8:00 AM
This being the first day of the week, Brigid was in the fourth-floor sanctum of her apartments, examining the spells that are stored within her rings and diadem.
After resetting the wards around the walls, she removed her rings from her fingers and set them down carefully on the workbench, lining them up across the slate surface in the order she wears them. To the collection she added her golden diadem, carefully setting it apart from the rings on a small shelf above the table.
Taking up each ring in turn, fixed her gaze upon the face of the gemstone setting, then unfocussed her gaze to examine the spells contained within the setting. Through her mage sight, she carefully, critically examined the spell forms. She noted that the spell within the onyx ring was showing signs of deterioration, but it still within tolerable limits. Normally, she would refresh the spell at this time, but she had more important plans this morning.
She paid special attention to the four rings holding the elemental spells. They were the hardest to cast and use, and the most prone to decay. Since she had used and later refreshed the elemental spells only a few days previously, she was not surprised to note that they were still intact.
Brigid deliberately picked up the emerald ring last. Instead of examining the spell within, she slipped it back on her finger and casually waved her hand towards the far wall, and a bright green spiral of light appeared in the air between herself and the wall. She smiled at the sight of the spiral hanging in the air, swirling and sparkling in an eye-catching, mesmerizing, pattern, then she dismissed the spell with a brief gesture.
She glanced towards a parchment page on the workbench on which she had written a complex spell form, using the stylized glyphs of her personal system of enchantment. Several lines were annotated in red, marking changes and improvements in the formation of the spell. If they were correct, the spell would take longer to set up but be easier to cast as well be less prone to decay over time.
After considerable research and careful consideration, Brigid planned to experiment with these changes over the next few weeks. She was particularly proud of her emerald mesmerizing spell, but also cautious about it: she remembered miscasting it once after it had decayed, and the effect had placed her and everyone around her in a deeply entranced state for a short period; fortunately, that meant that there had been no one around to see it or remember it, or to take advantage of the situation. She learned that lesson very well.
She turned to a fresh page in her notebook and noted the date and changes she was using before continuing. Then she stepped into the ritual circle, where the lines of power focused in the center, and drew upon that power. She held the emerald ring in her left hand as she gathered the power to begin the spell. As she began to recite the words of the spell in a flowing, musical chant, her right hand began to move slowly, circling counterclockwise above the surface of the emerald setting. A spiraling trail of emerald light began to follow her finger, growing stronger and brighter with each second, swirling into the depths of the gemstone. When she had finished chanting, she curled her finger in an intricate form at the end of the spiral, sealing the spell within the stone until she called for it. The emerald flashed green for an instant, then the light faded.
As she returned the ring to its position on the workbench, she considered where she would experiment with the new spell: the contents of the dungeons underneath the castle were often useful, but one of the improvements was an increase in the range and breadth of the spell, which would not be easily tested in the close confines of the dungeon cells. The darker areas of the city below the castle was always a possibility, but they were both leery of and more dangerous to the younger members of the Family, even Fiona’s daughter. Still, she was confident that she would think of something.
Finally, she held up her golden diadem. Last night she had heard that Quince’s flagship would arrive in port today, so she was expecting to see him soon, and she had something special in mind for him. A very special spell, created for him alone.
Because of his bestial parentage, he was less susceptible to spells that would control men, but was at the same time also susceptible to spells that could control beasts. Brigid had woven a spell especially for Quince, mixing spells of animal control and lust with compulsions of service and affection. Under its power, Quince would feel lust and desire for Brigid, but would also be compelled to think of her as his superior, his master, his better in the animal social order. Just as his father deferred to Fiona, so, too, would Gerard’s son defer to Fiona’s daughter. The compulsions were carefully graduated to increase in power only slightly every time the spells were used. It was a risky endeavor, but the spell that had worked well on him in the past, and worked better every time she used it on him, just as she intended.
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