‘To visit the Royal Court, though I have not been in over ten years.’

  ‘Your grandfather is the King’s uncle, isn’t he?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You stopped going after your shadow magic manifested?’

  ‘I see that is common knowledge.’

  Silence descended again. Bo, though, came to himself and said to Emerré, ‘have you known Asmara long? I mean, physically.’

  ‘She introduced herself perhaps four years ago now.’

  ‘But you knew each other before that in the-the shadow world? I bet you got up to all sorts of fun in the shadow world- lots of wild parties!’ he laughed.

  Emerré stared silently at Bo and his laughter slowly faded.

  ‘Asmara, what is it you wanted to discuss?’ Emerré turned to Asmara.

  ‘Oh, you know...’

  Emerré’s gazed sharpened, her silent annoyance obvious.

  ‘I didn’t know you wrote to Blaise.’

  ‘You have been to Allonce.’ her expression softened imperceptibly.

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Then you too were approached by spies of the King and asked to use your power for them.’

  ‘They spoke to you?’ Asmara replied in sudden alarm.

  ‘They did. It must be serious indeed for them to bother tracking you down, Asmara.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I told them what I tell everyone, Asmara. I can no longer use my power, and if I did leave my body I would likely never return.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘They were of the opinion I would and it was a risk I should take, but I cannot leave my body, particularly not now.’

  ‘Emerré is pregnant.’ Cadel suddenly piped up, his eyes flashing angrily and his hand tightening around Emerré’s. ‘I won’t let them make her use her power.’

  Emerré wordlessly placed her hand over Cadel’s. ‘Nobody can make me use my power now, dear.’

  At that Cadel seemed to relax, though he shot a challenging glare at everyone in the room. Julietta lowered her eyes as it settled on her, glancing up only when his ire was directed elsewhere. Suddenly the way Cadel clasped Emerré’s hand seemed possessive.

  ‘Pregnant?’ Asmara said, ‘why, that’s great, congratulations, Emerré!’

  Emerré’s face broke into a smile, and it lit up her whole face, transforming her. ‘Thank you, Asmara. Cadel and I are very happy.’

  ‘Congratulations.’ Bo added, and Dorian murmured his own in response. ‘How far along are you?’ Bo asked.

  ‘Three weeks.’ Emerré replied.

  ‘Three weeks? You know already?’

  Emerré’s only response was a smile. She turned her attention back to Asmara, her expression slowly returning to normal but somehow seeming less frosty after the brief warmth, ‘Asmara, do you wish to speak in private?’

  ‘Oh, sure, if Cadel will let me take you away.’

  Cadel looked shocked, as if he had expected private to include him. Emerré looked up at her husband, ‘Cadel, will you entertain our guests for me?’

  ‘Yes.’ he said after a moment and brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm.

  Emerré stood and said, ‘perhaps the garden, Asmara, so you may pace as you wish.’

  ‘Ok, Emers, lead the way.’

  Emerré paused and turned slowly to look back at Asmara, her expression cool.

  ‘I mean Emerré.’ Asmara corrected quickly, suddenly bashful.

  Emerré led Asmara out into the hallway.

  Julietta watched them go, surprised, while Dorian watched in pleased disbelief, under his breath he murmured, ‘I should learn that look...’

  Asmara’s politeness did not last long however, Julietta heard voices fading through the door:

  ‘Doesn’t Cadel ever call you Emers?’

  ‘No.’

  And then the two women had gone too far for Julietta to hear anymore.

  Cadel went to the window and looked out. Julietta could not see the garden from where she was sitting. Eventually Cadel turned around to look back at the group.

  ‘What, exactly, do you think Asmara’s going to do with her?’ Dorian asked in obvious surprise at his behaviour.

  ‘She is Emerré’s friend, from before she stopped using her shadow magic, so I should not worry. She is fine.’ Cadel said, and at his own words relaxed a trifle.

  Dorian stared at Cadel in frank amazement. The transformation in his behaviour was startling. He did not display the least interest in them at all, and all warmth was gone from his face.

