Yellow was the sweetness of honey, the tartness of lemon-drops Declan brought from the Quarter-Islands in the East. It was the golden rays of sunshine heating ocean water to a gentle lukewarm, and the sand of glowing beaches beneath her toes on childhood field trips. It was the intricate chains of necklaces and shining fabrics that the merchants would sell in peacetime. Lily had always thought yellow was meant to be a happy color.
It was just a color.
___
Lily woke in a panic to a furious knocking on her cabin door. That was how it started.
Forcing herself off the cot, she dragged her feet to the entrance and, unwilling to lift a tired arm and knowing no one was here to berate her for unnecessary magic, reached out with green energy to press the red button beside the door.
It slid open. Wells jumped backwards, startled. “What?” She snapped. “What do you want?” She was being too loud, she realized – Declan was still sleeping in his cabin, across the hall from her own; she didn’t want to wake him.
“I…” he hesitated. As Lily’s vision adjusted to the light and focused, she realized something was very wrong. Wells’ face was stricken, eyes alight with something like fear. He wasn’t wearing his Captain’s uniform; only white underclothes stamped with the yellow two-circlet emblem of the Empire – she would have laughed, if he didn’t look so scared. He held a datascreen at his side, almost as though he were trying to hide it behind his back, clenched tightly in a white-knuckled fist.
Silence, for a moment. Lily stared at him expectantly, growing impatient – it wasn’t like him, really, to be tentative. Not with her.
And then the words exploded out, babbling, like he was attempting to force them out so quickly she couldn’t hear – “I found out – well, I overheard, it’s my fault, should’ve just walked by – but you should, they need to –”
“Stop.” She said quickly, grabbing his hand. “Calm down. What’s going on?”
He stared at her, wide-eyed, taking a deep breath. “It’s not my place. I know that. I follow orders, I’m a loyal soldier, I’ve always been loyal to the General –”
“He knows that –”
“ – but he’s keeping something from you, and it’s your right to know. Just – take this.” He threw the datascreen towards her; it slipped through her hands and nearly smashed on the floor before she caught it with magic. As it flew back into her hand, she stepped out of her room and yelled for Wells, running away from her down the hallway, to stop – but he ignored her, like he never had before, and was gone a second later, leaving her confused and alone.
The metal screech of a cabin door opening beside her made her jump; accidentally harnessing magic to boost her legs, she nearly crashed into the hallway ceiling before splaying out her arms and slowly lowering herself – and then, as she whipped her head down and saw Declan standing in his doorway, blinking up at her, she lost control and crashed to her knees on the hard metal ground.
“What the hell?” He reached out an arm and pulled her up, using the other to smooth out his mess of brown hair. “I heard a girl shouting. I’m guessing that was you.”
“There are no other girls on this ship, Declan.” Lily snapped, pride bruised, Well’s panicked words ringing in her ears.
“Well, what’s the matter?” He asked, blue eyes positively dripping genuine concern, and so, and so, she couldn’t understand what Wells had meant, because this man was her mentor, had been for years – he would never hide something big from her, something truly important, something about her –
“Nothing.” She said shortly, brushing off her pants, distinctly aware that she was still in her thin sleepclothes. Groups of soldiers began milling past, eyeing the two of them – the midnight shift, on their way to breakfast. They didn’t usually go this way – they, too, must have heard her shouting. Stupid. She probably woke the entire floor.
“Nothing? You were shouting for no reason?” His eyebrows knit together, suspicion clouding over his features. Let it go, Declan. “Hey – what’s that?” His eyes locked on the datascreen in her hand.
“Nothing.” The lie slipped out immediately – it startled her, how easily – she wasn’t used to lying to her General.
“Lots of nothing this morning.” He said, slowly, deliberately. He knew something was wrong; he always did. She tensed up, but he only shrugged, yawning, and reopened his door. “Well, I’m going back to sleep. Samuel wanted me to tell you he’s sorry and won’t be awake at your usual freakishly early breakfast time – we were up all night working on mission logistics.”
“Okay.” She said, and his door slid shut behind him. She stepped into her own room, not bothering to turn on the light – for a moment, she simply stood in the darkness, feeling the ship’s rocking beneath her, back pressed to the cold door. The datascreen weighed heavy in her hand as she turned it on, and read.
