Chapter 51 — A Certain Young Lady

Grandma Fana took Ria down a cobblestone side street with wealthy houses that had fenced-in front gardens, stopping before a cute house with stained-glass bay windows and a vine-covered trellis around the fence gate. Ria suspected that the vines flowered in the spring and summer.

A stone-lined path led through the small garden toward a carved door with stained-glass panels and passed by an iron birdbath with a sculpture of a noble boy kissing a dress-wearing girl’s hand. A sign bound in curved scrollwork hung unobtrusively above the door and in fancy lettering declared the building to be ‘Patricia’s Tea Shop’.

When Ria entered the well-lit shop, a bell attached to the door made a pleasant chime. The gentle scent of tea and dried flowers drifted through the air, and even though it was mid-day, the shop interior was comfortably cool.

Sets of delicate wrought-iron tables and chairs sat along the walls of the shop’s front room and in the alcoves created by the bay windows. Each table had a decorative vase with a fresh-cut flower. An arched hallway led to the back of the shop.

One of the tables was occupied by two girls, an older girl in a maid dress like the ones Ria remembered seeing in the lord’s manor and a younger girl in a fancy pink summer dress with her hair beautifully styled. At least, Ria had assumed the fancy girl was younger from her height and chubby cheeks, but her chest was already more noticeable than Ria’s. Hmm… might she actually be chubby?

Ah! They made eye contact.

The girl hesitated, then spoke up with a pretty voice, “We’re the only customers here today, and it’s lonely. Won’t you join us?”

When she asks like that, refusing would be rude. Ria glanced in Grandma Fana’s direction and received a nod in reply.

“We’d be happy to join you,” Ria agreed and held Grandma Fana’s basket so the not-quite-elderly woman could ease into the seat by the window. Fortunately, there was room for both the basket and the satchel full of books next to their chairs.

By the time Ria had taken her seat, a middle-aged woman wearing a frilly dress with an apron had arrived with a tray in hand. She serenely served them a fragrant tea in delicate porcelain teacups and topped off the other girls' tea.

“Welcome back, Fana. You’ve brought someone new along today, I see,” the woman greeted cheerily once everyone had been served.

“I have indeed, Patricia. This is my newest granddaughter, Ria. Jarrel brought her back with him from Revant,” Grandma Fana said, and Ria ducked her head politely in greeting.

“Oh! A visitor from another country even! Welcome to Vorshan’s Hills, Ria. I am Patricia, the owner of this tea shop. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Patricia greeted her with a warm smile.

Ria couldn’t help smiling back. “The pleasure is mine. Your shop is beautiful, Miss Patricia.”

“Why, thank you,” Patricia accepted Ria’s compliment with a curtsy. “Would you also like to have sandwiches with your tea?”

Glancing at the plate of petite sandwiches sitting between the fancy girl and the maid, Ria nodded. “Yes, please.”

"Is there anything else you'd like, Young Lady Keira?" Patricia asked the fancy girl with the fancy hair.

"Thank you, Patricia. Maybe a few confections to share?" Young Lady Kiera replied.

“Yes, of course. If you’ll excuse me…” Patricia accepted with a gentle nod of her head and skirts, gracefully returning to the back of the shop.

Ria sipped from the teacup before her and recognized the mellow taste of the tea Grandma Fana had served the other day.

After taking a sip of her own refilled tea, the fancy blond-haired girl greeted them. “Nice to meet you, Ria, Fana. I’m Keira Vorshan. This is Miela. She’s a maid of our household.”

“Nice to meet you,” the maid echoed.

“You’re just as beautiful as the rumors, Young Lady Keira. You do us an honor by inviting us to share your table,” Grandma Fana said formally, returning the teacup to the table and inclining her head.

Ria hurriedly imitated Grandma Fana. “Thank you for inviting us.”

Keira waved away their gesture. “No need to be so formal. I just wanted some company. Your dress is really pretty, Ria.”

“Thank you, Young Lady Keira. I purchased it from Miss Danna just the other day,” Ria replied.

“Call me ‘Keira’. My dress was also made by Danna. I see we share similar tastes,” Kiera chuckled lightly.

"I doubt my tastes are refined as those of a young lady," Ria politely demurred. "My mother was a seamstress who made dresses for nobles, and it's hard not to notice Miss Danna's exceptional talent."

