The Ether Witch

Tamlin Ashowan stared out over the Alcide Sea.

The full moon illuminated the inky waters below from the window of his keep, and a magical dusting of stars glittered brightly against the darkness.

Closing his eyes, he took in a deep, slow, breath.

Everything was quiet, save for the gentle rush of water meeting the cliff far below, and there was even the delicious smell of spring in the air. Everything was peaceful in the kingdom of Daxaria, with no wars, droughts, or plagues for more than a decade. The monarchy served its people well, and as a result, its citizens flourished…

So why did Tam, a future viscount and duke, brother to the future queen of Daxaria, feel anxious?

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was almost as though something big and important was about to happen.

It didn’t seem quite as charged as the day a little more than seven years ago when his sister had battled against a civil rebellion in a foreign kingdom… An army that happened to be led by the first witch, also called Aradia. The daughter of the Gods who had been thought long dead after a battle with her brother, the devil.

The first witch had been trying to cast the devil into a portal that led to the Forest of the Afterlife, and summon ancient beasts to try and help reduce the influence of witches, believing that she was setting things right.

However, to open the portal she had required the death of thousands of men, and had even crafted a potent drug called Witch’s Brew, that would eventually kill its users, but in exchange… She could summon the ancient beasts to help her win.

Ancient beasts were creatures aligned with the four elements that had long ago ruled the earth… Until humans came to be, that is.

Tam continued gazing out into the night, his thoughts idly turning over what could be making him feel so restless.

The first witch was imprisoned in a secret location in Troivack after Tam’s twin sister, Katarina, had helped the Troivackian king and queen win the civil war and stop the first witch. The devil had been killed during the battle; however, as the immortal son of the Gods, he had been reborn elsewhere. In an effort to find him, there were several children with mysterious backgrounds that had been apprehended in Troivack, but it was still hard to discern if any of them were the devil… Meaning he could still be at large, albeit, in the form of a child.

A soft knock sounded behind Tam, making him turn around.

Standing in the doorway was his mother, Duchess Annika Ashowan.

Once upon a time, she had been praised as the most beautiful woman in all of Daxaria even though she had been born and raised in Troivack prior to marrying an old Daxarian viscount. Viscount Jenoure had died a year after their marriage, leaving Annika to live as a widow for a time before she happened to meet a certain royal cook who just so happened to be a witch. And they just so happened to fall in love. Luckily, due to Finlay Ashowan’s contributions to the kingdom and his impressive magical power, he had risen through the noble ranks, and had become a beloved hero of Daxaria.

The infamous couple were still spoken of often amongst Daxarians, and while no longer heralded as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, Annika Ashowan had aged gracefully throughout the years– despite all the stress her daughter put her through– and still was quite energetic for a woman nearing her sixties.

“Tam? What are you still doing awake?” Annika called out softly to her son.

Tam gave his mother a half smile, and faced her. “Couldn’t sleep.”

The duchess smiled back and gestured for her son to return to the warmth of his room. “Love, it’s still technically winter, and firewood isn’t cheap.”

“Since when are we concerned about money?” Tam asked wryly, though he did retreat back into the warmth of his chamber, and closed the glass balcony doors behind him.

“You build wealth by being careful with it. Remember, if you respect money, money respects you.”

Tam nodded along to the phrase his mother had often repeated during their budgeting and finance lessons throughout the years.

“Why are you awake then?” Tam gestured toward the two armchairs in front of the crackling hearth.

Annika lowered herself down into a plush navy blue armchair and touched her temple wearily.

“I’ve been going over the coronation details for your sister. Your birthdays are a month away and a week after that she is going to be crowned queen.”

“I still can’t believe King Norman is entrusting Daxaria to her,” Tam lamented with a chuckle.

Tam’s twin Katarina had always been the wild child of the Ashowan family. She had an incredible skill for getting herself into trouble, and that hadn’t seemed to change as she aged. Though she had learned to curb her more outlandish urges, and even channeled her abundant magical energy into studying swordsmanship, she was still too mischievous for her own good. Which meant when she and the prince of the kingdom had fallen in love and wed, many people had grown concerned for the future of Daxaria.

