Fenn

By Rachel E Twiss

Rose’s life has always been planned out: she was to marry Duke Ferdinand of Onlicres, second in line to the rightful throne of Fenn, and be ready to live as happily ever after as she can in the middle of a war against the Queen of Leasung.

But Rose’s fairy tale collapses when her sister falls gravely ill. To find a cure Rose is sent to Mystra University, a well-known bastion for magic users. While at the University Rose becomes friends with Estella, a cynical young socialite who was widowed at seventeen and Kay, a quiet, bashful young man who has been cursed by the Queen.

Kay and Rose quickly become close, but when Kay is kidnapped and sent back to Leasung it is up to Rose, Estella, and their small group of friends to brave the war and save Kay before it’s too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rachel E Twiss
• Release date: Apr 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310482366

Rachel E Twiss

Rachel E. Twiss, author of the fantasy novels Fenn and Echo Cross, was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. She has a BA in English from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut and an MA in Victorian Studies from the University of Leicester. While doing her undergraduate work Rachel spent time in Dingle, Ireland she fell in love with far away islands and fairytale worlds. Her love of Ireland has colored her writing ever since.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Look twice before you leap. – Charlotte Bronte

There were quite a few things that James hated. The top of his list was children, followed closely by fanfare of any kind and, most especially, unwanted guests. He truly hated unwanted guests that took his time away from the only two activities he actually liked to engage in – reading old naval documents and spending time with Elizabeth. He glanced down the table towards her. She wasn't paying him any mind; she was hurriedly plaiting her pale hair as she spoke softly with their coworkers. Gwendolen was distraught that the one non-religious procession she had arranged had been completely ruined by unforeseen circumstances. Elizabeth was trying to calm the younger teacher. James chanced a glance at Mina as he carefully ran the hook he had for a left hand through his thick mustache. She seemed mildly amused though concern flickered across her face when she thought no one was watching her.

A tapping caught his attention. James turned to where Roderick sat in a dark corner. The pale man was running his knuckles over the wall as he stared out the far window.

Having the two of them here, something's going to happen. Roderick whispered, his gaze moving to James.

All children cause problems, Roderick. You learn how to deal with it and adapt. Or you lose a limb. He smirked. Roderick did not seem to get his humor. With an annoyed grunt to himself, James moved out to the small balcony that overlooked the main throughway from the gates of the university. Pulling his long dark curls back with a ribbon he had tied around his right wrist he looked out at the scene.

The crowd from the morning's procession for the Duchess had mostly dispersed. It seemed as though there were a few stragglers still whispering and looking at the spot where two men rushing in to the road had stopped the Duchess' carriage. When it had been found out who the two men were, Ariel had asked James to call the rest of the faculty together in his office while he took care of the Duchess.

Truly, if Ariel had not been his best friend from childhood, he probably would never be able to deal with the insanity that was teaching the youth of Fenn on a daily basis.

What are you looking at? James' military background kicked in enough that he did not jump or flinch when Ariel was suddenly behind him. He was still not used to his friend having become one of the highest members in the Old Religion, and he was especially not used to the fact that he was now glittery and able to poof from one place to another.

Brushing off his shock silently, James turned to look Ariel over. Even though the man was floating slightly off the ground, sparkling, and his skin, robes, and hair were so pale it was hard to tell what color they were as they changed every so often, James could see the worry in Ariel's eyes. This school had been a haven for them when they were schoolboys and Ariel had opened it up again so that it would be a haven for those who the laws of the Queen in the east and the Duke in the west had made outlaws just for living. The appearance of this boy on the day that the Duchess was taken on as a student was stressful for the young Spirit.

I was watching the cleaning crew try and get the students and bystanders to start going about their business. James told him. He moved out of the way, letting Ariel come to the railing as well. Ariel moved over jerkily. He was no longer floating slightly above the ground but walking; as far as James knew he had not truly walked in years. He was worse off than James had thought. The Spirit put his hand gently on the railing, peering out.

Oh, I see them. It seems people have gotten over their shock at least. He said, relaxing enough to float a little bit.

Some are just being forced to leave, commented Benedick, the Greek teacher. James turned, sending as angry a glance in that direction as he could. It seemed to work; there were advantages to having such a sea-worn face and thick mustache, even if he was barely touching forty.

Ariel let out a soft sigh. He touched down onto the floor and stumbled as he moved back in to the room. James followed behind, worried that the other may trip and fall as he had not walked on the ground in quite some time. Moving in to the center of the room awkwardly, he took a deep breath. You all know why we are in here. It is Destiny that these two young people have come to our school today and it is our firm credo not to turn anyone away regardless of who they are or what they have done. As it is, neither of them have done anything wrong. They will be joining the student body of Mystra this coming week when our term begins again – Mina and I have already discussed this.

