Chapter 7
i nudge kell, pointing to the far end of the lawn, beyond the terrace where we are standing in the crowd, to where the darkness spills over clipped grass.
Sember tosses down a huge joint, raw and bloody, and the drakes scent the air, growing even more restless.
My jaw drops. Where in skies has she got that from?
Just as quickly, she’s gone, moving from shadow to shadow, and I realise none of the guards are looking at me.
They’re too focused on the drakes, on their riders snapping viciously at anyone getting too close.
‘Keep to the edges of the crowd and don’t run until I do,’ I murmur, and Kell nods, understanding tightening his features.
Slowly, we make our way through the crowd as I clock Sember again, pausing for a moment, as though making sure we’ve spotted her before whisking round the corner of the terrace. When I reach the last smattering of guests, I bolt as one of the drakes roars.
Kell and I race across the lawn, sticking close to the palace walls, and when we leave the crowd behind I duck down beneath a window. ‘You know, I wouldn’t blame you if you chose to escape,’ I say. ‘If it weren’t for Agnes, I’d do the same.’
He shakes his head. ‘Wouldn’t even make it through the city. Wards everywhere, or so Brielle told me once. Whole place is riddled, like a string of invisible bells.’
Eli said this too, the first time we traversed in for our visit to Coven Septern, and for a moment my chest grows heavy at the thought of him, at being so far apart. He is on the edge of my thoughts always, a constant ache in the corner of my heart. ‘I guess we’re stuck in this together, then.’
‘Looks like it.’ He shrugs. ‘Doesn’t mean we can’t get the lay of the land, though. And work out what that Skylan contender is up to.’
I grin. ‘My thoughts exactly.’
Shuffling round the corner, I catch a flash of light, then hear a click as a door is opened.
There’s no time to ponder what it was or what Sember did to create that flash before we’re both up, moving through the folds of shadow.
On silent feet, I dart towards the door, catching it before it fully shuts.
A door that leads back inside the palace …
but one almost concealed in the wall, small and hidden behind a hedgerow from the lawns.
I tilt my chin to the darkness beyond and Kell nods, flexing his fists.
On the other side we find a narrow hallway leading to a spiral staircase with uneven treads winding up.
Wishing I had a blade, I move upwards, inwardly cursing every time a step groans all too audibly from my weight.
At the top we find a web of storerooms and, further down the hallway, light and heat emanate from the kitchens along with the chatter of many voices.
A hand pinches my arm, jerking me into a storeroom. Sember holds a finger to her lips as Kell follows, fists raised. The door shuts at my back, and I whip round to find a boy leaning up against it, arms and ankles crossed with an amused smirk.
‘The Skylan spare, I take it,’ I say, shrugging out of Sember’s grip. ‘Were you planning to get those drakes so riled up that they’d torch all your competition?’
The boy sniffs, gaze travelling past me to Sember. ‘I thought you said they were interesting.’
‘Heath, for goodness’ sake, you can’t turn your nose up at everyone.’
‘Yes, I can. I don’t see why—’
‘We need them!’ Sember says in exasperation, folding her arms as she glares at him.
Then her eyes land on me. ‘And, to answer your question, no. The poor things just looked hungry after their long flight, and I needed a distraction. You caught on fast at least. I didn’t fancy finding another huge steak in the cold store and lugging it down all those stairs. ’
‘What? He wouldn’t have done it?’ Kell asks, pointing at Heath.
‘He is a prince and shall be addressed as such,’ Heath says haughtily.
Sember snorts, covering it with a cough. ‘You’ll have to excuse him. He’s a little grumpy about missing out on all the fun. I couldn’t risk him being targeted by some overzealous courtier that hates Skylan.’
‘Drakes are exceptional creatures, and I’m missing an opportunity to study them up close.’
‘You wouldn’t want to get too close to these ones,’ I mutter. ‘So why do you need us? Why draw us away?’
Sember looks at us both and shrugs. ‘Because, somehow, I have to keep His Majesty here alive, and you’re the only two contenders who I think can help me with that.’
‘How so?’ Kell asks.
‘Rumour has it neither of you entered the Trials of your own free will,’ she says quietly. ‘And you’re, shall we say, a bit different?’
I cross my arms, matching her stance, and watch her closely.
Sember sighs, casting her eyes to the ceiling. ‘Look, we need allies and we want to team up with you.’
‘What about the final Trial?’ I ask, not giving an inch just yet.
