Delphinium, or A Necromancer's Home (TCoLaD Book 2)

Sabine

~ (Continued) Vijfday, 10th of Aprilis, 11831 ~

Lady Sabine set up tea for four. She wished to speak with her son about the duc, who she had not yet had the pleasure of formally meeting, and hoped he would join them as well. The last seat was an invitation for Mora.

After pouring herself a cup she took a sip and looked at the metal cage that sat on the table. It was small and decorative, vines and flowers making up the bars, a chain transforming it into a purse she could carry around. Within it there sat a large spider.

"Aranea," she whispered. Her familiar looked up at her and crawled out the open door. Sabine laid out her hand and let the tarantula walk up on to her palm.

"Would you be so kind as to find my son and ask him here?"

The spider bobbed her whole body in a nod and Sabine gently let her crawl off to the floor to scurry out of the room.

A spider was not a usual familiar, but she had not questioned Mora when, after killing the exotic spider in her youth (it had traveled in from a foreign land on trade ships and hidden in the fruits of an elaborate dessert), Death had come and told her to return the creature to life. Aranea had needed the rest of the day to forgive her for her death, but had become a close companion over their many years together. Of course she could not consume evidence as well as a larger animal, but weaving a cocoon around the largest parts she could dissolve anything that might be damning to her mistress. Magic was a wonderful thing.

As she finished her cup her son knocked and entered the room. His hands were cupped together in front of him and he gently placed Aranea on the small table. The spider crawled back into her traveling-space.

"Maman, good afternoon," Vivien said, sitting across from her and smiling to Aranea. He was fond of the spider and made sure new servants were aware to leave the animal alone. Sabine poured her son a cup of tea and added the honey and cream he liked; his tastes had not changed since childhood.

"I believe we should tell our dear duc about my cræft," she said without preamble. "You said that you believe he is a Suitor as well?"

"His cat feels like Aranea and Magec," her son confirmed with a grimace. She knew he could not explain it further, but understood nonetheless. He had never wanted to study the dark magic, quite disliking it in fact, but he had been born in it. There was an affiliation whether he desired it or not.

"He needs support," Sabine said. "I do not know who his teacher is, though I have an idea, but it seems he is here all on his own save for some castle guards."

"He brought Lady Elizabeth, and Lord Ophion's student."

"His student now," she corrected, thinking that Wolfram was likely being taught magic as well as medicine. She had noticed the boy's gloved hands and few young men of that age that were not noble kept to such strict guidelines of attire without reason. "And true, but they are both younger than he, and neither are of this land. He has aid for his politics, you chief among them, but for more than that?"

Sabine stood and walked over to a cabinet to pull out parchment, ink, and a glass pen. She wrote out a missive to the duc, asking his attendance for tea if he should so desire it, and signed the letter. A servant was summoned to take it to him.

"I do not believe it should be encouraged," Vivien said after she sat and they were alone again.

Sabine smoothed her skirts. "It is not your place to discourage the duc of what he desires," she said, adjusting the silver snood that held her black hair.

"It is dark magic. If he is practicing it and is caught, he will die. We will be without a true duc once again!"

It was an argument the two of them had had many times, though usually Sabine was the one that ended up dead in the scenario. That it was likely what would happen to her in the end had not stopped her before.