“Well, King Norman is trusting that the council will help her and Eric a great deal,” Annika recounted reasonably.

Prince Eric Reyes. The man with more skeletons in his closet than a post-war cemetery, the one who had fallen hopelessly in love with Katarina seven years ago during their time together in the foreign court of Troivack…

Their romance had been beyond shocking, but the pair had barreled forward in ways that kept them true to themselves, and despite all odds? They were managing quite well.

Even with their three boys who were every bit as troublesome as their mother, despite being each a year apart in age, they worked together as a cohesive disaster to keep the world turning upside down as often as possible.

“Do you think Antony, Charles, and Asher will behave for the entire ceremony?” Tam wondered aloud after he and his mother had taken a few moments of silence to think about the fast-coming event of the Daxarian king’s abdication of the throne.

The duchess smiled but emitted a brief groan at the thought of her three grandsons. “His Majesty assured everyone the ceremony would be kept as short as possible.”

Tam laughed again and closed his eyes while settling back into his seat. “I bet His Majesty King Brendan Devark will have an opinion on the princes.”

Annika shook her head and sighed at the mention of the Troivackian king. “I’m given to understand his and Her Majesty Alina’s two boys are remarkably well-behaved, which isn’t a surprise at all, but I think they will definitely bring to light Antony, Charles, and Asher’s… delayed mastering of etiquette.”

Tam grinned. “Kat’s in for an earful from Alina I bet.”

Alina Devark, queen of Troivack, and best friend of Katarina, also just so happened to be Eric’s younger sister, and as a result, there tended to be unfiltered opinions exchanged quite regularly whenever the couples were able to visit each other in person.

“Her Majesty Alina is more than welcome to try influencing the boys. Perhaps she has the energy to make a difference… I admit I don’t have quite the same amount of vigor I used to,” the duchess informed her son followed by an uncharacteristic yawn.

Tam waved off his mother’s words. “You seemed perfectly fine the other night when that man tried to strangle you.”

Annika raised an eyebrow at the mention of their joint espionage work. “Lightly stabbing someone is not the same as teaching children. The latter is significantly harder.”

Stretching his legs out in front of him, Tam eyed his mother’s drawn features sympathetically. “I’ll probably sleep soon. You should go try to do the same.”

The duchess didn’t respond straight away at her son’s gentle dismissal. Rather, she regarded him thoughtfully. Her brown eyes brightened as they keenly roved his face with the slanted almond eyes that looked like his father’s save for the coloring that was like her own. His straight nose, his sculpted jaw…

“Will you ever get married?”

Tam’s attention snapped back to his mother, then after a moment of shock he raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. “Not this again.”

“A mother is allowed to wonder.”

“Can you wonder in the morning, and maybe only three times a year as opposed to eleven?”

“Tam, your father and I are going to go traveling once you are officially made the duke, and I’d like to know that someone can be here with you. I know you always like being alone, but-”

“I hope you’re aware of your hypocrisy,” Tam interrupted dryly.

It was the duchess’s turn to look unimpressed. “I at least had Clara as my assistant to rely on when I had no one, may she rest in peace. You haven’t even gotten an assistant to replace Likon. It’s been seven years… You need someone to help you if you aren’t going to get married.”

“I managed just fine when you, Da, Kat, and Likon abandoned me to go to Troivack didn’t I?”

“Oh, you mean when you ‘somehow’ lost the wall of your father’s office, part of the floor, and the desk full of paperwork that almost got us arrested because of the number of important documents on it?” Annika’s tone sharpened.

Tam’s tongue poked his cheek as he looked away.

Damn. He had really hoped that she had let that go…

He dropped his chin down before responding to his mother. “I can just wait until Likon-”

“Likon isn’t coming home from Troivack for three or more years. You know it. I know it. If only he knew it… Once he gets around to noticing he’s fallen in love with Lady Dana Faucher he’s going to marry her. I bet her mother Lady Nathalie they’ll be married before the fall…”

“Somehow I doubt that it will be that easy given that Leader Gregory Faucher most likely will refuse to let a man who is serving a sentence for aiding a criminal marry his daughter.”

