Branded Mage Read Free Page B

he had even considered. It wasn’t actually true freedom, but it was close. “I agree to your terms Your Majesty.”
    “May we drop the Your M ajesty and my queen, at least when alone? I have so few people who call me by name, and if it is possible I would like you to be one of them. It’s Serena by the way.” She didn’t wait for an answer but gingerly left the room leaving him in quite contemplation of the night’s events.

CHAPTER II
     
    Thad walked through the early morning snow and throng of carpenters and stone masons looking for Millie, the builder who the queen had hired to build him a workshop in the southern corner of the palace grounds. She was a well-built lady with a body that spoke of hours of physical labor alongside her workers and slaves. She was a tad overbearing, demanding he call her, “my lady” and often commenting on how he was just a “mere male.” A few times she even threatened to take a lash to him for requesting changes in the architectural designs. Even with all that he couldn’t bring himself to hate her.
    He found Millie studying the building designs while flipping through a small stack of parchment. She was chewing on one of the many beaded braids of brown hair that seemed to sprout from her head. He knew that meant she was in a sour mood and he should try and stay as far away from her as he could, but for some reason he found it enjoyable to pester her when she was in a foul mood.
    “My Lady, how does this fine morning find you?” He tried to make his tone as light and cheerful as possible knowing it would grate on her nerves all the more.
    “As if my day wasn’t bad enough, y ou might just want to scurry away before I bend you over my knee and beat my frustrations out on you. I told the queen that working in cold weather would be slow, but she still demands that we hurry! I’ll be damned if I’m going to build something that will fall down in the first stiff wind. Why don’t you go on about your magical nonsense, I could care less.”
    Her words were clipped and harsh and her face even more so , as if daring him to contradict her. Thad liked to get under her skin, but he didn’t fancy the idea of being publicly whipped. He didn’t doubt for a second that she would carry through on her threat. Mage or not, she only saw him as a spoiled fifteen year old male.
    “Is there anything I can do to help?”
    Millie let out a loud humph. “Unless you can change the season and make it warm enough that my men don’t freeze and the mortar cures right, I doubt it.”
    The question intrigued him and he was soon lost to Millie’s mad ramblings as he made his way back to his room in the palace. Could he affect the temperature in a set space? Fire wouldn’t work it was too unpredictable and used up vast amounts of magic to keep it burning without proper fuel.
    It wouldn’t be simple but if he could figure out how to transfer heat , he could make something like a shield that trapped heat in a confined space, but where would he get the heat from? He started thinking of everything that he knew of that could produce heat. He experimented with different ideas for a little while. Time flew by and he was dimly aware of people visiting his room. In his focused state, he barely registered anyone until the Princess rather rudely jabbed him in the ribs.
    “Yes?” He asked his voice slightly pained from his tender ribs and a pounding headache that came to bear, an unwelcomed side effect from his extended use of magic.
    “It’s time for dinner, and mother wants you to come. She has invited a few people who will be useful in dealing with the current civil upheaval . She wants your input as well.” She jumped off of his bed and raced toward the door with a mischievous grin on her face. “Oh, and Bren is looking for you. He is not happy that you missed your combat training today.”
    Thad let out a loud groan. E ver since he had been allowed out of bed, Bren had started a rigorous training