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The muscle in his jaw flexing, he fixed her with a deathly black stare that she knew wasn’t for her, but for this foolish wizard who might dare to cross him. “I will make it very clear to these wizards that they will abide by the spirit of my rule as well as the letter, or they will pay the consequences.”
She shivered, uneasy under that unyielding gaze despite herself. Like the moon, Gabriel had two distinct sides. Having been showered with silvery bright affection from his gentle face, she’d nearly forgotten the ruthless warrior who’d pursued her so relentlessly.
“I’ll teach these water wizards you want to attract,” he continued in a milder tone, “though it may be a case of the teacher being one step ahead of the student.” He essayed a smile, but it came across as a grimace.
“Any number of steps,” she assured him. “You’re a quick study, and I can promise there is no more powerful or skilled water wizard in the Convocation, even as you are now.”
Grunting noncommittally, clearly unconvinced, he eyed her thoughtfully. “Is there any reason I can’t draw from the population around here?”
“Not if you can figure out a way to suss out the ones with more than trace abilities. Those won’t ever be able to do more than the household spells you mentioned.”
He continued to regard her with that intent stare, his thoughts opaque now. “You don’t mention moon magic.”
“They only just started testing for it again. No one would know if they have it or what their MP score is.”
“Would I know?”
She hadn’t thought of that. “You might. Testing falls under the aegis of House Hanneil and their psychic wizards. You met one, no doubt, when you were tested.”
“Five of them, in fact. Culminating with Lady Hanneil herself.”
Nic laughed at his chagrined tone, glad that he was sounding a bit less like he wanted to slice off someone’s head with his sword. “They probably couldn’t believe the scores and thought there was a false reading somewhere.”
“I suspect you’re right. At the time it was… bewildering.” He let out a sigh, gaze going to the sunny sky outside, and her heart bled a little for the overwhelmed young man he’d been. “I’d like to try testing for it. Moon magic could be even more important to us than water.”
She didn’t have to ask why. He’d been learning to weaponize moon magic, and he was still thinking they’d be at war sooner or later. She wished she disagreed.
“Are you done here?” he asked, focusing on her again.
“‘Done’ is a strong word, considering the length of my lists, but this was a good start for today.”
“We should go outside,” he said, abruptly standing. “Get out of this room and enjoy the clear weather before the rain comes.”
She stood also. “Is it going to rain soon?”
He lifted his face, as if testing the air. “In a couple of hours. Enough time for me to give you a tour of the house, such as it is, and our land.”
“All of Meresin?” she asked with a lifted brow, taking the hand he held out.
“At least the part that isn’t underwater,” he replied, so seriously that she nearly swallowed that bait.
“Ha ha. I know Meresin is large enough that we can’t see it all in a couple of hours.”
He interlaced his fingers with hers, walking her out of the library and into the hall leading to the grand entrance. That part had been decently restored prior to her arrival, though it would be grander soon. The sounds of hammering and sawing echoed from the adjoining parlors, which were dry, if not exactly livable, and certainly not furnished.
“I don’t think of all of Meresin as belonging to House Phel,” Gabriel mused, escorting her onto the sunlit porch. Below, the lake glittered, mirroring the house and green surrounds. “I’m sure all of Meresin would dispute any claims of ownership.”
“That has to change if Phel is to be a High House.”
“Does it? I have no wish to be a governor.”
“If it’s not yours, Lord Phel, it will be acquired by someone else. Your enemies could nibble up all of Meresin until they have this place surrounded and blockaded.”
“We defend the borders and always have, against raiders, scavengers, and greedy Convocation landholders.”
“It will get worse,” she predicted.
“Such a ray of sunshine.”
