City of Mages

Chapter 5: Quenti

The idiot girl left Quenti alone in her—their—room shortly after she had thrown her bag down, not even bothering to change. Quenti had to bite her tongue to stop herself from commenting on the stench of l'lama on the other girl's clothes. She doubted she smelled much better.

Once Alara was gone, Quenti found herself slumped on the other girl's bed, her mind racing and body tense with anxiety. She went over the conversations between the councilwoman and Alara again in her mind.

She may have a prison guard for a roommate, but it seemed her guard wasn't even that good at using her powers. No, it was more than that. This girl didn't even like to use her powers. A stupid girl, indeed. If the councilwoman—Senye Emaru, Quenti recalled her name—thought Alara was going to be able to keep Quenti under control, then she was just as foolish as Alara.

Quenti fingered the gold cuff bracelet that rested on her wrist. Senye Emaru had genially locked the damn thing on her arm, as if Quenti wasn't aware she was effectively being cuffed by this woman.

"Don't worry," Senye Emaru had said. "All magites wear this at some point in their careers."

As soon as the metal had closed around Quenti's wrist, a pressure settled in her gut.

Now, looking at the bracelet, it was unassuming and simple in design. It stretched about two finger lengths in width, with a small piece of quartz acting as a clasp where the ends met. There didn't appear to be any specific locking mechanism, and yet as Quenti fingered the metal, she couldn't find a way to open it back up. The metal held tight against her wrist, too tight to slip back over her hand.

Grimly, Quenti reached for her magia, her fears realized as she felt the weight pressing against her. She could still touch it, grasping it lightly and tugging at it in her mind, but it felt weakened and clunky as she manipulated it.

Quenti waved her hand toward the small basin of water that sat in an alcove in the corner. The clear water rose up in small droplets and Quenti let them spread out through the air, covering the room in a mist. With a sharp jab that seemed to take more energy than it should have, the cloud swirled and condensed again into a small funnel of water, hovering and dancing through the air. She couldn't help the small bubble of relief that hummed through her as the water danced around the room. The bracelet seemed to dampen her strength, but she still had her powers.

In an ironic twist, even with her abilities dulled, she was, for the first time in her life, free to use them without fear. Back in Hurazon, she had always used them in secret, with one eye focused on her rear. At every turn, she expected to be caught—by a peer, another villager, by—

Quenti stopped her thoughts there. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to get her out of here any faster, and neither was making pretty patterns with water.

She had just sent the water splashing back into the basin when there was a knock on the door. She immediately jumped up, back straight, like a child caught stealing sweets.

"Um...come in?" Quenti sneered slightly at the waver in her own voice.

The door swung open silently and Quenti saw a mage—no, a magite—a few feet back from the door, their arms completely full with some type of roll.

"I got a bed for you. Well...a mattress, anyhow." The young boy said, shrugging. "They said they would get a frame in here for you by tomorrow."

Quenti nodded and vaguely waved her arms to invite the boy in.

He took two steps into the room before spinning on his heels and looking around, an eyebrow raised.

Quenti scrunched her own face up as she took in what he was noticing. The entire floor of the room was littered with clothes, books, and literal weapons. A long spear was peeking out from under a rough woolen dress, the bronze tip blinking sharply in the torchlight of the room. Quenti had been so caught up in her own head to notice the state of Alara's quarters.