___
“I can’t believe you.” She whispered.
“What?” Declan stared in confusion, having opened Samuel’s cabin door to find her standing there.
Five hours had passed since Wells knocked at her door. Fifty times she had read the datascreen since, until eventually, numb with a shock that rapidly splintered into head-splitting anger, dully asked the nearest soldier where Declan had gone.
The shuttle to Samuel’s flagship was quiet. Leaving her time to think.
“Mission logistics.” She waved the datascreen in his face, shaking with rage. “That’s what you were working on last night. The two of you. Right?”
Declan took the thing, scanning it, face paling. “Where did you get this?”
Behind him, in the kitchen, General Samuel carried a tray with three cups of tea – he set it down on the counter with a crashing of porcelain, reaching out a hand – with a glow of blue light, the screen whipped out of Declan’s hands and into his own.
As Declan collapsed to the couch, Lily watched General Samuel’s struggle to maintain composure – gritting his teeth, eyes tightening so slightly a stranger might disregard it, he gently set the datascreen down on the counter beside the tea-tray.
“Shall we sit?” He moved forward to lower himself down beside a stricken Declan on the couch, briefly resting a hand on his former Commander’s shoulder – to comfort, or to alert the younger man to pull himself together. Lily stood in the doorway, unmoving, barely able to speak through her fury as she watched the elder General act as though without a care in the world, gazing at her expectantly like this was an ordinary tea visit, like she hadn’t just discovered –
“You have questions, don’t you?” He asked, still infinitely calm, Declan’s face still pale.
Lily walked forward slowly, glaring poisonously at his unperturbed face. She sat on the armchair, fingers gripping into the armrests – her nails tore straight through the soft fabric. Good.
Silence, for several moments. They were waiting for her.
“You weren’t going to tell me, were you?” She asked quietly.
“Lily–”
“Dont lie!” She shrieked, not caring for manners, taking a cruel delight at the misery etched across Declan’s face, at the simmering disapproval creeping its path over General Samuel’s too-composed features, tearing through the calm facade – she didn’t care, didn’t care –
The datascreen’s words flashed through her mind, damning the Empire with every sentence, everything she had ever known, ever been taught –
___
To: Mage General Declan [redacted]
Notice is hereby given that a civil action has been commenced in the Courts of the Second Circlet by a non-magical male, aged forty-seven as of the third day of the present month. Upon preliminary review by the assigned Judge of the Second Circlet, the matter was transferred to the Courts of the First Circlet and placed under the jurisdiction of the High Mage, on the grounds that the case concerns a currently serving Mage Commander, Lily [redacted], aged seventeen as of one month prior.
The plaintiff alleges that at the time First Circlet Headquarters assumed custody of his Mage-born daughter, he was incarcerated in the Southern Islands under a sentence that concluded three months prior to the filing of this action. He asserts that, notwithstanding his status as one of two lawful guardians, he was neither notified of the proceedings nor provided any opportunity to give or withhold consent.
Pursuant to Section 10 of the Two-Circlet Constitution, the removal of a minor possessing magical ability from parental custody without guardian consent is permitted where the child is born of one magical and one non-magical parent, or of both persons magical. The petitioner contends that both he and the child’s mother are non-magical, and therefore asserts that the constitutional exception does not apply in this case. He alleges that First Circlet Headquarters acted without lawful authority and in violation of his custodial rights.
The petitioner further states that he brings this action in representation of the child’s mother, deceased as of two months prior, who, according to his sworn testimony, informed him before her death that she likewise did not grant legal authorization for their daughter’s removal or induction.
He seeks:
- Immediate transfer of full legal custody of the Mage Commander to himself until such time as she reaches the age of majority in the coming year; and
- Monetary damages in the amount of twenty million islecrowns
By order of the First Circlet Court, under High Mage oversight, this notice is formally transmitted to Mage General Declan [redacted], the current lawful custodian of the Mage Commander under First Circlet statute, for review and response. The General is hereby directed to submit a written reply within one month of receipt of this notice, stating the position of the Mage Commander with respect to the claims herein, for consideration by the presiding Judge.
