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  I shrugged. "You knew the price when you bent down to tickle her."

  Alexid laughed. "You both work hard, and your next paycheck has been adjusted upwards.

  "Thank you, Alexid." She turned back to Porta and buried her fingers in the woman's ribs, tickling madly.

  "Vani," asked Cleo, "Six years ago, a certain secret of mine was revealed. What role did you have in that?"

  "I told Yalda Foreseen," she said. "She told everyone else." Then she backed away from Bandari and clamped her hands over her mouth.

  Cleo began laughing. "I like this game," she said, wiping tears from her eyes a moment later.

  Vani turned to me. "By asking that question, mother decided to play. Throw something on her."

  "And that means Alexid did, too," Bandari added.

  "Rule changes aren't retroactive," I said.

  "Toss a truth spell on Mother and then ask her if she was expecting to receive a spell when she asked her question."

  I looked at Cleo, and she sighed. "I was," she admitted.

  "Well then," I replied. I assembled a spell and threw it at her then added a second one. She cocked her head, rubbed at her ears, shook her head, then looked at me and laughed.

  "Fitting," she said. "Very funny, Kia."

  "What did you do to her?" Vani asked.

  "I numbed just her ears. She's deaf," I said. "She can ask you questions, and you'll answer, but she can't hear your answers."

  "Your mouth is moving, but I can't hear a word," Cleo said.

  Vani began laughing. "Oh, there is justice in the world."

  "What about Alexid," Bandari asked.

  "It's his boat. I think we have to be nice to him," I said.

  "Oh please," said Porta. "He feels left out." Then she began laughing. "Bandari! That's enough!"

  "As long as I'm wearing this truth spell, you're getting tickled," Bandari said.

  "Oh yeah?" Porta asked. "Who ran the boat into the dock last summer?"

  "I did," she said, then clamped her hands over her mouth.

  "Which is why you didn't get a raise last year," Alexid said. "Someone had to pay for those repairs." He looked at me. "Do you have a spell for me?"

  "Sure," I said. I made a light spell and tossed it to land on the bridge of his nose. His face began to light up, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

  "A light spell?" Porta asked.

  "It's too bright to see around," I said. "He's not blind, but he may as well be. I can't do real blindness spells, but I can do this."

  After that, I let them play. Bandari climbed onto Porta's lap and continued to tickle her. Vani stood behind her and tickled her as well. It took a while but Clea figured out that my spell not only made Vani answer questions, but she also strived to be understood. Vani began answering a series of amusing yes/no questions, and we learned a great deal about her sex life. She laughed through most of it, but she blushed a few times, too.

  "This is more than a mother should know about her own daughter," Cleo said eventually. "But I am such a gossip, I don't think I can stop asking."

  She didn't leave Bandari out of the questioning, either.

  Alexid couldn't see what was going on, but he was laughing anyway. Lunia sat in her chair, chuckling through most of it, and I had fun, too.

  "Enough!" Porta finally gasped out. "Bandari, enough!"

  Bandari turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

  "If she asks me to remove the spell, I will," I said.

  "I'm not remotely ready to be done playing," Cleo said. So I tossed a truth spell on her, but didn't tell anyone. They'd figure it out soon enough. She felt it, though, and looked at me, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged innocently.

  "You and Lunia are having entirely too much fun," Cleo said. "Where are your spells?"

  "Lunia has neither tickled anyone nor asked a single question," I said. "And I have only done what all of you asked."

  Of course, Cleo wouldn't understand a word of that, and she frowned. "I believe you should let me hear."

  I thought about it then rose from my chair and caressed her ears, removing the numb eardrums. She rubbed at them a moment and smiled up at me. Then I moved to Porta and released her arms and legs to her. She immediately pushed Bandari away saying, "That's enough."

  "Aww," said Bandari. "Are we done playing?"

  "No, we are not," Cleo said. Then she glared at me.

  "We aren't?" Vani asked. She looked at me, then at her mother. "What are we playing now?"

