When both of them were dressed, he dialed open the door from the arcanium to the tunnel. Nic whistled in appreciation at the sight. The formerly flooded, dank, and dark tunnel was now dry, even welcoming. Silvery light emanated from almost concealed silver ribs rimming the tunnel all down its length. “So much better,” she declared, stepping onto the polished stone floor. “Well done.”
Gabriel followed cautiously after. “I didn’t do this.”
She cocked a dubious brow at him. “Some other wizard, then?”
Shaking his head, he slanted her a dry look. “I mean, this wasn’t part of my intention. I wasn’t thinking specifically about this tunnel.”
“But youwerethinking about the entirety of the house, about putting it back how it was, dry and stable, yes?”
“Yes,” he replied, though clearly unconvinced. “But that was long before my time. I never saw the manse intact, or this tunnel like… this.”
“The magic knows. It’s embedded in every stone, every silver frame and drop of water in this place. That’s part of inheriting a house. Not only does the magic come to you through your forebears, the entirety of House Phel does, too. The material and immaterial aspects.”
He was quiet until they reached the door to the main house, opening it into the same dark back room of the cellars as before, though considerably drier. “This hasn’t changed.”
“I suspect the unprepossessing entrance to the arcanium is deliberate,” she suggested. “No sense advertising its location.”
“Except for the glowing glass dome shining through the lake,” he noted wryly.
“Aha. I’d put down good money on a bet that no one but us can see it.”
“Really?”
“We can test it, but I’m fairly certain.” She followed him up the cobwebbed stairs to the unused kitchens, shadowed and empty still, but the walls subtly straighter, the floorboards more solid. “To the arcade or outside?”
“Arcade,” he decided, gesturing her to the dining hall. “Nic, I’m thinking about what you said just now, about how I’ve inherited this whole metaphysical weight of House Phel along with my own wizardry and this rotting heap of a manse.”
“Not rotting anymore,” she pointed out as they stepped into the dining hall. “We need to light some sconces.” She’d be so happy when they got some light-producing fire elementals in her trousseau and dowry goods.
“Allow me,” he said wryly, and the room flooded with silver-white moonlight.
“Well done,” she said, blowing him a kiss. Going to the door to the receiving salon, she waited for Gabriel to open it, a smile on her face for his obvious reluctance, excitement making her giddy. He doubted still, but she didn’t. “Voila!” she squealed as they peered in. The once slanting, soggy room sat square and dry. The carpets hadn’t magically unrotted, and no furniture had miraculously appeared—if only!—but it smelled like dry, seasoned wood, and it looked like a place people might not be afraid to occupy. Clapping her hands together, she skipped across to the door to the arcade. “Open it and let’s see!”
He hesitated. “Nic, about what I was saying…”
“Gabriel Phel, if you don’t open this door right now, I’m going to kick you! This is the fun part of magic. I want to see what you’ve done.”
“What we’ve done,” he said, but the correction sounded automatic. He unsealed the doorway he’d sealed again after their previous failures. Magic stirred as he put his barrier into place, though Nic could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t finding water on the other side to wall off. Cautiously, he edged the door open and peered through, his body going rigid with shock.
Unable to bear the suspense, Nic pushed past him, gasping in delight at the gracious old architecture restored to its former glory. A parquet floor had lurked under the realm of fish and water snakes, now dry and gleaming under the moonlight streaming through the open arches, amplified with Gabriel’s help. Nice of the moon to come out and shed her light on Gabriel’s feat. Feeling exuberant at the possibilities, Nic broke into a run, dashing down the long arcade. Reaching the center, she stopped and spun, arms flung wide.
“Look, Gabriel!” she sang out. “Look how beautiful it is.”
He followed more slowly, almost grudgingly, but at least stirred from his frozen contemplation in the doorway. She met him partway, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him into an impromptu dance. He moved with her, though not fluidly, his attention on the flying buttresses, the elegant arches, even the parquet floor as she spun them in a slow circle. “Do you dance? I don’t think I’ve ever asked.”
“What?”
“Never mind. A conversation for another time. Enjoy the moment.”
“I want to say I don’t believe it,” he said, his deep voice echoing in the perfect acoustics.
“But you do believe it,” she told him. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have accomplished this.”
“I never saw the arcade like this. I mean, I know I said that already, but there are details here that weren’t here before. Pieces that had rotted or broken away.”
“The house remembers,” she reiterated. “You have it in here.” She laid a hand over his breast, firmly reassuring him.
“But what about you?” he asked, stopping their spin, looking at her somberly. “What about the entirety of House Elal’s magical legacy?”