  When Bo spoke to him, Cadel responded only in clipped, absent tones. Frequently, he would glance out the window down to where presumably he could see his wife and Asmara.

  ‘I understand your concern, with the baby on the way.’ Bo finally said.

  ‘I have two people to look after now.’ Cadel said, his face lightening.

  ‘Have you thought of a name?’

  ‘Jonathan Albier-Vayles.’ Cadel replied, ‘Emerré chose it, after my father.’

  Emerré sat on a stone bench watching Asmara pace. Asmara had a round-about way of getting to the point when she was truly upset that Emerré would have found quite frustrating had she not already a good idea of what was upsetting her.

  ‘They have asked you to use your shadow magic.’ Emerré said.

  ‘Yes.’ Asmara stopped to look at her, the weariness she was feeling finally showing clearly on her face, a hint of fear hiding behind her eyes.

  ‘Then they are more serious than I thought about the war with Lakasha. Asmara, they will try and force you to use your magic. You have resisted so far, but if your strength fails, and the pull of the magic strengthens, as just one use will do, you may not be able to resist it any longer. You will concede to their requests more easily, and each time you use it it will become easier for them to convince you to use it again. The others did not, I think, object much when they were asked to work for the king.’

  Asmara said nothing, clearly she had been thinking the same.

  ‘I do not think you can avoid working for them as something, Asmara, it is lucky for me I became pregnant now, as I could not use my power now even if I wanted to, so my opinion on the matter is a moot point. You must be very careful, Asmara, it will not be easy for you.’

  ‘It’s so hard!’ Asmara cried. ‘I’m so tired, Emerré!’

  ‘I know.’ Emerré replied quietly, ‘I know you are.’

  ‘It’s all the time, all the time I feel it, and I can’t ever get away... I’m afraid to sleep, I’m just so... I don’t want...’

  Emerré did not say anything, Asmara had only to look at her face to know she understood like no one else but another shadow mage who still resisted their power could.

  ‘How is it for you, now?’ Asmara asked.

  Emerré was silent for a while before saying, ‘I still feel it, but it is not like before. I am aware of it, but it does not pull on me the same way.’

  ‘To think that Cadel could make such a difference for you... I have everything, people love me, I like what I do... why isn’t it enough? Why on earth would one person make such a difference, when my friends and family do not?’ as she spoke she covered her face with her hands.

  ‘I suppose it is a measure of what sort of person I am.’ Emerré replied. ‘But you are wrong, Asmara, what you have is enough for you, otherwise you would not be here.’

  ‘It’s so hard...’ Asmara said from behind her hands. Eventually she looked up and managed a smile. ‘I suppose it is because he’s such a basket case. Who knows what he’d do without you?’

  Emerré frowned. ‘Asmara.’

  ‘Keeps your hands full, honestly, though, it does make me wonder about you, Emerré, you know what he’s like, he’s all over the place, so charming one moment and then a possessive lunatic the next.’

  ‘Do not speak of my husband that way, Asmara, Cadel does not deserve it.’ Emerré said, and as Asmara opened her mouth to speak, which from her twinkling eyes would likely not be a compliment for Cadel Emerré went on, her tone forceful, ‘Asmara, you are no longer capable of understanding my feelings for Cadel, but if you are my friend you should understand you are upsetting me greatly, and I will not sit here and listen to you speak about Cadel this way.’

  Asmara shut her mouth instantly, her eyes wide.

  In a softer tone Emerré said, ‘in light of what I have said already, this may be hard for you to hear, but the longer you leave it this way, the harder it will be, Asmara.’

  ‘It’s probably time we left, Cadel keeps looking out the window. It was nice to see you again!’ Asmara said, a fixed smile on her face as she started heading towards the door.

  ‘Asmara, how long since you have visited your parents? If you do not believe me when I say you have changed then perhaps you will believe them.’

  ‘Go to Clare? I’ve got to get to Allonce, Ems, I can’t keep the King’s favourite spies waiting!’

  ‘Come on, let’s go!’ Asmara barrelled into the room without warning. ‘Caddles, we’re off!’

  ‘What did you call me?’ Cadel asked, more confused than annoyed.

