She laughed when Gabriel pulled away, refusing to walk arm in arm. “Come now my love, you were 5th step nobility. Still better than a mere peasant girl like me ever deigned to imagine.”

  “And yet it was you who pulled me up.”

  “You would have climbed on your own. I just helped expedite the process.”

  Gabriel neither agreed nor disagreed, but he did allow Sela to take his arm once more.

  She squeezed once, a silent grounding, and Gabriel pated her soft hand in response then let go as they reached the plain door at the end of the hall.

  It was an unremarkable looking door, more suited to a storage-closet than a strategy room.

  Sela pressed her palm against the frame and released a bit of mana. Beneath the surface, she felt the answering hum of layered enchantments embedded not only in the wood but in the stone around it, stretching out into the walls and encompassing the entire area. Not a sound in. Not a sound out. Completely cut off from the world, the room was a fortress in miniature.

  These enchantments were one of the few boons House Rodrigo had claimed through meritorious service. A prize they had traded over the opportunity for their house to rise another step. Neither of them had ever regretted it. Knowledge over title. Safety over status.

  Yet somehow their son knew about this room. Not just its existence, which was one thing on its own, but its location.

  The moment they entered the door shut behind them, obscuration wards activating automatically. The pair moved to the oval table that was set in the middle of the relatively small room. The table itself was made of dark, polished, mana rich wood; a perfect medium for the densly packed, near invisible enchantments that covered its surface. Aside from a blank drawing slate that took up the back wall, and an enchanted map that took up the longer far wall, the 10-seater table was the only other furniture. It was clear this room was designed for function over comfort.

  There were no windows, no shelves, no cabinets or refreshment stations. The size of the room meant that the table took up much of the usable space. Despite the walls and floor being made of light grey stone, and despite the many light sources that had been placed, the size of the room, the density of mana, and the press of enchantments made the space feel just slightly claustrophobic. As if the world was pressing in.

  Gabriel and Sela took seats side by side on the long edge that faced the door. As they waited they couldn’t help thinking: just what else does he know?

  Minutes passed. The stillness inside the room was different than the breakfast room’s. This was not tension. This was containment. This was a place built for solace and secrecy.

  Then the door opened. Eli stepped in.

  He carried a familiar bag. His gait was still stiff and subtly pained, but his posture was controlled. It was his eyes, however that were arresting. His eyes held a steadiness that did not belong to childhood. There was something in the way he looked, in the way he assessed the room, which made Sela’s stomach twist, and the fine hairs on the back of Gabriel’s neck rise.

  “How do you know of this room?” Lord Rodrigo demanded. His voice measured but forceful.

  In response Eli looked at his father, his gaze softening, and his mouth curving into a small, sad smile.

  “I would like to tell you a story,” he said softly. “Would that be alright?”

  Gabriel didn’t answer immediately. Neither did Sela.

  Eli reached out and tapped the wall. Mana flared, and the room responded.

  The action itself was not dramatic, but there was a subtle shift in density that Sela felt in her bones. Sound dampened further, the world outside became a little more distant. Her son said not a word.

  Instead, Eli pulled out a small piece of treated crystal about the size of a walnut. The semi translucent stone was almost crude in its simplicity. The stone itself was roughly cut, but the scriptwork was delicately carved.

  Sela’s breath caught. The craftwork was odd. Not poor. Not careless, but unfamiliar and obviously rushed. It was clear that whoever made this had excellent mastery, but too little time.

  Eli activated it.

  A thin iridescent shimmer spread outward, layering over the room’s existing defences without interfering, as if it had been designed to harmonise rather than readjust or displace. The walls took on a faint, soap-bubble sheen, transparent but shimmering, a subtle sign of separation from the world beyond the room.

  Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. Sela’s hand lifted instinctively, reaching for the crystal before retracting. The scriptwork in this room was not something even the Enchanter’s Guild had a copy of, and yet her son’s little crystal produced a ward that seamlessly integrated into it. She could sense the way the enchantment amplified what was already there, and she was incredibly curious.

  Eli saw the move but pretended he didn’t. Instead, he stepped closer to the table, then paused. He was too short. For a heartbeat he looked like a simple child again as, irritated by his own body’s limitations, he climbed onto a chair, and propped himself up on his knees to be somewhat level with his parents.

  Then he steadied himself, pressed one hand flat on the tabletop, and looked at them.

  The juvenile impression was gone. The look on his face was world-weary and heavy. It was not a child’s look at all. Seeing it on their young son’s face was jarring, and for a moment both parents didn’t know how to react.

  Gabriel went very still.

  Sela felt her heartrate pick up.

  Eli pretended not to notice.

  Then the time traveler drew a long slow breath and began to speak.