"I see! Does that mean that you can also make dresses, Ria?" Keira asked, interested.

Ria hesitated. "I can… but I'm not experienced enough yet to make a dress fit for a noble."

Keira's shoulders sank in disappointment. "For a moment there, I got my hopes up that I could see dresses in styles popular in Revant…"

"It's a poor substitute, but I could draw or paint what the dresses my mother designed looked like," Ria hurriedly offered.

Eyes lighting up, Keira jumped at Ria's offer, "Really?! I'd like that very much! Can you come by the manor this afternoon?"

Before Ria could reply, the maid spoke up, "Milady, surely you haven't forgot about your history lessons."

"Boo. History is sooo boooring. You never let me have any fun, Miela!" Keira complained with a pout.

"I seem to remember agreeing to accompany a certain young lady to a certain tea shop during my lunch break recently, but I could be mistaken," Miela corrected dryly.

"Ugh… fine. I'll properly meet with my history tutor," Keira grudgingly accepted. "What about tomorrow afternoon?"

"That should be alright. After horse riding practice, your schedule is free for self-study, and learning about the culture of a neighboring nation should be acceptable if you properly write a report for Sir Guthrie," Miela said pleasantly.

"Noooo… you're sooo mean, Miela!" Keira whined in exasperation.

Ria wanted to laugh, but took her cue from Miela, who silently waited out Keira as Patricia returned with plates of petite sandwiches and confections. Patricia also seemed to be suppressing a smile while placing the plates on the table before returning to the kitchen.

Grandma Fana helped herself to a sandwich, and after allowing Keira to choose her favorite, Miela offered Ria and Grandma Fana each a confection. Ria chose a yellow one that matched the color of the yellow canaries featured in the stain-glass window.

Confections were something that Ria had only read about up until this point, and she took her time savoring the light sweetness and citrus tart of the confection before bringing up her own commitments for the following afternoon, "Um… If you'll forgive me, I was planning to hunt slimes in the forest with Leon tomorrow.”

Keira looked up sharply. "Are you an adventurer, Ria?! Isn't that dangerous? And you're going into the forest with a boy—alone?!"

"Well…,” Ria hedged, “Not exactly alone. I'll have my familiar, Ranger, with me-"

"A familiar?! A-are you a mage—wait… isn't there a rumor about a witch moving into town?! Surely… you're not…?" Keira blurted out, with her head tilted slightly in disbelief.

Seeing the transition Keira made through her variety of cute disbelieving faces, Ria couldn't help smiling as she finished the sentence, "A barbarian witch of the wilds?"

Kiera nodded with the widest eyes, and Miela tensed up, looking worried.

Ah, that's not good. Best if she reassured Miela before something unfortunate happened. "I probably looked the part well enough when I came to town. The wolf fur outfit was something I made for crossing the highland wilds with Jarrel."

"You actually crossed the highland wilds?!" Keira couldn't believe it. "Isn't that really, really, dangerous and difficult?"

Ria nodded. "It really was! My legs and back were hurting every day for the first two weeks from both the difficult terrain and my heavy pack, but I got stronger and more fit. Fortunately, Jarrel is a skilled hunter, and Ranger has an excellent sense of smell, so we were able to avoid encountering any really dangerous monsters."

Keira looked at Ria with admiring eyes and asked, "So, you're really not a barbarian or a witch?"

"Definitely not a barbarian, but whether I'm a witch, I think that depends on a person's definition of 'witch'. I've never used Spirit Magic to steal anyone's youth if that's what you mean," Ria said with a wink.

"What about curses?" Keira probed, her eyes intent on discerning the truth.

Ria shook her head. "Nope. I wouldn't even know where to begin.”

"And you hired a licensed Spirit Mage to do your familiar bond?"

"Ah, no. I did that myself. But, Lord Vorshan issued me a pardon. I don't think using the familiar binding ritual is illegal in Revant," Ria explained.

"Oh… grandfather did…," Keira mumbled then looked up expectantly. "So, you do know Spirit Magic then?"

Ria shook her head again. "No, just the familiar ritual, but under the terms of the pardon, I'm forbidden from using it without a license."

“I-I see.”

Miela seemed to relax some when the situation hadn’t escalated and maybe because Ria hadn’t taken offense at the questions. Grandma Fana was contently enjoying her tea and sandwiches, gazing out the window at some birds gathered around the birdbath and apparently not feeling any need to insert herself into the girls’ conversation.

