Page 28 of Iris of the Crowned Flame
“Could I learn how to do shimmery disappearing objects thing?” Spencer gestured to where the letter had arrived.
“No, it doesn’t seem possible, at least from the records we have. Magic, as we understand it, is tied to eye color. Your eye color is green, the color of spirits. The hazes you see are the souls of the people. I have golden eyes, which give me the power of air. One skill I’ve developed has been the ability to send items through the air.”
“Will I develop magic? That happens around twenty, right? That’s why you knew Spencer having it manifest five years ago was on time?”
“That is why, but I don’t know if you will. We haven’t found a reason some have it and some don’t. If you do, it’ll likely be soon.”
“What would mine be?”
“Your brown eyes would give you access to earth magic. You’d be able to cultivate plants, speed growth in the garden, perhaps loosen soil to make preparing the land easier. Some of the strongest have been able to use the surrounding land to build small structures and furniture.”
“Oh, that’s rather anticlimactic.” I sighed.
Spencer snorted, and Juniper tsked at me. “Princess, you can mitigate and maybe even prevent famine and other agricultural disasters. You can help build or rebuild a war-torn district. That’s an important talent for a ruler of a country this large.”
I blushed. “Well, when you put it that way…”
A knock sounded at the door. Juniper rushed towards it, pulling it open slightly to check to see who was there. She then pulled the door all the way open, welcoming in Ethan. She allowed one of her courtiers to enter and then quietly asked the other to perform another task before closing the door. The first courtier went back to the room they were in, leaving us alone in this room.
“Prince Ethan, thank you so much for joining me on such an immediate notice. I apologize for interrupting your afternoon.”
Ethan smiled, “It’s my pleasure, Lady Mallard. I knew Princess Lyla was meeting with you this afternoon, so I assumed it was connected to the meeting.”
Juniper nodded. “Yes, yes, it is. Please, you can call me Juniper. I suspect we are about to spend a lot of time together. Lady Ivy and Lady Amyra are on their way as well, and when they arrive, we will get everyone caught up on the situation we have on our hands. In the meantime, can I interest you in tea?”
Juniper was already at her kettle, placing it back on the heat to start up fresh glasses. She had a way of disarming you when you first entered the room. I made a mental note to study moreof her techniques and to ask her to help me learn these methods.
Ethan nodded as he joined us at the table. Thankfully, this table seats eight people, so we are realistically ready to accommodate any small committee here. I suppose this would be the first meeting of the magic minders. I smile at the little nickname.
We made small talk while waiting for Ivy and Amyra to join us. They didn’t take much longer, thankfully. Juniper offered them tea and her first name before we settled in. Juniper started off by recapping the information that she shared with us and making sure they were aware of the information we shared with her. Then she dived into the details.
“I believe that Egan’s zap was evidence of something sinister. Lord Denenbaum has had a shift in energies in the last couple of years. While he claims to represent moderate policies, he increasingly adopts more conservative positions, echoing past criticisms against the Oracles of the Gelid. I don’t know what has been going on, but I can’t help but feel as if that is connected to the reason he sponsored Egan as a suitor. Can you tell me what you know of him?”
I shared information about the interests he’s shared with me. I mentioned how he was socially awkward at the ball. Spencer shared about how he struggles to lead on the field training exercises, but he excels in individual workouts and sparring matches. We ended up agreeing that he’s not likely to be a political mastermind, and that he may not be aware of what he is taking part in, whatever it might be.
“His skill in lightning is not one that we have seen in the texts that educate us about magic. I am aware of only one mention of this type of power, and it seemed to originate from something… otherworldly. The high priestesses will be here in two days to see if they can figure out what’s happening, especially with his soul being so dark.” Juniper finished.
Ethan interrupted. “Sorry, two days? Isn’t the Frosted Forest a 5-day ride from here, plus a few more days through the mountains to reach the temple?”
Juniper nodded. “Air magic allows for its strongest users to move people through space. We call it winnowing. There aren’t many of us that can winnow people, so it’s not a common method of travel, but the Priestesses will tap into it when it’s necessary. Those winnowing the group will need some rest when they arrive.”
“Can you tell us more about this magic? How do other eye colors work?”
“Gold eyes are typically associated with air elements. They can control the air itself. The most useful aspect is winnowing objects, but it can also literally create wind. Green eyes have spirit magic. For most, seeing souls is the simplest manifestation. For stronger users, they can influence your actions too, through a type of connection they can foster with your soul. Blue eyes are water bearers. They can control water, and they also have a healing energy. Brown eyes are associated with the earth. They can impact agriculture and the soil itself. The strongest of these could carve the temple into the side of the mountain with their gifts. And the old texts have mentioned red eyes, though we have never seen them. These people could control fire. The texts mention that this also allows them to control emotions of people, and to amplify what others are feeling.”
“Mother was always commenting that my eyes almost seemed red when I get excited. Is that possibly related?” The ability to control emotions seemed like a heavy burden, but I was curious about what I might do, all the same.
Juniper stared at me for what felt like an uncomfortable eternity, contemplating it. “I haven’t read about anyone mixing gifts. Your eyes strike me as a true brown for now. I guess only time will tell.”
“What about this lightning?” Amyra asked.
She had been sitting quietly, taking it all in. She appeared pensive, but the way she kept twirling a strand of her hair gave away her trepidation about the situation we found ourselves in.
Juniper took a deep breath. “That’s what I need the Priestesses for. I only heard of that type of gift once, in what Ithought was a fairy tale, where the wielder was portrayed as evil incarnate. It was very destructive in the tale and was a force that was harnessed and used to fight with the Gods. I thought it was simply an old tale used to explain to children why magic left the realm.”
I stood up and walked to the window. “If you had to guess, what do you think it could be?”
Juniper sighed. “I couldn’t say. The way you describe Egan tells me he’s certainly not a leader of any type. I don’t think he even knew he could use lightning like that prior to that scuffle. He’s probably here, acting under the orders of another. I don’t think we should trust Lord Denenbaum until we determine he isn’t that person.”