The plaintiff has further declared that, should the Mage Commander herself formally refuse the allegations and repudiate this action, he will withdraw all claims and seek dismissal of the proceedings in their entirety.
So ordered,
High Mage Elder
Under jurisdiction of the First Circlet Courts
___
“Tell me.” She demanded. “Were you even going to show it to me?”
“Lily, I –” Declan spoke weakly, “You don’t und –”
“No.” Lily snapped her head to Samuel, who stared back unflinchingly. “No, we weren’t, because it wouldn’t have been right.”
“Wouldn’t have been right?” She shouted incredulously, nearly launching herself to her feet. “For what? For me to know the truth? To know my parents didn’t want to give me up, that neither of them were Mages – and how are either of those things possible? How could I be born magical? How could they just take me – this Section 10, it was never taught to us!”
“It happens. Sometimes – rarely.” General Samuel said quietly. “So rarely that there is no legal precedent for a magical child of non-magical birth. As for Section 10 – it is a precautionary measure. For when a Mage breaks the laws, and procreates with a non-magical civilian. The Empire needed a guarantee that all magical children would be inducted into the First Circlet Headquarters, so they mandated it by law. Your fa– this man, it seems, has found a loophole and intends to exploit it.”
Laughter begins to bubble in her chest, bursting from her lungs in maniacal gales. She can feel the green energy beneath her skin, thrumming along to the beat of her heart, the rush of her blood. “Exploit it.” She whispers. Without meaning to, she pulls the datascreen across the room towards her – it crashes into the teacups on its way, smashing them into a thousand sharp fragments that litter the floor, sparkling in the yellow light. She rejoices in the mistake – pulling the datascreen into one hand, she tightens the other into a fist, and the glass coffee table explodes into a mess of shards.
But the two of them didn’t move from their positions on the couch – they didn’t even have the decency to grow angry at her, to shout – they didn’t care, they still didn’t see why this mattered so much; they just looked at her, sad and concerned and patronizing, and she wished they’d just stop it – “How would you feel?” She cried, “If you had parents who wanted you, if you were stolen–”
“I would feel honored,” Samuel said sharply, finally raising his voice to her like he never had before – “I would feel honored that the Empire prevented my procreators from stripping me of the chance to use these gifts, gifts which you were blessed to be given, to save this Globe from the Westerners who would sooner see all magic children dead than allow them to lead an Empire–”
“It would have killed them. Your parents.” Declan said quietly. Samuel fell silent. “They didn’t teach you this at Headquarters. You, me, Samuel – we all learned when we were children that First Headquarters only takes children from willing parents, because it’s an easier truth. You’re right. They lie to you. Until you’re a General, the High Mages funnel you whatever information they see fit, and nothing more.”
Lily wants to cry, to bawl her eyes out like a baby, like she hadn’t since her first night away from Headquarters. “What do you mean, it would have killed them?” She asks, hoarsely.
Declan leans forward, sighing. “I’m not saying it’s for sure. But there are stories, Lily. Mage children, decades ago, who the Empire left alone. Let them try to live like normal people. It ended with villages ablaze, islands reduced to dirt and rocks. Entire generations wiped out. There is nothing, nothing on the Globe more dangerous than an untrained Mage. Why do you think the Westerners slaughter them all as infants? Why do you think we insist on training them, on sticking together? When Mages have children, it’s carefully planned and registered for a reason. The laws — Section 10, all of them — are necessary.”
She can feel his eyes on her. She refused to meet them. “I’m sorry you were taken from your parents. It’s the rarest of cases where no rules were broken, no Mage ruining a non-magical’s life by straying outside the procreation laws — just pure chance — or pure luck, since we have you with us now. But you must understand that even in – no, especially in this case it was necessary. There cannot be an untrained Mage, least of all under the care of two parents who know nothing about magic. And remember, too, that your… your father, he was in prison. What could your mother have done, all alone, with a Mage infant?”
I’ll never know. She was crying. I’ll never get to know, because she’s dead now… she wanted me, and she didn’t give me away, and she’s dead. Forever. Tears dripped from her bowed face, spilling into tiny puddles on General Samuel’s carpet.