‘What about winning? Because, if you’ve heard a rumour about us, you should also know that I have a vested interest in victory that has nothing to do with status or glory.
I couldn’t care less about Arnhem’s standing in the continent, or the trade deals and advantages the ruling council would garner from us winning. ’
‘We’re aware,’ Heath drawls. I look at him, and his expression softens under my gaze, the haughty air dropping away. ‘We might be able to help with what you are interested in.’
‘We haven’t located your friend yet, but if she were to disappear unexpectedly …’ Sember chips in.
‘Disappear out of the reach of the watch and the ruling council?’ I ask quickly, raising an eyebrow.
Sember nods. ‘Exactly. Safely, unharmed, all in one piece with not a single gorgeous red hair out of place.’ She glances at Heath. ‘I must say, I rather think I could pull off being a redhead …’
‘Stick to the point,’ Kell says.
‘We want you to work with us, to help us win this thing for Skylan so that Heath’s father has no reason to shunt Heath off to marry some hideous person in another court to form an alliance to benefit Skylan.
If Skylan prospers, Heath will be left alone to study creatures and their magic to his heart’s content, far away from the courts and his father’s schemes.
And, in return for your help, we will ensure you survive, and escape.
Including Agnes. All three of you,’ Sember says impatiently. ‘Well? Do we have a deal?’
Something niggles at me about what they’re offering, and as I regard Sember I note the edge of desperation in her eyes.
There’s something they’re omitting – I’m sure of it.
But right now, with Agnes’s life on the line, I’ll take any deal that secures her safety.
I look to Kell and raise my chin. He nods briefly, gaze sliding to Heath.
‘As long as the spare here doesn’t need too much babysitting. ’
Before Heath can explode in indignation, I thrust my hand out to Sember. ‘Deal.’
We return to the grand ball, careful not to be seen with Sember again, and glean every detail we can.
By midnight, we have a list of names of all the other contenders.
And when, the next day, we’re taken to the same disused, dusty hall where we trained the day before, Hira is waiting for us, arms folded and sour-faced.
I glance at Kell and he nods in agreement.
If we’re going to survive this and ensure that our end of the deal with the Skylan contenders holds up, we need Hira on our side.
We need all the allies we can get, because, once we break out of this court with Agnes, there’s no guarantee that Sember and Heath can get us beyond the city unnoticed.
Not with all the witch wards. Which is where Hira comes in.
‘There’s something you should know,’ I say, as soon as the guards leave us.
Hira sighs heavily, as though she’d rather be anywhere but with the two of us. ‘This should be good.’
I plough on, ignoring her tone. ‘The night I was captured, I overheard something. A conversation between Captain Spencer Leggan and one of the ruling council.’
Hira’s eyes narrow, pinned to mine. ‘Go on.’
‘Before she tells you, we want something in return,’ Kell pipes up. ‘A favour for a favour.’
‘You dare to bargain with me, boy?’
I shrug neutrally. ‘Call it that if you like, but, so far, you’ve done very little to prepare us for the first Trial, and that is quite literally your entire assignment. Isn’t it best you have some leverage in case this all goes wrong for you?’
She snorts. ‘You’re really going about this the wrong way. When someone wants a favour, usually—’
‘The ruling council are planning to declare a new law,’ I blurt out. ‘It’ll affect you and your coven. It’ll affect every witch in Arnhem.’
‘Or we can do it that way …’ Kell mutters.
Hira blinks quickly, her arms dropping to her sides. ‘What kind of law?’
‘First, the favour,’ I counter, thrusting up my chin. ‘I need you to deliver two messages. One to the woman Kell worked for at the Inn Melusine on the Isle of Egan, and one to Caden Tresillian. On the Isle of Ennor.’
Silence hangs thick in the air between us.
‘Perhaps you should let me do the talking next time?’ Kell says out of the corner of his mouth.
‘No,’ Hira says, looking at him, then at me. ‘Better to cut straight to the heart of it.’
‘So you’ll help us?’ I ask.
‘Depends on what you’re planning to write in these messages, really,’ Hira says. ‘And why I’d help you. What information about a law would my Mal be interested in?’
‘Look at it this way. You want us to live, right? That’s half your assignment here.
Little room for failure at Coven Septern, I’ll wager,’ I say evenly.
‘And, trust me, you want to be able to go back to your Malefant with the information we have. You want to be the first witch to bring it to her. Because, if you do, it won’t matter if you fail this assignment. You’ll still win her favour.’