  Asmara hurried Bo, Dorian and Julietta out of their chairs and swept out of the room as quickly as she had entered. Julietta and the others made their confused goodbyes and went down to meet Asmara at the carriage.

  ‘You lot sure do dawdle!’ she said from her position next to the driver. She hopped down and clambered into the carriage. ‘Let’s go!’

  Despite Asmara’s accusations of slowness, they were on their way in moments.

  ‘Have fun?’ she asked the group once the carriage rolled off, a wide grin plastered on her face.

  No one spoke for a while, then Dorian said, ‘he’s a little strange.’

  ‘Oh, yeah, though he was actually pretty good today. The way Julietta was gushing all over him I was afraid he’d go a little crazy.’

  ‘Gushing?!’ Julietta said.

  ‘He hates that. He really hates that.’

  ‘Well-well, why was he so nice?!’

  Asmara shrugged.

  ‘She has no sense of humour.’ Bo burst out. ‘She didn’t laugh!’

  ‘Oh, oh, I thought that was a pretty good joke!’ Asmara replied, though Julietta did not agree she did not say anything and let Asmara continue, ‘but she probably just wasn’t paying attention, don’t take it personally. Emerré used to use her shadow magic all the time. In a conversation with someone she’d just shadow magic them and skip all the talking. She told me once she used to use her shadow magic to compare what people were saying with what they were actually thinking, and she started just listening to the tone and watching their body language instead, so she wouldn’t have to listen to people talk... it was her way of amusing herself while people rambled on. She doesn’t use her power anymore, but she probably wasn’t listening to what you were saying, she was probably paying more attention to how you said it... I think it’s easier for her than actually making small talk.’

  ‘She can tell what I’m thinking without using her power?’ Bo said.

  ‘No.’ Asmara’s expression darkened, and she looked out the window. ‘She’s decent at reading people, she’s looked into so many souls it’d be hard not to be. But she just guesses now, Bo. She can’t actually tell, it’s all just guesswork. She doesn’t know.’

  CHAPTER 16

  24 Fevror, 1353

  Five days later, they arrived back in Allonce in the early morning. Jacques met them in the entrance hall of the palace.

  ‘How was Lady Emerré?’

  ‘Great.’ Asmara replied, but her tone was forced and she suddenly looked tired. ‘I won’t work for you as a shadow mage, but I’ll work as a spell-sword.’

  ‘I will inform the generals, they will be very pleased to hear that. Will your colleagues be joining you?’

  Asmara turned around to look at her three friends standing behind her, a surprised look on her face.

  Bo looked from Dorian to Julietta and answered for them, ‘yes, we will.’

  Without any change of expression, Asmara turned back to Jacques.

  ‘I will tell you now, we do not have any candles to spare. To keep whatever mission you are assigned hidden from enemy shadow mages, Asmara is the only one who will be given any details. In the meantime, you may stay in the same rooms you were in before.’

  Asmara nodded. ‘Fine. Excuse me, I have some business in the city.’

  ‘Of course.’ and he turned and walked away.

  Asmara did not wait and immediately turned and headed out of the palace. Dorian followed quickly and caught up to her, touching her elbow. ‘Asmara, are you ok?’

  ‘I’m fine.’ she flashed him a smile. ‘I just don’t feel like staying in the palace.’

  ‘We could go with you.’

  ‘I don’t think I’d be very good company.’

  ‘You don’t need to be good company.’ he replied, annoyed.

  Asmara shrugged and did not complain when Dorian went with her. Julietta watched the two go and said to Bo, ‘should we?’

  ‘Sometimes it is best to leave her be.’ he replied, a grim expression on his face, ‘she keeps many things to herself, she can’t change what worries her so she chooses to deal with it by pretending there’s no problem in the first place. Sometimes it is a relief for her to be alone.’

  ‘Have you known her a long time?’ Julietta asked curiously.

  ‘Several years now.’ and he grinned. ‘Looks like Julietta wants to hear that story.’

  Julietta had no response to that; he was right.

