Kari was so comfortable that she slept past noon.  Not even the sunlight streaming in from the windows to the balcony in their bedroom woke her up.  Yunho’s arms seemed to have a restful effect on her.  Either that, or she was really tired.  Or both.  The two were not mutually exclusive events, after all. 

She opened her eyes to find Yunho staring down at her.

“Good morning.  Or should I say ‘good afternoon’?  I’m glad you got some sleep.”

“Oh, shut up.  I’m still mad at you.”

“You say that, but the smile on your face tells me a different story.”

Kari tried her best to make her smile go away.  It didn’t work.  Although, the smirk on Yunho’s face was more than a little annoying.  As comfortable as she was, the position they were in was a tad compromising.  And a little embarrassing.  She felt her face heating up as she realized just how close they really were.  Well, the fact that Yunho was pretty much on top of her didn’t help either.  Kari looked away from him, blushing, and gave him a moment to realize how they were positioned.  When he didn’t, she gave him her best glare.  Or, she tried to.  It was kind of hard to glare at someone while blushing furiously.

“Could you maybe get off, now?”

Yunho’s eyes widened.  “Oh…umm…sorry.”  He let go of her and quickly got off the bed.  He glanced around the room rather nervously, as if looking for an escape route.  Oh joy, not this again.  “I’ll just…see you at class, then.”  If he had walked out of the room any faster, he would’ve been running.  Kari rolled her eyes.  The closer she got to Yunho, the more frustrating he became. 

Picking her book up from the bedside table, Kari sighed.  The spell that had translated it into English for her had worn off sometime during the night.  Now, she had to get Nia to reapply the spell.  Again.  The whole not being able to read the language thing was more frustrating than Yunho’s insistence on avoiding her.  If she could just read, she might have been able to do some magic research on her own.  She had to find a way to help that maid walk again.

Kari made up her mind to talk to Reina again.  Her head felt clearer than it had in days.  Surely she could at least start magic classes again.  Her mind made up, she bathed, ate breakfast, and set out to find someone to take her to Reina.  Luckily, she didn’t have to look very far.  Yazin was walking right past her rooms as she walked out of them.

“Yazin!  Just the man I was looking for.  Can you take me to the Acyian t’Lialn?  I want to talk to Reina about something.”

He gave her a startled look.  “Is there a problem you need to speak with her about?  Are you feeling ill?

“No.  I just wanted to restart my magic lessons.”

“Oh, I see.  Well, Majesty, I was just about to head back to the university.  The Acyian t’Lialn is on the way.  I’ll take you there myself.”

“Thanks.”

“It is no problem, Majesty.  I am here to serve.”  His curious glance at her midsection sent alarm bells ringing in Kari’s head.  Oh yeah.  He’s still waiting for an heir.  Well, at the rate we’re going, this kingdom’s never going to get one.  With a slight bow of his head, Yazin set off down the hall, motioning for her to follow him.  He led the way to a side entrance to the palace that the general public had no access to and stopped as one of the gate attendants bowed to them.

“Majesty, High Wizard.  May I prepare transport for you?”

Kari opened to ask just what kind of transport when Yazin spoke over her.  “Yes.  A githa will do.  Quickly please.  I do not like to be kept waiting.”

What on Earth was a githa?  It must’ve been some kind of transport.  Maybe it was like a carriage or a car.  Kari hadn’t read or been taught any kind of modern history, yet, so she wasn’t really up to speed on any of the Filarinis modern transportation technology.  As they stood waiting, she began to imagine all kinds of flying cars or weird horses or strange teleportation devices.  So, she was completely surprised when the attendant came back with what looked like a hu’um.  How was a glorified light bulb going to help them travel?

“Where is your destination, Majesty?”

“The queen is headed to the Acyian t’Lialn, and I wish to return to the university.”