Mina stepped in to the center of the circle. She had always impressed James, even since childhood – in the thick of a university crisis that could upset the entire country, and her entire being was perfectly calm. He was almost positive that there wasn't even a single piece of dark brown hair that was out of her ever-present tight bun. There was never any part of him that was calm, and now that he was part of Ariel's inner circle at the University and forced to work with teenagers he was very far away from calm at all times. If he had two hands he would have strangled someone by now. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. Elizabeth slipped over to him, putting a soft hand against his wrist.

Mina cleared her throat, looking around Ariel's office. She made eye contact with each of the dozen or so members of the teaching faculty. She had one of the most terrifying stares in all of Fenn in James' opinion. The slight chatter in the room died instantly. Even Roderick's interest piqued, and the art teacher was normally clamoring to not be a part of anything. Once everyone was quiet, she moved over to the door. She opened it, walking away.

You can come in now.

She walked back to the center of the room. James, however, kept his attention on the door, waiting for the Duchess and the rabble-rouser to step in. He was somewhat right – it was a young man and young woman who stepped in. These two, however, had been at Mystra for quite some time.

He frowned a bit as he looked the two of them over. Estella and Quincy. He could understand why Ariel and Mina would want Quincy to help in this type of affair. The young man had the same calm to him that Mina had. It was truly the best-inherited trait that he had gotten from his mother. Even now, every part of his long, thin body from his shoulders down to the way he stood was relaxed and his odd maroon eyes held absolutely no hint of the panic that seemed to be gripping the rest of the student body. Estella, however, was simply...herself. He held no more ill will towards her than he did the rest of the student body in general, but she had always reminded him of a preying mantis. A part of it was the dark mourning dresses she always wore that made her short, slim body look even more androgynous. Most of his feelings about her came from the annoyance that was perpetually visible in her slightly hooded eyes and in the frown she almost always had. From where he was standing in the room her blonde and brown bob hid her face from him, and he was thankful for that.

I have asked Quincy and Estella to speak with our new students. They will need friends and they are our two of our best students. Mina explained, voice just as calm as her features. James was doubly impressed. "Hopefully they can be our emissaries to the students and help us calm the population down. If they are both here than we need to protect ourselves and these poor children who do not and cannot understand the ways of either the Duke or the Queen. We have to become a haven for those touched by Destiny if a war is going to break out.

We have to show the rest of Center City that we can be trusted before they know that the boy is here too. Quincy is easy to talk to, easy to get to know and Estella is a valuable ally. She turned to smile at the two of them. James was sure he saw Quincy blush.

What about asking Viola to take care of the boy at the very leas? She found him in the woods from what Ariel told us. Elizabeth asked. James turned to her. She had never been one to speak out against Mina's judgment on any matter outside of love or the occasional religious enquiry .

Mina turned to her as well, though she did not seem as bothered as James felt by the question. Instead, she smiled slightly, almost as if it had been planned. He snorted to himself. Of course it had been. Leave it to Mina to stage an entire meeting and include all the details including her closest friend voicing the doubts of the other, quieter staff members who were not a part of Ariel's inner circle.

That's a fair question, Elizabeth, Mina nodded to her slightly before looking around the room at the other members of the faculty. "Viola's brother has decided that he would rather she were not involved with this case, as it directly involves the political turmoil that has been plaguing Leasung. He is rightly worried that were she to be involved something could happen to their family.

That is why I chose these two. In Quincy's case, he was born in Center City so he has no ties to either the Leasung or the Onlicres conflicts. He is in no danger from either side and he has no feelings about the conflict so he will be easy for either of them to talk to and has a neutral position in what both the boy and the Duchess have gone through.

And the girl? Roderick asked softly. James glanced over at him. The other man was not looking at the group anymore but at his hand, picking paint off of his nails thoughtfully .

She can speak for herself. Estella said, letting out a low grunt of indignation. James found another reason to dislike her. Elizabeth seemed to have read his mind and elbowed him in the side when none of their coworkers were looking. He grunted himself, and stopped to continue to listen to girl.

Then why have you asked to help in this matter? Benedick asked. You are from Dyrne, and the western provinces have been allied for nearly a century. He was young, a newer addition to the faculty. With the attitude that he had, James had to wonder just how long he was going to last at Mystra. At the very least, James knew enough about his students to know that Estella was not one to react well to having her motives questioned, especially not in such a derisive manner.

Estella picked up her chin as she turned to look at the teacher. She smiled, graciously, but there was an easy dislike that was quite noticeable in the girl's demeanor.

"While my family has its roots in Dyrne, my husband's property that is now under my control is also in Dyrne, I hold no love for the county. My father's severed ties to the Duke have greatly soured my feeling on their royalty.

