Date: 9-4-165

  Life in the palace is more restrictive than I anticipated. Nadine spoke with the chamberlain, and her requests to allow Jacque to continue our tutoring sessions on palace grounds have been summarily denied. Perhaps I could have persuaded her, but the chamberlain refuses to meet with me.

  I suppose I could travel to the city below to continue my lessons, but it’s difficult to justify the additional time this would take out of my day. In a way, I feel trapped here, given how regimented my schedule has suddenly become. Isn’t that an absurd notion? It’s not as if I spent any great amount of time wandering the city when I lived at the Seaborne Estate.

  In different circumstances, I would have jumped at the chance to explore. The palace itself is quite expansive and would offer ample opportunity. As impressive as it is, the structure that sits at the top of the cliffs only represents a small portion of the palace’s area. There are levels upon levels of living quarters, banquet halls, offices, museums, vaults, and balconies that look out over the sea. While I haven’t seen much of this with my own eyes, if what I’ve heard is true, then the palace of House Valia is larger even than the imperial palace back home.

  Ah, but I have had other concerns, of course. The members of House Valia have specific and extensive needs in regards to their medical care, and Nadine and I have thrown ourselves into researching these needs. There’s a greater emphasis on preventative care here, bolstering the body’s functions so that it remains vital and illness-free well into old age. It somehow hadn’t occurred to me that such a thing would be possible, but in retrospect, it seems a natural application of Theramancy.

  If all goes well, I hope to have the ear of Governor Valia in short order. The man apparently requires frequent treatments, and so I expect to have ample opportunity to impress upon him the virtue of our cause.

  One must have hope in the face of these things. Certainly, it is more important than ever. You see, we had our first appointment with the Lord Governor today…

  ***

  One expects, logically, that the rulers of the city would make their quarters in the highest reaches of the palace. Instead, we met Governor Valia in a room halfway down the cliffside. The chamber was filled with a thin layer of steam that seemed to cling to my skin, and the walls and floors were a marbled white and aquamarine. The Lord Governor was already there, sitting on a low bench with his back to us. The entire wall before him was crystal glass, remarkably clear in spite of the steam, and he looked out across the waves in meditative silence.

  He wore nothing but a pair of short pants.

  “Lord Governor,” Nadine said, curtsying as she entered. (I instinctively bowed, as one would do back home, but nobody seemed to notice my faux pas.)

  Governor Valia grunted in reply, not bothering to look back at us.

  Nadine took a deep breath, and then she strode further into the room. As for myself, I would say I crept more than strode. For all my determination, recollections of our last meeting sprang unbidden into my mind—his boorish attitude, his witless comments, his gawking stare. Somehow, we made our way forward, one foot in front of the other, and it was only after we were halfway across that I noticed that Nadine’s advance was just as halting as mine.

  I imagine the nature of her trepidation was rooted more in the fact that this man was, for all intents and purposes, her king.

  And then we were before him. From behind, his great frame had seemed powerful and serene, like an enlightened king, but from the front, it became clear that he was somewhat hunched and sagging in places.

  “May I?” Nadine asked, and again he gave a neutral grunt. She stretched up onto her toes, trying to get a look into his eyes, and he idly swatted her away from his view. She took out her stethoscope (a curious implement that allows her to better hear the beating of her patient’s heart) and pressed it against his chest.

  “Hey!” He seemed to properly notice her for the first time. “That’s blasted cold!”

  “This will only take a moment,” Nadine said, doing her level best to sound professional. To her credit, her voice only wavered a little. “I just need to give you a little examination before we begin. I’m sure your old doctor did the exact same thing. Ehm, Lord Governor.”

  He looked at her with slack-jawed annoyance. “He most certainly did not.”

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  “But… Not even once?” Nadine took on a legitimately chiding tone, her training as a physician finally overtaking her fear of offending his lordship. “You should have this done at least once every four years, you know.”

  “I am the descendant of a god,” Governor Valia said simply. “Gods do not need examinations.”

  Nadine looked at him, eyes wide, for a long moment. “If you say so, Lord Governor. Since we’re skipping the exam, are there any…aches or pains you’d like me to look at today?”

  Governor Valia groaned and rolled his eyes. “My previous doctor also didn’t ask so many questions. Or talk. At all. Just do your work, will you?” He lifted his head to once again gaze past us out to the sea. “My time is precious, you know.”

  She gave him another curtsy and then pulled me aside.

  “Muscular integration for posture. Perhaps some digestive work, assuming he eats like the rest of the aristocrats in this city,” she whispered to me. “That’s all I can think of if he won’t let us examine him. Unless you have any other ideas?”

