“You know I wish to maneuver the Circe in my world to be with the Dax of that world,” she stated.
“I do,” I confirmed.
“And you know both Circes are witches, quite powerful ones,” she went on.
“I know that as well.”
“Thus, Circe sensed my preliminary operations and blocked them.”
“Ah,” I murmured, seeing her issue and hoping I, too, would sense it if someone was meddling in my life.
“I have made some further efforts, she’s still blocking me,” Valentine shared.
I didn’t quite understand.
“You can’t find this surprising,” I noted.
“It isn’t. But it’s frustrating, for this will undoubtedly mean two things. One, any interference I, and it is my hope that will be a we, wish to conduct will have to occur not through your training, as I’d hoped, but when we return to my world, which will mean a delay I don’t much like.”
“And?” I prompted when she said no more.
“And such interference will need to happen traditionally.”
I arched my brow. “Traditionally?”
“By means of…” her lip curled, “non-magical matchmaking.”
I didn’t try to swallow the amused chuckle that came through my lips.
Valentine didn’t find it humorous.
She stated, “It’s common.”
“My dear sister,” I whispered, feeling my lips remain curved as I held her eyes. “It is not common. Not the way I do it. I’ve made many a match, in the past doing it in order to amuse myself by severing the results of such efforts at a later date. But this…” I kept smiling. “An intrigue. One I can look forward to. And I do. I very much do. And I can promise you, you will too.”
One could not say this made me happy.
One could say this made me utterly ecstatic.
I could continue with my plotting and schemes.
But in doing so, I could do it for entirely different reasons, which I knew by witnessing the other world Lahn in my crystal, would be far more fulfilling.
I did not think of Noc’s tryst with Circe. I hadn’t mentioned it. He hadn’t mentioned it. No one had mentioned it and I found I could handle it that way.
What I could not do was think about what might happen when we were all together again in the same city in another world.
So I didn’t think about it.
“It would seem when we reach our world, the teacher will become the student,” Valentine remarked.
“You will enjoy my lessons,” I declared proudly. “Not as much as I’m enjoying the fruits of yours, but you will enjoy them. That I promise.”
Finally, Valentine’s preoccupation gone, she smiled.
“Now, let us study this man,” I suggested, using my hand to indicate my crystal. “We’ll need to know as much about him as we can so we’ll be prepared the moment I arrive in the other world.”
“This study will not be difficult.”
“He has no magic to block our regard?” I asked.
“No, he’s highly easy to watch,” Valentine answered.
To that, I smiled before we both turned to my sphere.
And we watched.
* * * * *
Noc
One Month Later
Standing on a balcony of Tor’s palace in Bellebryn, the sun warming through his clothes, the breeze from the emerald waters of the Green Sea making a place that was the sheer perfection of a goddamned, real-life fairytale even more perfect, he bent his head to the thick sheet of expensive paper in his hand.
It was a letter that had just been delivered to him by Tor (Noc was careful how he went about the palace and the city, considering he looked just like its ruler, without the scar, and so they arranged it so Cora was with him if he went exploring—the scar meaning he had to wear a big hat that was completely ridiculous, but at least it didn’t have the totally ridiculous feather most of the other men’s hats had in that country).
Tor had also told him that in order for that letter to come through royal post—something that meant missives arrived a lot faster than normal post, Aurora kindly having allowed Franka to take advantage of that—she’d had to have written it within weeks of him leaving.
This meant Noc read the letter with a smile on his face, that smile there for more than just getting his first letter from his girl.
My dearest Noc,
Damn good start.
There is much to say but not much I can write, I’m sure you understand my meaning.
She was not wrong about that.
But he got from her tone her witch training was going well.
As you know, Valentine has been keeping me company a great deal. I enjoy her presence and our many conversations.
Yep. Her training was going well.
Noc’s smile deepened.
Brikitta has begun to show and as such, she’s ordered her clothing from when she had Timofei in her belly out of storage.
You can rest assured I shared with her this was preposterous and demanded she go into Älvkyla with me to requisition a new wardrobe.
She explained this was quite the waste of coin as she would need a further selection of garments for when she grew more with her child.
I explained that I was ludicrously rich (as, now, was she, thanks to me, but I didn’t have a burgeoning family to look after) and my sister was not going to be wearing the fashions of more than two years previous while she nurtured my future niece or nephew (I’ve decided on niece and Brikitta has secretly agreed with me, Kristian will be happy with whatever, but as a man, he is very bad at hiding that he wishes another son).
Of course, Brikitta, who I’ve noted has a highly unattractive stubborn streak, flatly denied this request and when I went into town and ordered her clothing myself, she complained to Kristian.