The attendant nodded and touched the glowing hu’um with one hand.  It changed color from white to blue.  “It is ready, Majesty.  You have not travelled in a githa before, correct?”  Kari shook her head, curious.  “Simply touch the githa with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand.  I’m sure the High Wizard will explain the rest once you’re inside.”  With a shaky hand, she pressed her thumb and forefinger against the githa.  For all it looked like a ball of light, it was actually firm to the touch.  As soon as both fingers touched it, Kari felt a hooking sensation in her gut.  The next thing she knew, she was standing in a very comfortable sphere-like room.  The floor wasn’t really a floor, but a terrace leading down to a small circular space large enough for one or two people to stand in.  The floor was made of some kind of dark grey cushion material.  The rest of the room was like a giant glass ball, and Kari could see Yazin and the attendant staring down at the githa.  It was a strange experience.  She watched as Yazin extended his hand towards the githa, and he momentarily vanished before reappearing next to her in the globe. 

“How?  What - ?”

“This, Majesty, is a githa.  It has been instructed to take us to our destinations.  As soon as we reach the Acyian t’Lialn, you may simply press the thumb and forefinger of your left hand against the glass and you will be transported out of the githa.”

Kari looked up as the attendant let go of the githa and it started floating off along the busy street outside the palace.  What a way to travel!  She walked over to the glass and stared out at the myriad of shops and buildings lining the streets of Sal’isna.  There were a lot of other githa floating along, little white and blue balls of light weaving in and out of the people.  Kari stared in awe at the majesty of the city.  The buildings were built in a style she had never seen before.  Mostly, they were made of the same white stone as the palace, but occasionally, she saw buildings that took her breath away.  One such building, as tall as any skyscraper in New York, looked like it was made completely out of gemstones of all colors.  People dressed in all different kinds of clothing walked in and out of the open arch that was its only door.  Another, rather small one, glowed with a faint orange light that was somehow visible even in the afternoon sun.  And, when they passed it, Kari could hear it humming in a low tone.  She didn’t ask Yazin, but she was convinced the noise came from the building.  If she looked up, away from the people and the street, she saw huge rainbow rivers of magic glowing with a silver light that seemed to draw in the light of the sun.  At regular intervals, there were platforms set underneath the rivers where a steady stream of people flowed in and out of it.  It reminded Kari of a subway system.  Only way cooler and more…magicky?  Was that even a word?  All in all, the city was, literally, a glowing metropolis that put the major cities of Earth to shame with its beauty and size.  And this was only one city on Filarin?  Kari couldn’t wait to see the others. 

All too soon, the githa slowed to a halt just inside the gates of the Acyian t’Lialn.  

“Do you remember how to exit, Majesty?”

“Yes.  Thank you.”  She put her left hand against the inside of the glass as she was told and, after another tugging sensation in her gut, was standing outside the githa.  A Tesa Huunim trainee in the oh-so-familiar sheer robes came out to meet her and curtsied. 

“Majesty.  May I be of service?”

“I’d like to see Reina.  Is she in?”

“Of course, Majesty.  Right this way.”  The girl (she couldn’t have been older than 15) led the way to Reina’s office/study.  “Shall I announce your presence, Majesty?”

“No need.  Just go on about your business.”

The girl curtsied again and left Kari standing alone in the hallway.  Steeling herself against whatever onslaught Reina would bring against her for failing to take care of herself the past several days, she knocked and opened the door at Reina’s acknowledgement. 

“Ah, the queen awakens.  I take it you slept well.  The entire palace is abuzz with news that the king actually slept in your apartments last night.”

Kari felt her face flushing.  Did their servants have nothing better to do than gossip?  She took a deep breath.  Just ignore it.  Just ignore it.

“Actually, I’m here because I want you to teach me how to heal.  Or, at least tell me what I need to do before I can learn to heal.”

Reina raised an eyebrow at her.  “I guess I knew this was coming.  I really should have told you two this when I started teaching you about magic.”

“Told us what?”

