Nothing. The scan didn’t seem to show any evidence of magic having been used on Janessa. It was as if she’d always been a woman. Anya knew magic worked in unpredictable ways, but surely there should have been some sign the princess wasn’t truly a woman?
Janessa waited patiently as Anya repeated the scan a second time, and then a third. The results didn’t still didn’t show any signs of magic. Anya gave a shaky smile.
“Everything seems to be fine, Janessa!” She said. “There doesn’t appear to be any trace of the magic from Antyny’s spell left over.” The princess looked relieved, and gave Anya a hug. “That is great news!” She said excitedly. “I can’t wait to tell Gareth.”
With their interview concluded Anya had Janessa sent to help some of the other women organize their medical supplies, and sank into a chair, exhausted. She would have to contact her brothers to ask for more advice, she knew. Yevgeny wasn’t due to slip back out of the palace for another few days, and Mikhail was back in Wind’s Grove helping her father organize the defense of the town, but Dmitri was sure to be able to help.
Deciding to see if she could track him down, Anya headed back to the command center, where a soldier explained that Dimitri had gone out on the first morning’s patrol, and would be back soon.
Unwilling to simply wait and worry, Anya decided to once again focus on organizing patrols. Staring at the large map, her eyes narrowed as she paced, deep in thought….
Janessa had been greeted by the women in the medical area warmly, and soon she was helping sort supplies and bringing food and water to wounded soldiers. There weren’t very many at this command center; as the rebels had started retreating towards the capitol, many of their men had begun giving up rather than trying to fight on. Still, the Copperstones, who’d been given command of this area, were worried about an ambush, and had made sure the patrols remained active.
Janessa realized she liked talking to people who didn’t know who she was or what had happened to her. They knew she was likely related to the royal family because of her hair, but Janessa’s family was very large, and over the years even some peasants had gained red hair. She resolved to speak to as many of the soldiers and civilians at the base as she could. These were people who were fighting to help her family; she wanted to get to know them.
Next….