“Hey.” Declan breathed, moving from the couch to kneel in front of her and gently clutch her shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re different; we’re all different. What we can do – Lil, it’s a gift from some higher force, something greater than ourselves. We were chosen, and no one else can understand that, but we don’t need them to. Because we have each other. I promise, Lily, you’ll always have me.”
She looked up, met his eyes. Genuine. Always so genuine.
She pushed him roughly away, and ran.
___
Declan’s voice cried out behind her to stop – but she wouldn’t. She needed to leave this place; she couldn’t stand the sight of them – Samuel’s fake patience, Declan’s concern – two footsteps echoed behind her, faster than humanly possible – but they weren’t humans, were they? Gritting her teeth, Lily latched on to her own power, willing her legs to move faster, swifter – this wasn’t her ship but it was near identical; she knew she could find the hangar. She moved so quickly that her eyes barely had time to adjust to each turn of corner; she relied on her heightened sense, the tug in her gut when it was time to switch direction
As she sprinted down her twelfth hallway, houseplants dotting the windows, she accidentally crashed into a soldier; knocking them both to the floor. She barely spared him a glance before continuing her flight, but she could have sworn it was Wells – she banished the thought as quickly as it came. She was surely mistaken, and besides – she couldn’t think of him now, not when she was leaving him behind to face the consequences of his disobedience, his loyalty to her – what would happen to him?
As she neared the huge doors of the hangar, blue energy glimmered across their metal surface, and the two huge slabs of steel began swinging shut – Declan and Samuel’s different shades of blue magic mixing together, trying to stop her from leaving.
Hurling out her own green magic to counter it, she gritted her teeth in effort to overpower them both – the effort was unreal, every muscle spasming as she threw every remaining ounce of energy into the doors, managing to delay their movement only long enough to leap through before they slammed shut with a deafening crash. There were five soldiers inside the hangar as she landed, gasping for breath, in an ungraceful heap on the floor in front of them.
“Get me a boat.” She wheezed to the nearest soldier. Every nerve screaming in pain, she forced herself to her knees, crawling towards the nearest boat as the soldier didn’t move, stammering about unsafe conditions and ice – she grabbed onto the boat’s metal bar with a violently shaking arm and slowly pulled herself up in agony. The hangar doors started to open, Declan and Samuel surely on the other side. She had to leave.
Reaching out to the boat’s control system, she frantically pulled the lever to open the outer gate – it lifted upwards, its metal screeching combined with that of the opening hangar doors into a twisted symphony as she turned on the engine. The boat covering wouldn’t close overhead, it was jammed – but that didn’t matter; she would protect herself from the cold. Before her stretched the freezing water of the ocean, dotted with masses of floating ice. She eased the boat down the ramp into the water, paying no mind to the commotion behind her – she was out, free, away from the betrayal, the lies–
A blue force caught her around the waist, as though a lasso of pure energy, and flung her entire body backwards – the ship reeled out of control, bereft of its driver, lurching sideways into the sea and slamming with a burst of sparks against an icy sheet.
Lily’s back slammed harshly against the ground, all air draining forcibly from her lungs, stars reeling in her eyes as someone familiar cursed – she saw Declan above her, Samuel beside him, a sorrowful Wells hovering somewhere above the two of them, perhaps standing as they knelt.
Then her eyes slid up, up, up, to the yellow Empire emblem painted across the expanse of the hangar’s ceiling, two circlets linked together, representing the partnership of Mages and non-magicals, the people she came from. Down again, to Declan, and Samuel, and Wells, screaming for medics, pouring their healing magic into her crumpled frame – and then they closed shut into quiet darkness, and she slept.
___
Yellow was the color of uncertainty, of insincerity – the color of the emblem she’d admired and cherished, that had brought her hope in the worst moments of her life. It was the sinking feeling in her chest when she knew something was off, when she knew it just as well as she thought she knew the men standing in front of her, which was to say… Completely. It was the devastation of an uncovered lie, and the realization of not knowing, not knowing what would happen next.
Lily woke up in the med-bay, and stared at the yellow emblem painted on the wall, and wished that Wells had never knocked on her door that morning.