“What was that?” One of the Nobles shouted.
“Resonance. Their magic likes each other. Jace has quickly learnt to control the magic increase and stabilize it while it was in flux, it was still in flux when Aquaria used magic to heal him hence why it didn’t happen then. Now that it has well this happened. These two should remain out of touching distance until we get to the capital in a warded location before they seal the bond.” Kimberley then said.
The other Spears nodded at that. And I was mentally kicking myself because I had forgotten about that very thing. All thoughts of it could be completely forgotten, all I wanted to do was hold him close to me. And I bet the feeling was the same with Jace but he was hiding it well but I could almost feel it. Like a distant voice on the wind.
“Of course, Aquaria is over sixty years old, and is in full mastery of her powers and should have known better, since I trained her.” Hawke then said.
I looked down at the chastisement from my tutor and ancestor.
“Is there something I should know about here?” The Queen then asked.
Christian looked at the King then turned his head towards the Nobles of the Privy Council, then back to the King. I knew what this meant. Christian had decided to let the entire royal family know the nature of the Spears as well I guessed as explaining the whole situation to Jace. Normally myself along with Ander and Jessica would explain it to him. Well just Ander and Jessica, but they couldn’t stop me from following them.
“Could you please excuse us, I am asking here, but that will be an order if you protest.” The King said in his commanding tone as he turned his head towards the Nobles.
“Of course you’re Majesty.” The Grand Chamberlain said, saluted and then gestured to the rest.
They waited until they cleared the room and then Christian nodded to Jessica. This was a signal for her to construct a shroud around the room to stop anyone from spying. The narrowing from Jace’s eyes said to me that he felt it also. The half grin on his face also told me that he knew exactly what Jessica had crafted.
“This is kept between us, King Morio knows of it, and he will pass it to Crown Prince Jal. But have you ever wondered why we have paired up and married Queen Akane?” Christian asked her.
“I have wondered, I thought it is because since you live long lives that it would be too painful to live through the years taking one partner after another, watching someone you loved grow older while you stay unchanged by time.” She answered.
“A romantic notion but partly true.” Ander then said.
This earned an eye roll from Jessica.
“The reason we pair up is because the Spears make it that way. You know about the bows? Its well publicised that they like us are paired up and married. The magic inherent in the weapon turns the pair into a single magical unit. It means the magic between the two is amplified, made stronger, working together yields better results then if we was alone. Your all Mages, you all felt it when they touched. Aquaria is the strongest of us, it is why she was able to kill the Stone Scythe who was the leader of the Scythes and had been from the very forging of the Scythe. Well Jace here is the same strength as her. The magic they do could cause a national disaster especially at the moment since he is not exactly in full control of his magic.” Kimberley explained.
“The Spears was made in pairs, the owners of them have an attraction corresponding with said pair. Magic nature is also part of it. Ten of us have magic that works well with each other, the only pair that is in opposition with each other is Steve and Sarah. He is some mixture of water and wind to make ice, she is a mixture of earth and fire. It would explain why it took them both fifty years before they even considered starting to court each other.” Gina then said.
Well that explained it to me and really I should have known that Jace complimented my own magic, I would say that the natures complimented each other almost too well. I was struggling to fight the compulsion from not being in contact with Jace.
“And this is to be kept secret because?” The Queen asked.
“Accepting the Spear increases our powers more than what we have said. Going through the bonding means we are in effect not twelve but more in the line of twenty four, if you understand my meaning.” Carrie answered.
“And why the secrecy?” One of the Princesses asked.
“Can you not think of the reason?” The Crown Prince asked.
“I haven’t covered National Security Strategy yet.” She said grumpily.
“You just answered the question.” He said smugly
Even Jace nodded. He had definitely been trained to a lot higher standard then what the state says for his age group. If I was to put it in another way. Jace appeared to be a lot older then his peers.
“Even Lord Jace understood it without even knowing the details.” Prince Jal then said.
“How? He is the same age as us and hasn’t had the same level of education that we have had.” The other said with a bit of a snide tone.
The Princesses had this way of thinking like most of the Nobility did. I no longer thought like that. If it wasn’t for the sigils they was wearing which depicted Water and Wind, one for each and also the weapons they carried then even I couldn’t tell them apart. Princess Christina and Aura looked a mirror of their mother. Christina was a Wind Element Mage and carried a Wand-Dagger. Princess Aura a Water Mage and carried a sword, one from the north eastern country of Sword called a Katana. The Queen who was from Sword due to a long standing alliance with Spear also carried one.
“Did you listen to the report assessment? He corrected an instructor of Strategy, was trained by Strike Aces, which I might add do more than military action and defence. Correct Lord of Storms?” Prince Jal then asked him.
Jace inclined his head.
“Yes that is correct, Strike Aces are not only field commanders, but also infiltration specialists, intelligence gathering, behind enemy lines operations, threat prevention and neutralisation... things like that, the fun stuff really.” He then rattled off and was grinning broadly.