“You say you want to heal?  I’m sorry, but magic doesn’t work like that.  Everyone who is born with magic, even the Elanari, is born with one maybe two talents.  Magic isn’t one-size-fits-all.  It takes different forms in different people.  If your magic is not healing magic, then there is nothing you can do to change that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Take this as an example: I have healing magic.  That is one of my two talents.  Even if I spend my entire life trying, I will never be able to make it rain.  That’s weather magic.  I don’t have weather magic.  You don’t have healing magic; therefore, you will never be able to heal.  Not even the smallest bruise or cold.”

There was a moment of stunned silence as Kari tried to process this new information.  Surely, that couldn’t be true.  After all, this was magic.  Magic wasn’t apart of the world she was familiar with, but shouldn’t it be able to do anything?  As long as you were strong enough?

Reina’s face softened as she looked at Kari.  “I’m truly sorry, child.  It is a cruel thing to not be able to do what you want with the magic you have.  I, actually, wanted to be an inventor as a child.  Someone who created new technology using their magic.  But, my magic was specific to healing.  So, I made the best of it.  And that’s what you’re going to have to do.  I know you want to help that maid, but you’re going to have to find a non-magical way to do that.”

“Then…what kind of magic do I have?”

“Well, magic usually comes in the form of one greater talent and one lesser talent.  My greater talent is healing and my lesser talent is, well, you’ll find out soon enough.  You, however, have two greater talents.  One of which, is battle magic.  The other is weather magic.  It’s an odd combination.”  She paused for a moment.  “Are you curious as to how I know this?”

“Not really.”  Kari was still dejected from the revelation that she was pretty much useless in fixing her mistake.

Reina gave her a brief glare.  “You are going to have to stop feeling sorry for yourself.  You, child, have a kingdom to run.  You can’t keep worrying about what you can and cannot do.”  She sighed when Kari stayed silent.  “Alright.  I wasn’t going to tell you this until after you progressed more in your training.  But, there is a way for you to help the maid with your magic.”  Kari’s face brightened.  Really?  There was a way, after all?  “I, along with several other healers, have been working on a way to fully repair spinal cord injuries.  We have a process that should work, but unfortunately, no one has enough power to actually try it.  It requires a lot of magic.  No one but perhaps an Elanari would be powerful enough to make it work.  This is where you come in.  As a part of your battle magic, you will be able to lend your magic to another.  And since you are so powerful, it might give me the boost I need to heal the maid.  However, it will require months of hard training on your part.”

“Of course!  I’ll do anything!  I just want to help the maid walk again.”

“Alright.  We’ll start your magical training tomorrow.  For now, you need to return to the palace.  Get plenty of rest today.  You’ll need it.”

Kari was a little disappointed.  Now that she had a goal to reach for, she wanted to get started right away.  Waiting for tomorrow seemed like an unnecessary waste of time.  But, she remembered what had happened the last time she tried to jump ahead of her lessons.  She wasn’t about to make that mistake again. 

The ride back to the palace (on another githa summoned by one of the Tesa Huunim trainees) felt much shorter and much more joyous than the one to the Acyian t’Lialn.  That is, until she ran into the head servant on her way back to her rooms. 

“Majesty, I’m so glad I found you.”  He bowed, his uniform somehow staying perfectly non-creased as he did so.  “The lady Fiarla wishes to meet with you at your earliest convenience.  She said it was urgent.”  Fiarla was her customs and traditions teacher.  What could she possibly want that was so urgent?

“Thank you.  Where is she right now?”

“In your apartments, Majesty.  I believe she said she would wait for you in your dining chamber.”  Oh joy.  It looked like she was going to have to sit through yet another state dinner training.  Kari nodded to the head servant as he bowed to her again and headed off towards the royal apartments.  The only thing that would make this worse would be if Nia decided to join them.  The old historian/librarian could talk for hours, literally.  Kari really hoped this was nothing important.