Ria made use of the lull in conversation to try one of the sandwiches. The fluffily soft bread seemed to almost dissolve upon contact with her tongue. The light flavors of the mild cheese, sliced cucumber, and meat paste paired well with the tea. The meat in the paste had a delicate taste and was probably a cured pork but wasn’t salty at all.

Keira’s eyes caught the sunlight strangely while watching Ria enjoy her sandwich before drifting to Ria’s satchel. “Ria, what’s your specialty?”

“I’m a generalist, but since joining the Enchanters Guild, I’ve been focusing on Ward Magic and scroll-making lately. You’re a mage too, aren’t you, Keira?”

Keira drew herself up proudly, “Of course!”

Miela snorted.

“Apprentice! An apprentice mage!” Keira corrected and grumbled at her maid, “Happy now, Miela?”

“Humility is a virtue that saves one from straying into excess, or so I’ve heard,” Miela teased.

“Yes, yes. Grandfather’s favorite warning to his grandchildren,” Keira waved Miela’s words away, and turned her attention back to Ria. “How did you get a license? Aren’t we about the same age?”

“Lord Vorshan asked to see a demonstration of my magic and issued me a temporary license,” Ria shrugged. “I’m really thankful.”

“No fair, grandfather! I want to get a guild membership too!” Keira complained. “Hey, Ria, take me with you tomorrow! I promise I’ll be useful.”

Miela objected. “Young Lady Keira, please be reasonable. There’s no way your father allows that.”

“If you can get permission, I don’t mind,” Ria readily agreed. Nobles normally were trouble waiting to happen, but she was already taking a liking to the girl and thought having her along would be fun. Leon's shocked face would be enjoyable, too.

Rolling her eyes at Ria, Miela sighed in exasperation. “Don’t get your hopes up too much, milady.”

“You forget, Miela, father owes me a favor for missing my birthday,” Keira reminded with a meaningful chuckle.

“You wouldn’t…,” Miela breathed out in dismay only to be met by Keira’s triumphant face.

Too cute. Hahaha.

“Keira, do you have a specialty?” Ria asked.

“Light magic. Though I can still use other elements,” Keira replied proudly. “Master Harlow is teaching me Alteration Magic which lets me change the properties of things around me. Want to see?”

“Of course! I’ve never seen Alteration Magic before!” Ria leaned forward, eyes eager with excitement, then asked hesitantly, “But, is it alright if I use magic to enhance my energy perception? Captain Bastach said that it feels really creepy…”

Keira glanced up from readying her wand. “Why would it feel creepy?”

“No idea… maybe you could tell me?” Ria asked hopefully and pulled out her case of enchanting tools. Catching Miela’s wary expression, Ria directed an explanation toward the maid, “These are my focus tools for enchanting, but they can also be used to assist with energy control for general spellcasting.”

Ria turned the case so everyone could clearly see, and Keira leaned forward excitedly as the case opened. “Woah! Is that a phoenix feather?!”

“Yep! That’s my favorite focus tool, but it’s fire specialized. I’ll be using this one instead,” Ria answered with a grin as she retrieved her student’s brush. “The spell I want to cast is an earth-element magic called, Sensing Sphere.”

“Ria, are you sure it’s wise to use magic on the lord’s granddaughter unsupervised?” Grandma Fana worried.

“I agree with Fana. If you want to see each other’s magic, this should be done with Master Harlow present. It won’t be a small matter for any of us if something happens to milady,” Miela warned.

Ria shrugged. “The spell only enhances my energy perception, there’s no way it can harm her.”

“I want to see the spell, Miela! I will watch her spell construct and will be able to tell if it is dangerous,” Keira decided and readied herself, her eyes catching the light again… rather, a glowing light flickered across the interior.

Taking a deep breath to focus, Ria transformed the necessary inner energy to earth energy and tapped the handle of her brush gently against the table. The sensing ripples spread outward from the metal table and formed a sphere around her.

Keira scrunched her shoulders and writhed about slightly, “Gods! That does feel creepy! Like hundreds of ghost fingers touching me everywhere as they pass through my body! If a creepy old man cast something like that, it would be unbearable!”

