She led them through the palace to the back wall that led to the organ room. Like many major cities, Illbyi’s walls were built to amplify the organ’s music so that it could be heard everywhere in the city and for miles around. This setup allowed the city to defend itself from magical attacks as they could easily be dispelled from this central location.
Iscano stood in the hall arms crossed, mouth twisted, and brows furrowed. When he saw them, he stepped forward.
“You’re late!” he snapped, “I don’t know where you’ve played before, but here—”
Shaelis stepped in front of Ceilsea and interjected, “I’m sorry. Surveying the city took longer than I thought.”
The confusion on Iscano’s face told Ceilsea that he didn’t know what Shaelis was talking about either. She said, “It’s just a minute or two. If you hurry, most people won’t notice.”
“That’s not the— Nevermind. Come. Now,” Iscano snapped, leading Shaelis into the organ room. Ceilsea slipped in as well, uninvited but undeterred. The small cramped room only contained the keyboard for the organ and the twisting pipes that disappeared into the walls, only to emerge outside a few feet later. The place brought back pleasant memories to Ceilsea. Even though it was tiny and barren, the room felt cozy and comforting.
Shaelis sat at the bench without prompting and began to turn and pull knobs and levers.
“Do you have any questions?” Iscano asked.
“No. I can handle it.”
“I’ll be listening from atop the walls so make sure you cover everything.”
Shaelis stopped for a moment and met Iscano’s eyes, “I can’t promise it’ll sound exactly like what you are used to, but I will dispel everything, I promise.”
“I—Fine. I’ll take you at your word,” Iscano said. It seemed he wanted to argue, but the time restraint prevented him.
Ceilsea followed Iscano out of the room and up to the top of the walls of the castle without a word. As they walked along the wall to get away from the organ that would echo off the stone of the overhang, the wind brushed by. After they were ten to twenty feet away, Shaelis started. Notes floated through the air. They were unfamiliar, quick, and flowing, like a cascading waterfall. Large torrents of chords surrounded by the soft spitting of individual notes. When they reached almost the far corner of the palace, Ceilsea sat on the edge of the wall and listened.
Just like when Shae played the previous night in the tavern, the music reached into her soul and it felt like hers, even though she knew the whole city could hear it. Because of the nature of dispelling, the flow of the music went from low to high and everywhere in between. It wasn’t the usual dispelling song, but it was similar. Iscano had his arms crossed.
“You’ve got to admit, despite being late, they are very good,” Ceilsea told him, head swaying with a long run of notes. Her legs pumped independently to the beat.
“I want to be upset that they didn’t stick to the dispelling song, but…I can’t blame them,” Iscano said with a sigh. Ceilsea stopped. Iscano sat beside her. He continued, “I used to tweak the wayzard cannon for my amusement. I played songs differently depending on the day and had favorites that changed with the wind. I gave that all up when I got married.”
Unlike her parents, Ceilsea knew the Admiral and High Wayzard had married for love. Even she had heard stories of the whirlwind romance between the navy captain and young wandering wayzard, before they earned the positions they held today.
“That’s why they differentiate between musicians and wayzards—one is a tool and the other is an artist,” Ceilsea noted.
“I may have become a stickler for tradition, I admit. I understand their desire to be free. I may not be quite as good with improvisation, but I used to live for the adrenaline of playing on the fly for my sparring partners. At their age, I probably would have taken a chance too. I have no idea how they compose and react on the fly though.” Iscano said, shaking his head. “They say this will dispel everything, but how do they know without playing it first?”
Ceilsea couldn’t answer. It was obviously their ability to feel magic, but even she couldn’t comprehend translating that feeling to sound or song. Not to mention, the Evening Song was supposed to dispel everything. Did Shae really need to deviate from the standard song? Was it for their own enjoyment? This song sounded different than last night when Shae was playing for fun, like they were following rules that she didn’t comprehend.
“They are a wayzard first, as far as I can tell. They want to dispel magic, not just play music,” she finally answered.
