Chapter 101

Every day, I got a little bit better, and the month flew by. Once the words about how I was feeling were out, they became easier to talk about again. There were occasional tears at first from both Mum and I, but each day, they came less and less. I wasn’t ‘fixed’, but I was good again, and that improvement spread beyond me to the rest of my family.

I was in the middle of my history lessons with Mum when we heard it. The thunder of hooves reverberated off the walls, and I could hear the clatter of something coming to rest outside the outpost’s front door. Mum’s lips thinned. She slowly stood, smoothing her grey woolen dress down even though it had no creases in it. Gramps exited his office as Mum took her first steps towards the door.

The old codger didn’t seem as apprehensive as Mum. Today, he was dressed in a smart-looking black shirt and pants, his beard neat and trimmed. I fell in behind them as we headed for the door together. The hinges creaked ever so slightly as Gramps swung them open onto a bright, sunny day.

Stopped in the middle of the road, to the point where it was almost blocking the traffic, was the biggest carriage I had ever seen. At almost four metres long and more than half that wide. It looked like a small house on wheels. Dark purple-painted wood panelling decorated the sides broken up by multiple shuttered windows. Lanterns hung off the sides near the driver's seat like curved antlers. The six horses pulling the monstrosity were gigantic and built like bulls — bred for strength rather than speed. The driver himself was dressed in sturdy but expensive looking black pants and a cream shirt beneath a black vest. He wore a black cap on his head which he doffed as he opened the door to the carriage and folded down a set of stairs.

I expected an older woman to exit, but it was a man who came first. Of average height and build, he wore leather armour with metal plates strategically placed across it to defend the critical areas of his body. Beneath his armour, he wore a loose, white shirt and possessed hair the colour of dried wheat with eyes a dark green that might have made him attractive were it not for the pockmarked scars that decorated his visage. On his hip was a thin rapier made of dark metal, the blade held in place by a silver filigree leather loop rather than a scabbard. For all his fearsome appearance, he simply paused to check his surroundings — us included — before turning back to the carriage.

When Agnes exited the carriage, I could immediately see the family resemblance. Like Gramps and Mum, she had eyes of such a deep blue that it was hard to notice anything else. There was no gray in her hair, unlike Gramps. She styled hers up in a bun, the strands themselves similar in colour to Mum — a rich brown with the sheen of someone who had both the time and wealth to take care of her appearance. It would have looked severe were it not for a few golden ornaments interspersed through it. The dress she wore was elegant and far too expensive for anyone within Hornpeak to wear something similar. I wasn’t certain at a glance, but I thought the dark red fabric looked an awful lot like spider silk. The outfit was completed by a dark, fur scarf that hung across her shoulders and a few rings that glittered on her fingers.

“Cornelius, it’s been too long,” Agnes said by way of greeting. Gramps walked towards her, meeting her halfway. I had half expected what followed to be incredibly formal, given my grandaunt’s dress.

Instead, they hugged while I saw Gramps’ beard shift as his lips curled upwards. “It has been, Agnes. Though you could have come for a visit.”

The look she gave Gramps was one used for those who were speaking nonsense. “And what would that have accomplished? Your exile would not have grown any shorter. The Auction House would not have grown its clientele — perhaps even the opposite. The wrong kind of attention would do neither of us any good. Your letters sufficed.”

“Is that your way of telling me that you missed me, little sister?” Gramps asked.

Watching on, I couldn’t help but feel like they were rehashing an old dance that they both already knew the steps to.

“Did my letters not say as much?” Agnes countered, her eyes drifting across to Mum. “Penelope my dear, you were always beautiful but now you are positively radiant. I hope I am not being too bold when I say that motherhood seems to agree with you.”

I knew Mum well enough to know her smile was forced — I was betting Agnes did too.

“It does,” Mum agreed as she moved to the side to put an arm around me. “Let me introduce you to my son, Sebastian. Sebastian, this is your Grandaunt Agnes.”

“Oh, no need for that ‘Grand’ business, Penny. Aunt Agnes is just fine. Can I get a closer look at my nephew that I came all this way to see?” she asked, her cordiality almost too sweet for me to stomach after living so long amongst the rough frontier.

“You didn’t come to see me?” Gramps teased.

“Oh hush, Cornelius. We both know I would’ve seen you soon enough anyway.”

Mum didn’t need to prompt me as I stepped forward. Standing before Aunt Agnes in all her finery made me want to spit to the side just to show her I was every bit as rough and tough as the town that surrounded us. I restrained my initial urges, letting her eyes rove over me.

“Takes more after his father, does he?” Agnes asked.

The comment should’ve stung, but I had long since come to terms with my birth and who my family really were. Instead, the words washed off me without any effort.

“I like his hair,” Mum said. “It looks almost like metal when it’s clean.”

“And clean it will need to be if he’s to rub shoulders with the children who attend Songleaf. Even the Guilders aren’t absolute ruffians, are they Blake?” Agnes replied.

The man who had climbed out of the carriage before my aunt answered. “No, ma’am. They are not. Hard workers and the best the Guilds can find, not a ruffian among them.”