"However, while I may be female Quincy and I have spoken on the matter while we were waiting to be allowed in to this meeting and we have decided that it is for the best that I speak with the boy, at least until we know what the Duchess means to do while she is at Mystra.

We also decided that, as the Duchess has known that she is coming to the University and has had time to digest it would be wise to have Quincy go to her after this meeting is over. As I have my own appointments to meet once this meeting is over it will give the boy some time to get settled in to the room that he has been given and allows him to relax a bit. I've found that, when speaking to young men, especially those like him, that it is normally for the best to make them comfortable before coming to them to speak.

For a moment, James had forgotten that the girl was not even twenty yet. He had to admit, grudgingly, that she was quite a good speaker. She got her point across very well. It still worried James that Mina was allowing Estella to be the one to speak to the boy that had been found. He was quite sure that if push came to shove the girl would speak on behalf of all of those who had been put down by the Duke and help to provoke an uprising of some sort at the university. Her speaking skills would bite them all in the end someday.

I think that we should have the two of you speak with both of them so that we all know what is going on and the two of them know that this is a safe environment and not that we are just trying to watch them. James said, finally speaking up.

Estella and Quincy turned to him. Estella took a breath to speak but Quincy was faster. With a slight smile, the young man said, Don't worry, that was our plan. We want to integrate them in to our study group and make it a normal term, nothing more.

James frowned, not completely satisfied, but nodded at the boy's admission.

Then I suppose our meeting is done then if there are no further questions about our plan? Mina asked them. No one objected. She smiled, nodding to herself. She turned to the students, nodding to them.

Thank you both. I know you are the best to handle this situation for us. She told them. James sighed as he turned to look at Elizabeth. She raised her eyebrow at his look. She trusted that Mina's judgment on this matter was a good one. He realized that he had to trust Mina's judgment as well at least for the time being. He kept his eyes on Estella as she left, not about to let her out of his sight when it was a matter of national security.

CHAPTER TWO

My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me. – Benjamin Disraeli

Estella trudged back up to the gates of Mystra University, not at all caring that her long black bustle was trailing in the muddy path. She kept her eyes on the gates as she limped back from her normal weekly appointment in the heart of Center City. If she were honest with herself she would admit that she was always a little worried that the protective wards surrounding the university would reject her and not allow her to come back. It was the only home that she had in Fenn anymore. Her father had owned no property and if he had it would have been put in to government control once he had been arrested. The house she had grown up in had burned to the ground just before she had been married, and her husband's estate had been left in the hands of his lawyer. She would be damned if she were going to grovel to a lawyer just so that she would be able to have a room in a house she had hated living in for the year she was married. The only options she would have had if the wards of Mystra decided to never let her in again would be to leave Fenn and flee to Croyance, the country on the southernmost tip of the island, or to flee to the closest modern country, as a childhood friend of hers had done. She assumed that was England, and regardless of where she would go she would need a boat, something only the Prince's Navy seemed to have.

Fleeing to England or France seemed a ridiculous, last choice option in her opinion. During the nineteenth century, when the rest of the world had put the kibosh on the use of magic, Fenn had taken a page out of Asia's book and had isolated itself from the rest of the world. Their isolation had been a bit too extreme, however, considering that there had been no growth of industry, no importing or exporting, and once magic had been banned during the start of the war thirty years ago, being up to date with the rest of the world - which had already been a silly idea - had fallen completely by the wayside. Croyance, on the other hand, was barely any better. Cut off from the rest of the country, Croyance was was best known for its large smuggling trade. Rumors said they had no real government and barely any magic, but their fashion and households were slowly modernizing.

Really, in her opinion, it was a lose-lose situation. Mystra was the only place Estella actually cared to call home.

She could not help but to wince as her hand touched the cold metal of the gate. She could feel the wards shifting, warming the metal under her hand. For a brief moment, she wondered if it would get so hot that it would boil her alive. The gate creaked as it opened just enough to let her in to the university grounds.

Estella shook her head as she let go of the gate and walked in. She had the courtesy to pick up her dragging dress so that it did not get caught as the gate snapped closed and disappeared out of view to those bystanders who had no reason to come to the university. Of course the university's wards would let her back in – she had no place else to go and the main tenant of the university's oath was to be a refuge for those who had been displaced by the war.

Expecting the gate to blow up on you again? Edward asked her as she reached him. It had become their weekly tradition: she would go to her appointment and he would get himself to the gate in order to meet her afterwards so they could have tea together. Sometimes she wondered how he knew it was her, but then she remembered no one else would be trudging back from Center City at the same time every week like she had to.

Edward was quite possibly her only friend. He was in all honesty the only person she knew who could actually stand her demeanor and the only person whose manner she could handle. That her closest friend was a young man who was quite possibly even more damaged than she was still baffling.