“It seems that you know more then you should have Jace.” The King then said with a bemused smile.
“My parents trained me more than what was actually reported.” He looked a little guilty as he admitted that little nugget of truth.
“In what way?” Christian asked him quickly. I felt happy that I had guessed correctly. It was what he said and the implications of it that shocked me.
“There is a reason why they would allow to do combat against superior forces while being a Cadet. They trained me to replace them if anything would happen.” He said with a sigh almost like he didn’t want to admit everything.
“How far along are you in full Strike Aces Training?” Jessica asked me, sounding tired for some reason.
Jace just grinned at her. And I was surprised at the list he gave.
“My parents had also assessed me, I am unsuited for more of the darker stuff, but Full Tactical Combat, Holding and Guerrilla Tactics along with Hostage Extraction, Skirmishing, Supply Line Disruption, Target and Threat Assessment, Priority Call and Assassination along with full Command and Control. Not only do I have Sight Lens but also Wind Speak and complete Shroud Penetration but also Wind Ear and other Battle Operator Spells in conjunction with Combat Operator spells and skills.”
“That is quite a resume, when exactly did you start training?” Prince Jal then asked him.
“As soon as I first snapped. Age six.”
“As you are now, what is it that you that you are lacking to be completely operational?” Christian asked him almost dreading what he would respond with.
I was just stunned a little by how he gave up the information without much prodding. Usually when speaking to anyone from the family of Thunderwind getting answers out of them was like trying to drag a horse through mud.
“State Certification and Control of my current magic.” He replied coolly and there was a hint of confidence to his voice.
This was no prideful boast. He really was ready to be operational and I laughed along with the rest of the Spears and Monarchs.
“You said Threat Assessment, is that long range or personal?” The King then asked.
“Both.” He replied except this time he hide the note of confidence in his voice.
He was completely serious in just what that one word meant.
“That makes things easier, after this meeting you will be assigned to the Royal College assignment.” The King then said.
He looked bemused at that and raised an eyebrow at that statement.
“With all due respect you’re Majesty but what does that mean?” He asked and it was respectful but I think teasing at the same time.
“My daughter’s will be attending the Royal College, I will be assigning four of you as protection detail, Jessica and Ander will be there as Instructors as it’s their time, you are also being mentored by them so that is more reason for you to go, and I think Aquaria should also be included, not only will it mean the pair of you will get time to work with each other but she is excellent in close range fighter and is also a healer.” The King then said.
I had to raise my eyebrows at the inclusion of myself.
“Resonance. Their magic likes each other. Jace has quickly learnt to control the magic increase and stabilize it while it was in flux, it was still in flux when Aquaria used magic to heal him hence why it didn’t happen then. Now that it has well this happened. These two should remain out of touching distance until we get to the capital in a warded location before they seal the bond.” Kimberley then said.
The other Spears nodded at that. And I was mentally kicking myself because I had forgotten about that very thing. All thoughts of it could be completely forgotten, all I wanted to do was hold him close to me. And I bet the feeling was the same with Jace but he was hiding it well but I could almost feel it. Like a distant voice on the wind.
“Of course, Aquaria is over sixty years old, and is in full mastery of her powers and should have known better, since I trained her.” Hawke then said.
I looked down at the chastisement from my tutor and ancestor.
“Is there something I should know about here?” The Queen then asked.
Christian looked at the King then turned his head towards the Nobles of the Privy Council, then back to the King. I knew what this meant. Christian had decided to let the entire royal family know the nature of the Spears as well I guessed as explaining the whole situation to Jace. Normally myself along with Ander and Jessica would explain it to him. Well just Ander and Jessica, but they couldn’t stop me from following them.
“Could you please excuse us, I am asking here, but that will be an order if you protest.” The King said in his commanding tone as he turned his head towards the Nobles.
“Of course you’re Majesty.” The Grand Chamberlain said, saluted and then gestured to the rest.
They waited until they cleared the room and then Christian nodded to Jessica. This was a signal for her to construct a shroud around the room to stop anyone from spying. The narrowing from Jace’s eyes said to me that he felt it also. The half grin on his face also told me that he knew exactly what Jessica had crafted.
“This is kept between us, King Morio knows of it, and he will pass it to Crown Prince Jal. But have you ever wondered why we have paired up and married Queen Akane?” Christian asked her.
“I have wondered, I thought it is because since you live long lives that it would be too painful to live through the years taking one partner after another, watching someone you loved grow older while you stay unchanged by time.” She answered.
“A romantic notion but partly true.” Ander then said.
This earned an eye roll from Jessica.
“The reason we pair up is because the Spears make it that way. You know about the bows? Its well publicised that they like us are paired up and married. The magic inherent in the weapon turns the pair into a single magical unit. It means the magic between the two is amplified, made stronger, working together yields better results then if we was alone. Your all Mages, you all felt it when they touched. Aquaria is the strongest of us, it is why she was able to kill the Stone Scythe who was the leader of the Scythes and had been from the very forging of the Scythe. Well Jace here is the same strength as her. The magic they do could cause a national disaster especially at the moment since he is not exactly in full control of his magic.” Kimberley explained.