  Cleo began to shake, trying not to answer, and Vani began to laugh. "Mother has a truth spell on her!" She turned to her mother and stalked closer. "Mother, when I was seven, you said you were allergic to dogs, and that's why we couldn't have one. Did you lie to me?"

  "Yes," said Cleo. "I didn't want dog hair all over the house."

  "Ha!" Vani said. "I knew it."

  The two of them began peppering questions at each other, leaving the rest of us laughing. While they were after each other, I dispelled Bandari's truth spell and Alexid's light spell, but I left Vani and Cleo alone.

  We spent the afternoon laughing. I had a nice time.

  We finally pulled back into the harbor at Nalori, Bandari and Porta handling the boat. Once we were safely docked, I moved over to Cleo, who was still locked in a truth battle with Vani. I held up a finger to Vani then leaned over and dispelled Cleo's truth spell, then gestured to Vani and removed hers.

  "I had a lovely time," I said, "and would like to invite everyone to dinner." I turned to Cleo. "I didn't make reservations anywhere. Is it even possible to get into somewhere with this many of us? Do you have connections?"

  "Of course I have connections," she said with a smile. "Alexid and I have other plans, however, so perhaps this should just be a girl's night out."

  "You're inviting us?" Bandari and Porta asked.

  "I am," I said. "My treat. Are you available, Vani?"

  "I am," she said.

  "Cleo," I asked, "do you remember where we first met?"

  "Ah, the Tangle," she said. "They've fallen off the mark lately. But the Lighthouse has good food, excellent service, and similar prices."

  "Will we be able to get a table for five?"

  "Of course you will," Alexid said. "I own it. There's a private room upstairs with an excellent view of the harbor. I will make arrangements. Is an hour sufficient time to prepare?"

  "It is for me. I just need to freshen up. I didn't bring anything else."

  "An hour?" Vani frowned. "An hour and a half would be better."

  "Excellent," said Alexid. "Ask for my table."

  * * * *

  Lunia and I went with Vani back to Cleo's home; we would meet Porta and Bandari at the restaurant. Vani offered to loan clothes to Lunia and me, but she was several inches taller than I was with far more curves.

  "I'd be shocked if you owned anything that fit me," I observed.

  Lunia was even taller and broader, and so we were limited to what we were wearing. Vani left us in the sitting room with a bottle of wine and disappeared upstairs. As soon as we were alone, Lunia said, "Don't burn bridges with Eva."

  "She dumped me," I said.

  "Listen to me, Kia. You can flirt with Vani, but if you sleep with her, Eva will have a hard time forgiving you."

  "And how about you and the delightful sailor women?"

  "We're just flirting, and both of them know it," she said. "Loralai would be flirting with them if she were here. Behave yourself with Vani."

  "Eva doesn't own me anymore," I said. "That ended with one word. I'll do what I please. Don't be a spoilsport. I'm having a nice time." I smiled. "Did you enjoy their play this afternoon?"

  "Thank you for not tossing a spell on me."

  "They all gave permission," I said. "If you wanted to play, you would have tickled Porta or asked Bandari a question. You almost did, too, and I already had a spell waiting for you."

  "I know," she said. "I saw you holding it." She paused. "If you don't need to hold them like that,
why do you?"

  "For show," I said. "So people know."

  She nodded understanding. "Are you going to listen to what I said?"

  "I heard you, Lunia. Stop playing mother hen now. We're going to have a nice dinner. We're going to flirt and have fun. I might even have a little more wine, but probably not. I'm already feeling this glass. But if you tell me what to do again tonight, I'm tossing a truth spell on you and telling both of them to go after you. And you know they will, too."

  She frowned. "Would you really?"

  I sighed. "No, but it was a good threat, wasn't it?"

  She laughed.

  We talked for a while. Finally she asked, "What did you want to talk to Cleo about?"

  "I verified she would never publish the queen's secrets, then I offered an exclusive interview with the next adept of Ordeen. I also told her about Doctor K."

  "Risky," she said.