  ‘I had a job which took me up to Clare where I met her father, Soleh. Now there’s a man who knows a good joke! When Asmara decided to leave Clare, Soleh and Harta, that’s her mother, I’m afraid her sense of humour is a bit like yours, Julietta.’ Bo sighed. ‘Anyway, they wrote me a letter and asked if I would look out for her if I came across her. We crossed paths a few times, but we did not start working together until perhaps three years ago.’

  ‘Only three years? I thought you’d been working together longer.’

  ‘I’ve known her longer than that. I didn’t know she was friends with Emerré Albier though.’

  ‘I didn’t get to ask her any questions.’ Julietta said regretfully.

  ‘She was a bit intimidating, wasn’t she?’ and he laughed, ‘Why, even keeping you quiet!’

  Later that day Julietta went to the palace library to explore the collection. As she was browsing the shelves she heard a voice behind her say, ‘Julietta Calance?’

  She turned and saw a man even shorter than her with greasy, black hair and a heavily lined face. His shoulders were hunched, as if he spent too much time bent over books. He wore a stained and creased black robe.

  ‘I am. Can I help you?’

  ‘I am Quince Abelard, a researcher for the King. I heard you travelled with the Chelleskan shadow mage and studied at the MCW.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good, good. Did you make any observations about the shadow mage while you travelled with her? I’m studying them.’ he said by way of explanation.

  ‘You are?’ she replied, enthusiasm creeping into her voice. ‘I’ve been taking notes. How long have you been studying them? You may know more than me, as I have only been observing Asmara for a year.’

  ‘I would hope I know more than you.’ he replied shortly and pulled out a chair. ‘They aren’t very cooperative, neither are the candles. I have been thinking of ways to entice them, or new uses for their power.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘I had thought it possible they could take their body with them into the shadow world, like some mages enter the spirit world physically. If they could, they might be able to bring things back for us. Though due to the nature of shadow magic they would probably forget to care about whatever they held.’

  ‘Enter it physically? By the very nature of that place it does not seem likely...’

  ‘We’re not entirely sure what it is. The shadow mages won’t try either, they don’t like anyone who wears a candle. You don’t have one, do you? No, it matters not, I’ll be discreet.’ and he smiled though it was more a baring of a teeth than a smile, ‘You visited that Walmese wizard, didn’t you, Cadel Vayles? The Walmese find their shadow mages and keep them in a palace guarded by candles. The Walmese never use their shadow mages. We had hoped to find out how the Walmese manage to find the shadow mages before they manifest, but they won’t tell us and the shadow mages won’t either.’

  ‘I had never heard that.’

  ‘Shadow magic is not important in Walmon, they keep it that way purposefully. They are strongly against its use. They say the Walmese shadow mages live much longer as the candles prevent them from using their power... I doubt that though. The candles can keep a shadow mage in the same place as their body, but they can’t force them to connect with it, so in a way they can still leave their body. It is doubtful that even if the Walmese find their shadow mages before they manifest that the candles could keep them from eventually discovering their power. Then again, most shadow mages discover their power after being rendered unconscious or seriously injured, so if they were kept safe they might never manifest... then there are exceptions like Emerré Albier.’

  ‘Blaise Autin said some shadow mages never use their power and live normal lives.’ Julietta said, eager to add something.

  ‘Did he? Dabney told me that too. That boy is full of himself, he does what he pleases and cares nothing for anyone else. These shadow mages aren’t concerned about going to war with Lakasha, and you can’t force them to care either. I could torture any other mage, but even a candle can’t force a shadow mage to feel the pain of their body. Even without pain though, a normal person fears injury and loss. The indifference of the shadow mages is infuriating. Can you imagine Blaise Autin caring if someone cut off his hand? The boy probably wouldn’t even notice it’d gone.’

  ‘I-I see that would be a problem. Excuse me, Mister Abelard, I promised to meet my friends.’

  ‘Yes, yes, musn’t keep them waiting.’ he waved her off. ‘You weren’t very useful anyway.’

  Julietta rushed out and set off in search of Bo, her skin prickling and her palms sweaty. After asking a servant she found him out in the garden snoozing under a tree.