“We can save that for later, though. Shall we have some lunch?” Agnes asked, her eyes finally sliding off of me and back to Gramps as she offered him her arm.

“That sounds like a good idea. We’ve plenty to catch up on. Penny, would you mind getting some of the cold meats?” Gramps asked as he slipped his arm through hers.

“Nonsense, Cornelius. I won’t have my niece working the kitchens just for me. Meredith, bring some food and cutlery if you would. We’ll be dining in the…”

Agnes glanced at Gramps.

“Kitchen,” he supplied.

“Yes, in the kitchen. How rustic. Well, lead the way. Thompson, take the carriage around the side.”

I shared a glance with Mum before following Gramps and Agnes back inside the outpost. As we passed the door, I looked back to see a dark-haired girl a few years younger than Mum exiting the carriage with a basket heaped with food and jingling with metal. As the woman followed us inside the driver — Thompson I was guessing — folded up the stairs before swinging himself back into the seat atop the carriage. Then the doors were closing behind us and I was well and truly trapped inside with my Aunt and her entourage.

I wanted to be annoyed with Aunt Agnes, but after taking the first bite into a piece of warmed meat dipped in some sort of melted herbs and cheese, I found my irritation wavering. The four of us sat around the table while Blake leaned against a wall nearby and Meredith served us. Gramps gave one of the most pleased sighs I had ever heard cross his lips as he sipped on freshly brewed tea, the leaves supplied by Agnes.

“Singing Lilac, you remembered,” he muttered.

“Of course I did. Just because I didn’t visit doesn’t mean you were forgotten.”

The pair continued to natter back and forth and my attention drifted to food rather than conversation until I heard my name mentioned.

“So, tell me more about Sebastian? Your letters suggested he was worth sponsoring to Songleaf but little else. I know you’re not prone to hyperbole, Cornelius. Do we have a natural born Mage in the family?” Agnes asked, her tone curious rather than hopeful.

Gramps glanced at me before answering, then his eyes flicked to Blake and Meredith. Agnes did not miss the looks and waved a hand at Meredith. “Take some of the leftovers to Thompson, Meredith. Make sure you collect enough for yourself as well. It’s been a long trip, and I am sure you’re both quite hungry.”

“Thank you kindly, ma’am,” Meredith replied as she quickly collected some of the food into the basket before disappearing out the door.

“Oh so secretive, brother,” Agnes muttered after Meredith had left. “Whatever you didn’t want to say can be said in front of Blake. He’s been with me since shortly after you were exiled and has proven his loyalty and capability on more than one occasion. So, why am I here, rather than simply welcoming you back to Helenica?”

Gramps looked at me, his blue-eyed gaze clearly asking for my permission. I appreciated the consideration. I had always known that we would need to reveal some of my secrets to gain my Aunt’s support. The question had always been just how many we should tell her. In the end, after a long debate with Gramps, we had agreed that only the Path of Soulstealing was off the table.

At a nod from me, Gramps answered.

“Bastian” he said, stressing the name. “— has the Path of Exceptionalism.”

When Agnes had laid eyes on me after she exited the carriage, I had half expected her to look at me like I was dirt. Instead, there had been mild interest, like that of meeting a family member. When her eyes locked onto me after Gramps’ statement the ‘mild’ portion was removed.

“He’s what? Eight or so you said in your letters? So, by now he has unlocked the Talented attribute,” she mused. Her blue eyes so like my mothers looked at me like I was a golden bird rather than a beloved son. “Your request makes a lot more sense now, brother. He would flourish at Songleaf, and with a little grooming and the right lessons, he could rise far.”

Gramps coughed into his hand and looked down. It took me a second to realise he was trying not to laugh. Agnes picked up on it far quicker, swatting her brother's shoulder.

“What’s so funny? Isn’t this what you asked me here for?” she demanded.

Gramps did actually laugh then and it ended up being Mum who answered in his stead.

“He doesn’t have the Talented attribute. He’s already progressed the Path to the second Tier. The attribute evolved into Gifted — it’s twice as effective, in case you’re not aware.”

Blake, who had seemed so placid so far, was staring at me as though I had grown horns and wings. Agnes, far more in control of her facial expressions, only showed surprise in the widening of her eyes that refused to return to normal as she looked at me.

“That shouldn’t be possible,” she muttered.

“He unlocked his Status very, very early,” Mum explained without giving exact numbers. “His affinity made certain Paths a lot easier than they would normally have been.”

“What affinity?” Agnes asked.

Mum hesitated to answer so I finally added my voice to the conversation.

“It’s shadow, Aunt Agnes.”

“And your aether core?” she asked, leaning forward and brushing her fine silk dress against our rough wooden table.

“Lesser,” I admitted unhappily.

“Well then, that is something we shall have to endeavour to solve, isn’t it young man?” Aunt Agnes asked rhetorically.

“You still want to help me?” I asked, having expected a different reaction when she heard about my affinity and aether core.

Agnes snorted in the most jarring break of decorum she had shown thus far. “My nephew, with the capability to match the offspring of royalty. Of course I am going to help you. On your shoulders, this family can rise to higher levels than ever before. Worry not, Sebastian, Aunt Agnes is going to make everything right.”