“They are unlike any wayzard I’ve known, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” Iscano told her and stood again to listen to the rest of the song.
Ceilsea couldn’t help but get absorbed in the song once more. Usually, she felt a release, a relief, after the Evening Song due to her sensitivity to magic, but today she felt lighter. It felt good, and it sounded wonderful. After the disappointments at the tournament, surely this redeemed Shaelis.
When the song ended, Iscano returned to the organ room and thanked Shaelis for the performance. There was a stiff exchange of formalities before Iscano left. Then Ceilsea grabbed Shaelis hand.
“That was amazing! Even Iscano liked it, which is definitely a compliment,” she said with a laugh before pulling their hand, directing them to the side of the keyboard.
“I was just doing a job,” Shaelis muttered. “What are you doing?”
“Since we’re here and you’re in a bad mood, I thought I’d show you something,” she explained. She’d realized while listening to the music, they had been curt before to hide their anxiousness. The panel under the keyboard popped open even after all these years.
“I’m not in a bad mood. I’m just… frustrated. I can’t keep losing or I won’t even get to the champion rounds,” they explained. Surprisingly, they waited as she slipped in the small space, amongst the organ pipes. It was tighter than she remembered, but when she tugged at Shaelis to follow her, there was just enough room for both of them.
“Vonae said you are improving. Stressing and worrying is only going to make things worse,” she told them.
“I should practice, not…what are we doing?”
“This is where I used to go when we first moved to the capital. Vonae was always gone on his missions. My parents were busy with their new positions, and there was more magic around than I was used to. I didn’t feel comfortable in the courtyard at first, all out in the open, in a strange place, so I came here to get away when I felt overwhelmed,” Ceilsea explained. The only light came through the open panel so she could barely see them, but she could see the shadows move as they fidgeted. More importantly she felt the cold metal of the pipes around them, smooth and sturdy. Sometimes the wind would blow and they would vibrate. After a pause, she continued, “I thought maybe you needed a place like that right now.”
Shaelis was still. Ceilsea could hear them breathing. Then they whispered, “I don’t have a chance of becoming a champion, do I?”
Ceilsea grasped in the low light until she found their hand. “The whole capital will know who you are after tonight. You said yourself people will give almost anything to people with talent. You just have to take it. The details are trifles that will work themselves out.”
“Do you really believe that?” they asked.
“I used to doubt my work. I was afraid the king would get tired of me and kick my whole family out of the palace. After a while, I learned not to expect the worst. Over time, the new and unfamiliar places and people start to feel normal, and you feel more and more confident each day. Trust me. You can succeed. You have the skill.”
Shae was silent and still once again. Then they sighed and replied, “I suppose for tonight, I’ll believe you.”
“Then tomorrow I’ll convince you all over again,” she told them with a smile.
“Did you really stay here all alone?” Shae asked. They shifted, relaxing their shoulders.
“I’d look up into the organ for hours. It is cool in the summer and completely absent of magic. Iscano almost caught me a few times…” she laughed remembering her pitiful distractions that somehow worked long enough to let her slip away. She’d lost a bracelet that way.
“You don’t have to tell me the virtues of a hiding place. I’m basically a master of finding spots other people wouldn’t even dream of looking for,” they said and she could tell they were smiling now too.
“You mean like climbing over random walls and hiding under bushes?” she asked.
“I was desperate.”
“So was I, back then.” She told them, motioning to their surroundings. “What was it like playing this beast?”
They sat and talked about Shaelis’ performance and the organ for a while. After a while, Ceilsea noticed Shae starting to yawn. They were exhausted after a long day. Ceilsea led them back to the courtyard and made sure they were settled under their bush before leaving them alone to sleep. Still exhilarated by their performance, Ceilsea worked late into the night on her clay model. She didn’t even see the note on her pillow from the king before she almost fell into bed. She groaned when she read that he wanted to have breakfast with her in the morning. She attempted to get some sleep before she had to be up and functional.
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