She couldn’t believe her ears. “Your mother is the Dragon Witch?”
Taliesin smiled sheepishly. “I’m afraid so. She’s quite a legend, isn’t she? It seems everyone’s heard of her thanks to that incident concerning Her Highness. I don’t know how true the rumors are—whether she extracted that particular promise from His Majesty or not.”
“Is she the type of person who would do that?”
He sighed. “Sadly, yes. She probably wouldn’t have gotten involved in an armed conflict, though. That bit could be exaggerated.”
“Yeah, that would be a bit much, even for Lady Gertrude,” Arthur said, making Rhiannon jump. When had he joined them? “Anyway, since you came all this way, you might as well stay for dinner. I’m making something curried.” His gaze twinkled conspiratorially at Taliesin before smiling at Rhiannon. “I hope you like spicy.”
“Oh, we couldn’t possibly intrude,” Rhiannon said, shaking her head. “You weren’t expecting us, and it must be difficult cooking for two more people on such short notice.”
“Not for an apprentice warlock!” Arthur declared proudly. “I need to practice my spells anyway. You two wait here. It’ll be ready in a jiffy.” He vanished back into the kitchen, waving his hand to rescue those potatoes he’d dropped earlier.
“He probably wants the company,” Taliesin said, scanning the bookshelf Rhiannon had been looking through. “I think he’s been a bit bored on his own.” He took a particularly beat-up book from the shelf. The title read: Simple Spells and Potions: An Everyday Guide to the Extraordinary. “I’m surprised she still has this,” he murmured more to himself.
“What is it?”
“A workbook she had me learn from as a child.” He flipped through it. This potion or that stained each page. “I’m afraid I was a bit of a disappointment. I don’t have much talent despite my lineage. A little illusion magic and some music-based spells. Nothing more than the average bard can claim.”
Rhiannon was still impressed. “I doubt the average bard could manage that much.” Most people didn’t have a lick of magical talent, let alone those who decided to devote their lives to music and stories. While she’d seen one or two with sleight-of-hand mastered, none before Taliesin had real magical ability.
“Your kind words mean a lot,” he said with a smile. “Now shall we join Arthur in the kitchen? While I don’t doubt his abilities, I do worry that some potion or other has been left out that we’ll want to keep an eye on.”
By the time they entered the kitchen, the food was already dishing itself up for them. Generous helpings of the curry slopped themselves in bowls that Arthur waved toward the table. Despite Taliesin’s joke, no stray bottles or jars appeared to have been left out to accidentally be mixed in.
“I didn’t introduce myself before,” said the teenaged boy to Rhiannon, “but I’m Arthur, Dragon Witch Gertrude’s apprentice. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?”
“Sofia,” Rhiannon lied. It had taken some time, but every day the false name became easier to claim as her own. “It’s nice to meet you too, Arthur.”
The apprentice warlock blinked. “Sofia?” he repeated, sounding a little confused. He glanced to Taliesin, who subtly shook his head. He smoothed his perplexed expression over with a bright smile. “That’s a pretty name. Where are you from?”
“The capital.”
He was duly impressed. “Wow! That’s so far away! Taliesin, what were you doing in the capital?”
“Work. What else?” Taliesin pushed aside the various root vegetables in his dish and popped a chunk of meat into his mouth. Arthur gave him an unamused frown, and Taliesin quietly scooped a few abandoned carrots to appease their host. “We happened to be going the same way, so I offered to escort her.”
Not quite true, but Rhiannon went along with it. “He’s been a lot of help. I don’t think I would have made it this far without him.”
“Really?” Arthur smirked at Taliesin. “Sounds like you’ve been busy.”
“I already got all this from Tabitha,” Taliesin said with a yawn. “Unless you have something original, kindly drop it.”
“Aw, okay.” Arthur picked at his dinner for a moment. “Are you together?”
“Drop it, Arthur.”
“But seriously,” he insisted. “Are you two—”
“She has a fiancé,” Taliesin said, “and a lover she’s meeting up with to escape said fiancé.”
“Eh? You serious?” Arthur looked between the pair. “But there’s got to be something going on between you two, right?”
Taliesin sighed. “Arthur, it’s not like that.”
“Then why’d you bring her to Magia?”
Come to think of it, why had Taliesin brought her here? Rhiannon had been so preoccupied with her own troubles and the fantastical magic around her that she hadn’t stopped to question it. It couldn’t be just a detour for a simple visit, could it?
“Because it’s on the way to our destination, and I had a question for your teacher.”
“What about?” Arthur asked. “Maybe I can help.”
“Nothing so important that it can’t wait.” His eyes darted quickly to Rhiannon and back.
Anxiety sat heavy in her stomach. A question for the Dragon Witch. Had Taliesin figured out her real reason for traveling? Had he put together who she really was? Was he trying to rescue her without worrying her?
Rhiannon quietly set down her spoon. “Sorry,” she murmured, “could I ask you where the—?”
“Down the hall, second door on the right,” Arthur replied, pointing. “Lady Gertrude’s got it enchanted so that it’s bigger on the inside. Don’t be too surprised by it.”
Having experienced Merlin firsthand, Rhiannon had become strangely accustomed to houses doing as they pleased or ignoring the natural laws of the world. “Thank you.” She hurried away to splash some water on her face and give them a few minutes without her presence.