  "I think I can trust her, but that's a big enough secret, if she's going to be tempted, that would do it. If it gets out, it gets out."

  A while later, Vani stepped into the room. She made an entrance of it, and she was good at it. I stared.

  She was stunning.

  "Do I look all right?" she asked.

  "Yes," I said. "More than all right. I should have brought a change."

  "I like you in these clothes," she said, "even if they're a little rumpled." She pulled me to my feet and smoothed my uniform a little more. A few minutes later, we were in the carriage and on our way to the restaurant.

  Porta and Bandari were already there, and they looked nearly as stunning as Vani did. As soon as we arrived, they latched onto either side of Lunia and pulled her to the table, depositing her in a seat between them. I ended up sitting between Bandari and Vani, and she never released my arm.

  I enjoyed the attention.

  She flirted outrageously with me for the entire meal. I soaked it up and flirted back just as overtly. When I glanced at Lunia, she had her hands full with the two women, but she seemed to be holding her own.

  The waitress eventually brought a dessert tray. I eyed the desserts and then asked, "Who likes what?"

  The three of them eyed me skeptically. Lunia laughed. "It is nearly impossible for a sorceress to get fat," she said.

  "Unfortunately, it is entirely too easy for me to do so," Vani replied. "If you get something, I'll have one small forkful."

  No one else was willing to try more than a fork's worth of dessert. So I picked the two that looked best and grinned at them.

  "So not fair," Bandari asked.

  "Oh?" I asked. "Growing up, I was an outcast. All the kids picked on me. The nicest thing they called me was weirdo. I can't touch metal or I burn my hands. I was taken, sobbing, from my home when I was twelve, and I didn't see my parents for three years after that. I study magic seven days a week, sometimes eight, attending class or studying from just after breakfast until bedtime most days. There are times when learning magic is exceedingly painful to the point of being torture. And when I finally graduate, I have an eight-year apprentice contract to serve. And there are things I can't tell you that are even worse. On exchange, I get to eat dessert." I paused. "Who wants to switch?"

  Then I turned to Lunia. "Not you. You had it worse."

  "She did?" Bandari asked.

  "Yes. Get her drunk enough and she might tell you, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

  "Kia, I'm not sure I had it worse," Lunia said.

  I shrugged. "Close enough," I agreed.

  "I'll try some of your dessert, Kia," Vani said. Then under the table, she clasped my hand.

  "You're not wearing your gloves," she observed.

  "You'll notice I made sure there wasn't any metal near me first."

  "That's why you moved my silverware away? And they gave you ceramic silverware."

  I nodded. "And Lunia automatically moves hers away from me. At school, we don't even have metal silverware."

  The desserts came along with after dinner drinks. Everyone had a little more of the dessert than they had planned, but I had plenty and even left some behind.

  Vani got her sample from my fork.

  The check came. Vani tried to take it, but I told her if she touched it, I'd never speak to her again.

  "You can afford this?" she asked.

  "Yes."

  "Students make so much?"

  "No," I said. "I have a few clever investments."

  "Are you rich?"

  "No. But I can afford this meal. Now hand it over."

  Once that was settled, we rose, stretched, and then Vani suggested it was a nice day for a walk. We got outside and she took my hand, but she was wearing a ring on that hand, and I pulled away.

  "What?"

  "Your ring."

  "Hmm? Did I scratch you?"

  I showed her my hand where the ring had burned me.

  "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry! Kia, I'm so sorry."

  "It's okay," I said. I raised my magic and healed the minor burn. "All better."

  She made a point of taking all her rings off and slipped them into her purse. I let her hold my hand.

  "So you can't wear jewelry?"

  "For some reason, platinum does not burn," I said.

  "That's a platinum necklace?" she asked. "I thought you said you weren't rich."

  I touched the necklace. "It was a gift," I said. "I've never bought any jewelry. I have a few pieces that were gifts."

  Vani took my hand, and the five of us began to walk along the waterfront.