She turned to him, looking up at his face. He smiled a bit though he did not focus on her.

You're quite quiet today, Miss. He prompted, shifting his cane in to his right hand so that he could hold out his left arm for her to take. She did so. It would have been rude not to.

I'm sorry, Edward. I don't know if tea will fit in to my schedule today. She told him. Before coming to Mystra, she would not be upset about such a thing. She had never cared about breaking an engagement before, especially when it came to wealthy young men.

It was different with Edward. He was so much like herself that she actually enjoyed his company and she did not want to break any sort of engagement that she had made with him. There were some who would say that she did not look as cruel as she normally did when she was with Edward; that her demeanor changed in to something nearing approachable. She doubted that greatly. If anything, she was worse with him, she just looked nicer while saying much meaner things. If she no longer had her weekly tea with him then she was no better than the bitter old crones in Center City who wore their black mourning dresses and fascinators with great plumage while spitting on the youth that walked past in happy bliss. She was nineteen. She was far too young to spit at young couples in love and get away with it. She had to wait until she was at least thirty to even marginally get away with something like that. At least she could still wear her mourning dress.

Why will you have to break our teatime? Edward asked. He did not sound upset about it at all. From the tone in his voice she thought he was forming another way for them to have tea at a later time during the week. She almost didn't want to tell him about what was going on with the duchess and the runaway, but she knew that he would hear about it sooner or later. Everyone was going to hear about the appearance of the boy within an hour given the normal way rumors spread in such a small, close knit student body. There really was no point in not telling him and she really did not care about upsetting the general public or the university's faculty. Who else would Edward tell, anyway? He disliked the rest of the student body almost as much as she did.

A boy from Leasung has appeared on the campus during the Duchess' parade this morning. She had no idea what he had already heard about and what he had not so she decided to start from the very beginning.

Edward nodded as they walked the long gravel road back to the main buildings.

I had heard something about that. He was not a part of her retinue? Well, I suppose he couldn't be if he were from Leasung.

That's the heart of the matter. From all accounts though the boy claims to be from Leasung he has the look of someone from up north in Germatea so it has been suggested that he is one of those children the Queen took or some such fairy tale. She shrugged, not really caring. Growing up on the west coast of Fenn, in the northern region of Dyrne, she had heard rumors about the Queen in the east snatching children with her magic, taking them to her castle, and raising them to be slaves, servants, or lovers. At an early age she had written such stories off as fables meant to make western children even more terrified of the Queen. I have been asked to speak to him and make sure that he is comfortable while he is staying at the university. Even though he would not see her, she rolled her eyes at the thought. None of the faculty wanted the boy to be comfortable. All they wanted was to keep the boy from destroying their little sanctuary.

They want to make a young man feel at ease at the university, so they asked you to speak with him first? Edward asked, chuckling in disbelief. She moved them out of the center of the road a bit as a large hunting dog came barreling past. The dog's owner, John, went running past, his cane sticking in the mud as he called out the pup's name.

I happen to think that I am the perfect person to speak to him first. If he cannot handle me speaking to him openly and honestly then he cannot handle the entire student body whispering about him behind his back. She told him, sticking her chin up even though she knew that he would not notice such an action. Edward laughed harder at that, turning in her direction as they stopped at the top of the hill, just at the edge of the main entrance to Mystra's education building.

I tend to think that having to deal with you is far scarier than having to deal with the rest of the student body as a whole. Sometimes I wonder why you even spoke to me at all.

Because you were forced to come and talk to me when I first came to the university just like I'm being forced to do now with this boy. Estella laughed a bit, knowing it was not true: on her very first day at the university they had just ended up sitting together making rude comments about the rest of the students as they walked by. It had taken her nearly a week to realize that he was blind. I should have sent someone to tell you that I wasn't going to be able to have tea with you but I was running late myself.

Ah yes, for your mysterious weekly rendezvous in the bawdy Center City. Too consumed to even remember your dealings with the boy. Edward smirked slightly, still highly amused at her plight. Why don't we have supper together instead? He suggested.

Estella nodded as she thought about it. I think that may work out. She decided. Then I'll ring you for supper once I am done with the boy.

Perfect. I'll look forward to seeing you then. Don't scare the boy too much. Edward told her. She let go of his arm, letting him begin to walk away, back towards his private living quarters. She would never admit it out loud, let alone to Edward, but she was somewhat jealous that Edward had his own private cottage on top of the hill that overlooked the university where he did not have to interact with the rest of the student body unless he chose to while she was made to live in a dormitory room close to everyone else in three rooms that were not large enough to hold her things.

Ah well, she thought. Edward had been through enough in life just within the last few years. He deserved to live in a cottage he could