A smile spreads slowly across her face. ‘I’m listening.’
‘Two messages. Just saying we’re alive, and that we’re competitors in the Trials. Nothing more, no elaborations,’ I say, then swallow. ‘We just want them to know we’re alive.’
Hira runs a hand down her face, staring at every point in the hall except us. Then she folds her arms again, gaze fixed to mine, then Kell’s. ‘I’ll think about it. In the meantime, you show me what you can do. What we have to work with.’
By lunchtime, it’s clear that Kell has the most control.
He can summon those pale flames at will, coaxing them from one palm to the other, then stoke them until they’re a towering column of fire.
But all I’ve managed to do, or all I’ve wanted to show Hira I can do, is call a blanket of clouds to hang moodily over the court.
After the incident with the lightning, I refuse to push it any further.
The thought of hurting someone, even accidentally, churns my stomach.
Hira calls time and Kell exhales in relief.
We go inside and Hira runs through what to expect in the coming days.
The guards bring our lunch – meaty broth, bread and water – and I gulp thirstily before digging into the food. I barely taste it, but Kell scowls before shovelling it in.
‘You both got a good look at the other competitors last night?’ Hira asks before tearing off a chunk of bread.
I nod. ‘We saw some of them.’
‘And you understand what you’re facing?’
‘We know we have to get through the Trials if we want to live,’ Kell says stonily.
‘Good,’ Hira says, sweeping the crumbs from the table, then points at me.
‘Unless you’ve got some trick up your sleeve, you need to find a weapon as soon as it begins.
And you –’ she jabs a finger at Kell – ‘cover her and stick by her side. She’ll protect you; she’s far more vicious than you.
Try not to die. It’ll reflect poorly on me.
And, if you’re victorious, it will make things easier for your friend. ’
‘Is that all?’ I ask her, ignoring the stab of fear at the lingering threat hanging over Agnes.
‘No. I’ll deliver your messages.’ She grins at us. ‘My Malefant is going to be intrigued indeed by what you have told me about this law. She’ll want to investigate and I hope for your sakes that you’ve told the truth.’
‘Why would I lie about that?’ I ask.
Hira sighs, sitting back in her chair. ‘To discredit me at my coven? I haven’t exactly put a lot into your training, I know.
Truth is, I wasn’t given much time. I do wonder if this is as much a test for our coven as it is for the two of you.
If you die, the ruling council can blame my Malefant and favour another coven.
If you live, they reward our coven. Seems to me they’re playing us against each other.
So if this information about a law to control magic is true … ’
‘Which it is.’
‘Then there’s more going on here than I realised. Games upon games.’ Hira shivers. ‘I never did like court politics. But training you isn’t that bad. And I suppose I see no harm in these messages. Now, to strategy …’
Hira crosses the room, pulling a folder from a bag and bringing it back to the table. ‘What’s this?’ I ask, peering at the scrawled handwriting, littered with dates and names of past contenders.
‘An analysis I pulled together of previous Trials both here and hosted by other territories.’ She leafs through the pages and taps on a list. ‘Trial types. Water-based, land-based, sky-based. In the past, there have been battlefields, monster hunts, mazes and traps … anything that will delight and engage a crowd of spectators.’
‘Any idea which type the first Trial might be?’ Kell asks, raising his eyebrows. ‘Capture the flag – that doesn’t sound so bad—’
‘The flag was a drake egg and the mother was set loose to hunt down the team who captured her unborn young,’ Hira says darkly. ‘That was long, long ago and none survived.’
I shiver, running my eyes down the rest of the list. ‘Do they often repeat Trials?’
‘Occasionally,’ Hira says. ‘You should view this analysis as a set of examples, not absolutes. Be prepared for anything. Play to your strengths, keep each other alive. And try not to piss off the other contenders, or they could turn on you.’
I finish my food, listening as Hira and Kell discuss past Trials and hide the flush of triumph blooming in my middle.
All I need is that one message to reach Ennor, and when Eli returns he will come for me.
I want to believe that Sember and Heath will keep their deal with us and ensure our survival, but I am done trusting others.
I cannot sit idly by and pour my hope and Agnes’s very life into a stranger’s hands.
And, in the meantime, I will make the most of being here, in the ruling council’s court. I will find out what they intend to use me for. I will be a weapon, but not one wielded by them.