  * * * *

  We eventually made our way back to Cleo's. Cleo had an indoor garden. It wasn't very big, but it had a circular path and a few little grottos with a bench where two or three people could sit. Vani led the way there, and then Bandari and Porta pulled Lunia to the left. Vani pulled me to the right.

  I looked at the plants. "They aren't happy here," I said. "They need more sunlight, and their roots are confined. Poor things."

  "You said you could do plant magic."

  "Yes." I paused. "Want to see?"

  She laughed. "Yes."

  "If I heal the plants a little, you won't be able to see anything. Or I can do something a little more playful."

  "Playful."

  I pulled her in front of a large wall of ivy and told her to stand right next to it. I stepped away and cast my tangle spell. The ivy immediately latched onto her and pulled her tightly into their embrace. She squeaked in surprise.

  "It won't hurt you," I said, "if you don't struggle."

  She was struggling, and I saw the vines wrap more tightly around her.

  "Relax, Vani," I told her. "Or I have to dispel it."

  It took her a moment, but she was able to relax, and the vines held her tightly, but not dangerously so. I stepped closer and looked at her, smiling.

  "This was startling," she said. "You could do anything to me now."

  "I could," I said. I caressed her check, then I gestured, releasing the spell. She nearly fell into my arms, but I steadied her on her feet before stepping away.

  She looked at me with disappointment. "I thought-"

  "I don't like to lead that way," I said. But I held out my hand, and she took it, pulling me to one of the benches. She leaned into me, but I told her, "I'm going to help the plants a little."

  Then I began casting spells, helping the plants feel better. I spent some time at it, humming softly. When I was done, I leaned back and closed my eyes. "They are happier now, but please ask Cleo to have most of them planted in much bigger containers. Or even better, dig out the floor and plant them directly in the ground."

  "I will," Vani said. She brushed my hair from my face, caressing me while she did it. I let her.

  And when she bent over me to kiss me, I let her do that, too. It was a nice kiss, soft and full of promise. Finally, it ended, and she sat back.

  "That was nice," I said. I opened my eyes and turned around. "You may kiss me once more tonight, if you want, but I need to tell you somethin
g."

  "You're still in love. I know."

  "Lunia says Eva will get over it. I don't think so. But yes, I'm still in love. I like you, and maybe this can be something between us, if you want it to be, but if so, it will take time." I paused. "And I'm not sure how long I'm going to be in Nalori."

  "You have to go back to school."

  "I'm not sure how long I'll be there, either. At the least, summer is coming, and Senior Magus Quartain or Queen Hallamarie will send me somewhere."

  "But you're not talking about the summer."

  "If I tell you something, you have to promise to tell no one. Your mother knows, but I trust her."

  She began to laugh. "My mother is a professional gossip, but you trust her?"

  I nodded.

  Vani laughed again. "She won't tell a soul, and neither will I."

  "I'll be graduating soon, perhaps a month or two. And then I belong to the queen for eight years. I don't know where she'll send me. Until two weeks ago, I presumed she would send Eva and me somewhere together." I looked away. "You understand?"

  "Yes," she said. She paused. "Take me with you."

  "What?"

  "Professionally. I'd love to do a story on the life of a traveling, well, whatever you are."

  "Probably healer. Possibly botanist. Perhaps both."

  "Take me with you."

  I looked away, thinking about it. "I don't know if it's allowed."

  "It doesn't hurt to ask." She paused. "If Eva comes to her senses, I understand. But if she doesn't, then take me with you."

  "You're very impetuous."

  "It would make a fabulous story, and I really enjoy your company. Say yes, Kia."

  I thought some more about it. "Maybe," I said. "But you can't change your life on the chance I'll agree."

  "You'll think about it."

  "Yes," I said. I turned back to her. "I don't like leading in the relationship."

  She didn't wait for more of an invitation, and she immediately kissed me again. When she was done, I laid my head on her shoulder. We sat quietly for a while before I said, "I should go."

  "I'm sure Lunia, Bandari, and Porta aren't remotely done."

  I laughed lightly. "They're playing cards or something."

  "They're naked."