CHAPTER 2
Master Woodhouse had the horses saddled and ready.
Their coats gleamed in the misty dawn light, and the beasts’ breaths curled in the brisk air.
They stamped and whickered, eager to be on their way—except for August, who moped in his stall.
He was being left behind because the king wasn’t well and had taken to his bed, and August was quite put out to miss the glory and excitement of the rescue mission.
“It’s all right, boy,” Master Woodhouse consoled. “Next time—”
“Everyone ready?”
Master Woodhouse hobbled around to face the voice.
Tyghan stood in the doorway of the barn with Bristol by his side. Three recruits followed on their heels. The old stable master stumbled over himself, apologizing for not having the king’s horse ready. “Your Majesty! I think I misunderstood Kasta’s orders.”
Tyghan breezed past Master Woodhouse. “It’s not a problem. I’ll get August ready.”
As speechless as the stable master was, no one was more surprised than Kasta, who had just exited the tack room. The rope she carried slipped from her shoulder. “What are you doing here? I thought—”
“I’m better.” He glanced at Bristol. “A good night’s rest, I guess.”
“Rest?” Kasta replied, still confused. Tyghan had been furious with Bristol just yesterday, and the last time he’d been plagued with demons, it took him weeks to recover.
“All right,” she answered cautiously. “But why are they here?” She flicked her hand toward the recruits still standing in the barn doorway. “This is not what we planned—”
“It’s the plan now,” Tyghan answered, and moved quickly to gather August’s tack.
He grabbed his blanket and saddle and carried it to his stall.
“The recruits should all stay together,” he explained.
“Olivia and Esmee both confirmed their strength as a team. They feed on each other’s magic.
Brief the others.” Meaning Julia, Sashka, and Avery, who weren’t supposed to come along.
And, of course, Bristol. “And we’re including that stop on our way,” he added. “The one we originally planned.”
Tyghan was so energized, Bristol was certain he didn’t notice the cold cut of Kasta’s dark eyes.
They skimmed over Bristol, as if assigning blame for this deviation from the plan, but Kasta shook it off quickly, snatched up the coil of rope she had dropped, and continued her preparations.
As always, she was the model soldier and knight, moving forward and following the orders of her friend and sovereign.
Bristol admired her scalpel-like focus, not wasting time on her feelings but absorbed only by duty.
Today wasn’t about Kasta or egos, but about the goal, which was common to them all.
Not about past grievances, because those were plentiful and evenly sown.
Today was about the future survival of Elphame—and the mortal world.
Betrayals and angry demands were put on hold, disputes to be settled later.
With less than three weeks until the Choosing Ceremony, time was running out.
Still, when Tyghan affectionately touched the small of Bristol’s back, she saw the sharp turn of Kasta’s head. Unspoken questions seared the air. Things had changed drastically since the day before.
A certain guilt filled Bristol, like she had undermined Kasta—the very officer who had secretly given her father a second chance.
Secretly. A very big secret. Kasta had discovered Kierus and Maire in the forest all those months ago, but she walked away when Tyghan couldn’t.
Why? Bristol wondered. At least now with a new plan on the table, she showed no signs of agitation.
She was too busy briefing them as the king had ordered.
This wasn’t a drill. It was the real thing.
Step one, remain undetected. Step two, get Cael.
Step three, get home alive. There were a myriad of other steps between, rules and assignments that Kasta reviewed with them, but those three were the basics.
She emphasized that complete silence was essential once on the ground, even if they were under the veil of invisibility.
That veil didn’t suppress sound. Whispers could be heard, twigs could snap beneath boots, tree branches would bend if brushed by a careless shoulder.
Not to mention Kormick had powerful wizards, and a suspicious one could cast a sweeping ward to reveal them.
“But we will give them nothing to suspect, correct?” Kasta asked.
The recruits nodded.
“Only if I approve it will we shed our invisibility, so our full powers are available to us. Understood?”
“Understood,” Julia answered for them all.
Surreptitious movement had been covered in drills too, but now its necessity wasn’t theoretical.
They were heading into enemy territory—a place where Bristol’s mother lived with Kormick.
Where she worked with Kormick. Bristol’s mouth went dry, and she glanced at her fellow recruits.
They were also paired with knights on horses for the ride.
Rose and Hollis glowed, their spirits soaring, noticeably relieved that the others were going too.
But Bristol saw her friends differently this time.
More knights might die.
Their vulnerability screamed at her in a way it never had before. My mother won’t harm them, she said to herself, almost as a mantra. My mother would never—
But the restless dead would.
Kormick’s hideous warriors would.
Kormick himself would.
How far would you go? she had asked Kormick, and he easily answered: As far as I need to go. He would do anything to become king of Elphame and gain control of the cauldron that would put them all under his thumb.
Bristol closed her eyes, seeing his soulless stare again when he trapped her in the alley.
Unseelie. Her father’s despair swept over her.
When she’s with him, she is not herself.
But who was she? Had Bristol ever really known her mother at all?
The answer was obvious. No. Her mother was good at hiding things, at playing roles.
When she was with Kormick, maybe she was being exactly who she wanted to be, someone more powerful than any nightmare.
“Don’t forget this,” Cully said, and handed Kasta a small sleeping hare, calmed with magic.
Kasta lowered the animal into her saddlebag.
The proxy. A powerful kind of glamour would transform it, one that could stand the test of time, the difference between a castle made of sand and one made of granite.
A hare that would become Cael for weeks.
This was a magic Bristol had never seen.
Only the most powerful sorcerers could conjure it, and Olivia was one of them.
Julia sidled close to Bristol. “So I assume this means you two have resolved your differences?”
Bristol nodded. “We haven’t had a lot of time to talk it out yet, but we’re working on it.”
“Good,” Julia said. “Be sure that you do, or those differences will eventually catch up with you.”
“I know. Thank you, Julia. And thank you for letting me crash in your room, and letting me cry on your shoulder.”
She smiled, creases lighting her beautiful cat eyes. “That’s what friends and shoulders are for.”
They walked with the others to the waiting horses.
Avery’s newfound confidence glowed on her sun-kissed face, freckles traveling like stars across her cheeks, and Rose and Hollis were engaged in excited chatter. Breath rippled lightly in Bristol’s chest. No knights will die on this mission, she promised herself. None.
She wished Glennis wasn’t still away on patrol. She always had a calming and encouraging word for the recruits. They needed that now more than ever. A single word could be more empowering than all the magic and might in the universe.
August bowed, allowing Bristol and Tyghan onto his back, and Tyghan slipped his arms around Bristol to hold the reins. “Let’s move out,” he called, and the Tuatha de horses leapt forward in unison, taking to the air.