“Really? No way… that’s why Captain Bastach… Sorry, Keira,” Ria said, embarrassed. “Since only other mages can feel the magic, maybe you can help me get better at it?”

“Sure. I don’t mind, I guess. But I didn’t see a spell construct at all! Are you providing meaning and shape to the energy directly? I thought only wild talents could use magic like that?” Keira asked with amazement.

Ria tilted her head slightly. “This spell is derived from a basic earth magic shaping exercise. Is it really that unusual?”

The glow in Keira’s eyes intensified, and Ria felt a distinct sense of being examined, a feeling Ria immediately took note of.

“Wow! H-how do you have so much inner energy?! And to be able to directly shape this much without a shaping construct?!” Keira exclaimed in surprise.

Ria felt her pride surge at having impressed a fellow mage apprentice. From her sensing spell, she could confirm Keira’s slight light-attunement, but was surprised that the noble girl didn’t have even a third of Ria’s total inner energy.

“Maybe it’s because the way we learned and practice is different?” Ria suggested.

Keira nodded. “Yes, that must be it. I think it would be fun if Ria came to one of my sessions with Master Harlow. Would that be okay, Miela?”

“I think that is an excellent idea, but are you sure you are okay, milady?” Miela worried.

Keira waved off Miela’s concern. “I’m fine. The feeling just took a little getting used to, but there is no danger, and I should be able to block out the magic easily enough if needed.”

Wondering about Keira’s eyes, Ria asked, “Keira, do you perceive energy by sight?”

“Yes, I do.” Keira expression became puzzled at the question, and she raised a querying eyebrow. “Why?”

“I perceive energy through my sense of touch,” Ria revealed.

“Oh… really? How does that even…,” Keira started to say then had a realization. “The ghost fingers!”

Ria nodded, having just come to a similar conclusion. “Maybe I should try a lighter touch… or something?”

Maybe it was similar to Master Rigure’s advice for scroll making, a more delicate touch providing better results.

“That might be worse actually…,” Keira replied with a complicated expression. “Perhaps if you can make it a single surface, more like water…?”

“Ah! I see what you mean.” Ria rubbed her chin in thought. Could she push out a pulse of energy and sense from the edge of the pulse like it was a single finger? Or was the touching concept the problem? If she thought about her energy as a bubble of water, couldn’t she feel vibrations in the water like when swimming or watching ripples spread? Hmm.

“Alright, I’m going to start,” Keira declared, holding her wand ready.

Ria felt the flow of energy surround the flower at the center of the table, forming into a meaning glyph and geometric bounding constructs. The flower changed from yellow to blue as the magic stabilized into a lattice along the delicate surface.

Keira breathed out and lowered her wand. Everyone clapped, even Patricia, who had come out to witness the demonstration of magic.

“It’s a very pretty color, Young Lady Keira,” Grandma Fana complimented.

“Excellent work, milady,” Miela congratulated.

“So, what do you think, Ria?” Keira asked.

Ria looked up from trying to feel the structures that defined and maintained the spell. “It’s fascinating. I didn’t know magic could be used like that.”

Keira looked pleased with the responses and puffed up with pride, treating herself to another confection to hide her grin.

From the start, Ria suspected that Lord Vorshan had a reason for the task he gave her, and after seeing how Keira cast her spell, that suspicion had crystallized into certainty. Learning to shape wards with energy control was just a first step toward learning the kind of magic that Keira had used.

Miela checked a pocket watch and called the fun to an end, “Milady, we should head back soon, or I will get in trouble with Gwen.”

“Aww, I wanted to ask Fana about the beautiful special edition book in her basket, too. Guess it will have to wait until next time,” Keira pouted as she got up. “It was nice meeting you, Fana, Ria. I will send word of my father’s decision later.”

Ria bowed her head politely. “I look forward to it.”

“I enjoyed our meeting as well. Perhaps next time we can talk about the book,” Grandma Fana said pleasantly with a bowed head of her own.

“I’ll make sure to get the title from Ria. Until next time we meet, good day,” Keira said and elegantly started for the exit.

Patricia thanked Keira for coming and they also exchanged farewells.

While Keira was attending to etiquette, Miela had wrapped up the remaining sandwiches and confections from their plates, stuffing the cloth bundles into the hidden pockets of her maid skirts. She quickly caught up, opening the door for Keira, so they could both exit.