Wild Magic

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“Manasso Kunin was here an hour ago.” The Kassian Tai sat in her massive Visitation Chair, the Takaffa cloth drapped over one heavily carved arm, her Visit Robes sliding into heavy, graceful folds about her thin body as she leaned forward. “Reyna and Areia One-eye aren’t back yet, which is just as well. I quashed him. For the moment.”

Faan fidgeted and stared at her feet.

“You called fire. That was a stupid thing to do, honey.”

Faan looked up, startled. The words were harsher than she expected, but the tone was mild. “I didn’t mean to,” she said.

“You never do.” Tai sighed. “Well, I invoked my brother and put a scare in that cretin’s head, but I can’t stop tongues wagging.” She leaned back, rubbed her finger along her beak of a nose. “Crops have been bad, there’s talk of drought. Fa, I wish you were older and less… impulsive. When people are afraid, that’s when witchtalk starts up; they need someone to blame.”

Faan dragged her boot toe back and forth across the floor; she didn’t understand all that, only that Tai was disturbed about something that didn’t really have anything to do with her. “I’m not going back to that school,” she said tentatively; she meant it, but she wasn’t sure how Tai would take it.

“Certainly not. That’s impossible. But what am I going to do with you?”

Faan jerked her head up. “The Sibyl can teach me.”

“How… never mind. That’s a very good idea. Why didn’t I think of it?” Tai shook her head, sighed. “The years, the years…” She got to her feet. “I’ll fix a bath for you, Honeychild, then I’ll stir my old bones and take a walk up mountain to see if the Sibyl will have you.”

“Kassian…

“What is it, Faan?”

“Who’s my mother?”

Tai backed up, settled herself in the chair. “You’ve never asked before.”

“Well?” Sudden anger welled up inside her; at first it frightened her, then she grabbed hold of it and glared at the Kassian with a touch of desperation.

Tai smiled, her yellow eyes twinkling “So fierce,” she murmured. “Pull up that hassock and sit down, Faan, I’ll tell you what I know.”