Annika huffed. “Oh, he will. We just need to be a bit creative with convincing him.”

Tam laughed.

He had no doubt his mother had devised several cunning, manipulative plans to sway the infamously gruff and protective military leader in Troivack to allow his beloved daughter to marry Likon, the Ashowan’s adopted son. However, the handful of times Tam had met Gregory Faucher when he’d come to visit Katarina, Tam had gotten the distinct impression that he was not someone who could be duped easily. He chose not to comment on this opinion for the time being though.

“Look, can this maybe wait until after my birthday? I– Wait. You haven’t brought up the assistant thing in almost a year. And suddenly it crops us…” Tam’s eyes narrowed. “Who is it?”

Annika smoothed the cream silk of her skirt. “Do you remember Eli? That boy that was helping Likon serve the Troivackian king…?”

“Mhm,” Tam responded impatiently.

“Well, the matter of Duke Icarus’s estate has finally been settled, and the lad wanted to become a citizen of Daxaria, but because he isn’t revealing his parentage, and he doesn’t want to get entangled with the Coven of Wittica, Likon suggested maybe he work for you for a while.”

“Why didn’t Likon bring this up to me himself?” Tam questioned while leaning forward and resting his elbow on the armrest of the chair.

“Because he wanted me to discuss with your da whether or not the coven would permit a witch to live in Daxaria without revealing their magic.”

“So we’re offering to help and protect him when he starts the process of gaining Dxarian citizenship, and because Likon asked us, you’re suggesting he works for me while we do this?”

“Yes.”

“Again, Likon should’ve asked me. He knows I’d listen.”

“You are terrible at responding to letters, and you know it, and Eli needed to know before leaving Troivack for the coronation so he could pack and say his goodbyes.”

Tam continued staring at his mother warily. “He’s already on the boat fully packed, isn’t he?”

“Not at all.”

Tam didn’t believe his mother for a second.

“He’s already in Daxaria. They arrived at the castle tonight. We’re going to the castle tomorrow and you can meet him there,” Annika finally admitted though she still had the gall to act innocent.

Tam let out a moan and rubbed his face.

“Love, I know you’re terrible with change, but you’re always complaining about the amount of work you have. I have no idea why you insist on making your life harder.” The duchess stood and stared down at her son.

“An assistant needs someone to the take time and explain things, and then they always want to know about my magic, and-” Tam started his well cited list of why he preferred to not hire a new assistant, but didn’t get the whole way through.

“Neither you nor Eli ever want to talk about your magic. There. It’s perfect.”

“That makes him suspicious.”

“Why are you being so difficult?”

“I have a stubborn father and meddling mother; I’ve had to adapt.”

Annika lowered her chin and stared disapprovingly down at Tam who stared up at her unabashedly.

“Likon vouches for him. You said you would hire him if Likon requested it, and he has. I’m beginning to think complaining is just a habit of yours at this point.”

“I only complain when someone forces something upon me.”

Annika bent down and kissed her son atop his head. “You and your sister are more alike than you realize.”

“Surprise, surprise. We’re both hard headed, don’t like being forced into things, and neither of us wanted the responsibility of leading a noble house or, say, a kingdom.”

“You got the easier option, and yet you still complain more than Kat.”

“No, Kat still complains more, you just don’t live with her.”

Annika gently cuffed the back of her son’s head.

“If Likon says Eli is good, then I think he’s good. Try to be appreciative that you have so many people wanting to help you.”

Tam gave a half hearted smile and rose from his seat to hug his mother.

“I’ll try. But in exchange, you can’t bring up marriage for another year.”

Annika reached up and returned her son’s embrace– it was a little tricky given that he had also inherited his father’s impressive height and she was on the shorter side– but despite Tam’s seemingly unenthused response to having a little extra help, the duchess had a good feeling about this new assistant.

Tam, on the hand, was already starting to wonder if perhaps the uneasy premonition he had been having moments earlier was perhaps a bad omen for this newcomer that he had only ever really seen from a distance, and had only ever heard that the young man kept his secrets just as well if not better than the future duke of the Ashowan household.