  I shook my head, and I swear I detected a hint of a smile on Nadine’s face. Relief, perhaps, that I was no longer determined to outshine her in her own field.

  We set to work at once. During our preparations, we decided that Nadine would manage the shaping of the spells while I fed aether into them. One benefit to this simplified approach was that it would allow me to easily maintain my language spell.

  It was effective enough, and we continued on in this fashion for several minutes before Governor Valia asked one of his famous questions.

  “Why is the odd-looking one dancing?”

  Nadine glanced at me. This was my opportunity to open a dialogue with him, to really impress the Lord Governor.

  “It is the special exercise that helps me focus,” I said.

  It’s rather unfortunate that I couldn’t think of anything impressive to say.

  He let out a thoughtful hum. “What’s that accent?”

  Eager as I was to speak with him, I was wholly unprepared for his interrogation. “Please, my lord,” I said, hoping he might give me a moment to collect myself. “The spellwork is delicate.”

  At around that time, the harmonies of Nadine’s Theramancy began to thrum into Governor Valia’s body. It was a most curious effect; the threads of aether I had cast along Nadine’s spell began to…vibrate, you might say. It was as though the Lord Governor’s body was a bell, resonating and ringing out in the tone of magic.

  You may recall my experiences in the clinic, before, working with Nadine to treat Heartless patients. Their bodies, by contrast, seemed to almost reject our spells. Did Theramancy work by somehow interacting with one’s innate magical willpower? This experience indicated that it well might. I sensed there were deeper implications here, ideas just beyond my understanding, and I was momentarily awed as the aether flowed back into me.

  “I say!” Governor Valia shouted. “That’s— It’s a bit strong, isn’t it!”

  Nadine put a hand on my arm, and I withdrew my aether. The moment had passed. And if his body was so eager to accept healing magic, it seemed my assistance might not be so necessary after all.

  Shaking his shoulders loose, Governor Valia looked us over with a glint of curiosity. “I’ll not have any tricks or pranks like that again, understand? These spa sessions are meant to revitalize, but that was a step beyond.”

  “Of course, Lord Governor,” Nadine said absently.

  His gaze drifted back out to sea. In spite of his complaint, there was a faint look of wonder on his face. Perhaps our show of magical force had stirred something within him, or perhaps he was simply remembering an interesting story. I couldn’t help but believe that we had awed him, however. This was the opportunity I sought.

  “My Lord Governor Valia,” I said. “If I may speak directly, there is an important matter I want to bring before you.”

  “It seems,” Governor Valia said, “that I am burdened to hear you out whether I care to or not.” There was no sense of wonder in his voice, after all.

  But I had already committed. Though it may well have been a terrible mistake, I felt my momentum behind me. Nadine made no attempt to stop me, either, though it was likely she wanted nothing more to do with my mission to save you.

  “My boat sank into the ocean last year,” I said.

  “In spite of what you may have heard, I’m not responsible for everything the ocean does.”

  “I did not think that was so, my lord. But it is that my husband was on board.”

  “My condolences.” He yawned.

  “I wish to petition you,” I said, speaking with greater fervor in the face of his indifference. “I am very little next to your magnificence, lord, but I beg of you to help me. You have the power to retrieve his body.” I offered him a low bow, using the gesture to hide my trembling arms.

  Governor Valia spared me a moment’s glance. “You are an odd one.”

  I kept my head down, awaiting his response, but no answer came. At last, I asked him, “Will you consider my humble request?”

  “No.”

  Still I remained standing before him, electric tension shooting through my body. Everything hinged on this moment, and Governor Valia was entirely disinterested. “I understand. Yes, it is a difficult thing that I ask. But I believe you will find that my cause is worthy. If you would—”

  “Is she still asking me about this?” he asked Nadine, but she merely averted her gaze.

  “Lord Governor Valia, if my husband’s body is not—”

  He abruptly rose. “That’s done it. My treatment is ruined, and now I won’t be able to concentrate on anything all day. I just know it. An entire day, shot.” He glared at Nadine, a rare moment of focus on his previously vacant face. She stumbled backwards involuntarily. “Control your apprentice or your time here will be short.”

  With that, he strode from the chamber.

  ***

  We haven’t been dismissed, at least not yet. Nadine seemed quite shaken at how the treatment ended. I admit that I was, too, at first, but the feeling has passed, curiously enough. Even if this first attempt ended in failure, I’m still closer than ever to having you back.

  I do recognize the need to be more cautious. A direct approach will not work with these House Valia nobles. But if I bide my time and stay vigilant, an opportunity will present itself.

  And when it does, I promise to you, I will take it.