“The Spears was made in pairs, the owners of them have an attraction corresponding with said pair. Magic nature is also part of it. Ten of us have magic that works well with each other, the only pair that is in opposition with each other is Steve and Sarah. He is some mixture of water and wind to make ice, she is a mixture of earth and fire. It would explain why it took them both fifty years before they even considered starting to court each other.” Gina then said.
Well that explained it to me and really I should have known that Jace complimented my own magic, I would say that the natures complimented each other almost too well. I was struggling to fight the compulsion from not being in contact with Jace.
“And this is to be kept secret because?” The Queen asked.
“Accepting the Spear increases our powers more than what we have said. Going through the bonding means we are in effect not twelve but more in the line of twenty four, if you understand my meaning.” Carrie answered.
“And why the secrecy?” One of the Princesses asked.
“Can you not think of the reason?” The Crown Prince asked.
“I haven’t covered National Security Strategy yet.” She said grumpily.
“You just answered the question.” He said smugly
Even Jace nodded. He had definitely been trained to a lot higher standard then what the state says for his age group. If I was to put it in another way. Jace appeared to be a lot older then his peers.
“Even Lord Jace understood it without even knowing the details.” Prince Jal then said.
“How? He is the same age as us and hasn’t had the same level of education that we have had.” The other said with a bit of a snide tone.
The Princesses had this way of thinking like most of the Nobility did. I no longer thought like that. If it wasn’t for the sigils they was wearing which depicted Water and Wind, one for each and also the weapons they carried then even I couldn’t tell them apart. Princess Christina and Aura looked a mirror of their mother. Christina was a Wind Element Mage and carried a Wand-Dagger. Princess Aura a Water Mage and carried a sword, one from the north eastern country of Sword called a Katana. The Queen who was from Sword due to a long standing alliance with Spear also carried one.
“Did you listen to the report assessment? He corrected an instructor of Strategy, was trained by Strike Aces, which I might add do more than military action and defence. Correct Lord of Storms?” Prince Jal then asked him.
Jace inclined his head.
“Yes that is correct, Strike Aces are not only field commanders, but also infiltration specialists, intelligence gathering, behind enemy lines operations, threat prevention and neutralisation... things like that, the fun stuff really.” He then rattled off and was grinning broadly.
“It seems that you know more then you should have Jace.” The King then said with a bemused smile.
“My parents trained me more than what was actually reported.” He looked a little guilty as he admitted that little nugget of truth.
“In what way?” Christian asked him quickly. I felt happy that I had guessed correctly. It was what he said and the implications of it that shocked me.
“There is a reason why they would allow to do combat against superior forces while being a Cadet. They trained me to replace them if anything would happen.” He said with a sigh almost like he didn’t want to admit everything.
“How far along are you in full Strike Aces Training?” Jessica asked me, sounding tired for some reason.
Jace just grinned at her. And I was surprised at the list he gave.
“My parents had also assessed me, I am unsuited for more of the darker stuff, but Full Tactical Combat, Holding and Guerrilla Tactics along with Hostage Extraction, Skirmishing, Supply Line Disruption, Target and Threat Assessment, Priority Call and Assassination along with full Command and Control. Not only do I have Sight Lens but also Wind Speak and complete Shroud Penetration but also Wind Ear and other Battle Operator Spells in conjunction with Combat Operator spells and skills.”
“That is quite a resume, when exactly did you start training?” Prince Jal then asked him.
“As soon as I first snapped. Age six.”
“As you are now, what is it that you that you are lacking to be completely operational?” Christian asked him almost dreading what he would respond with.
I was just stunned a little by how he gave up the information without much prodding. Usually when speaking to anyone from the family of Thunderwind getting answers out of them was like trying to drag a horse through mud.
“State Certification and Control of my current magic.” He replied coolly and there was a hint of confidence to his voice.
This was no prideful boast. He really was ready to be operational and I laughed along with the rest of the Spears and Monarchs.
“You said Threat Assessment, is that long range or personal?” The King then asked.
“Both.” He replied except this time he hide the note of confidence in his voice.
He was completely serious in just what that one word meant.
“That makes things easier, after this meeting you will be assigned to the Royal College assignment.” The King then said.
He looked bemused at that and raised an eyebrow at that statement.
“With all due respect you’re Majesty but what does that mean?” He asked and it was respectful but I think teasing at the same time.
“My daughter’s will be attending the Royal College, I will be assigning four of you as protection detail, Jessica and Ander will be there as Instructors as it’s their time, you are also being mentored by them so that is more reason for you to go, and I think Aquaria should also be included, not only will it mean the pair of you will get time to work with each other but she is excellent in close range fighter and is also a healer.” The King then said.
I had to raise my eyebrows at the inclusion of myself.
