Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mira
‘I barely believed it,’ Zandri continued, her attention fixed on my mother, ‘when my Artisan reported a sighting of you. After you set the palace ablaze, no one could be certain whether you were dead or alive.’
It was the casual tone of her voice that really shocked me, as if arson was the least of Celeste’s – Adalyn’s – offences. It was the way my mother’s expression suddenly transformed, turning cool and resolute.
‘I did what I had to,’ she replied evenly.
‘And the bodies left behind in the ruins? Were those necessary, too?’
‘I thought you’d approve,’ Celeste said harshly. ‘Since when do you care about collateral damage?’
Zandri opened her mouth to reply, but I broke in before she could. ‘You killed someone?’
Even as I said it, I realised that wasn’t quite right. Zandri had said bodies . My mother had killed more than one person. But I didn’t correct myself. I couldn’t.
Celeste’s face shuttered so fully that I couldn’t read her feelings at all. She looked away and didn’t reply.
Zandri tilted her head as she observed me, her dark eyes filled with punishing intensity. ‘What about the girl? How much does she know?’
‘Nothing,’ Celeste said quickly. ‘I told her nothing.’
‘That makes this easier, I suppose.’ Zandri’s hand drifted down to the ornate silver dagger resting on her hip. ‘I think you know what happens next.’
My mother nodded, but she clutched one of Verex’s throwing knives in a white-knuckled hand – like she was planning to use it as a weapon. Zandri must have thought so too, because her expression darkened.
‘You’ve never struck me as a fool,’ Zandri said with lethal softness. ‘It would be a shame if you forced me to reconsider that assumption now. There’s only one way this ends.’
My mother’s eyes darted from Zandri to me and back again. I stepped forward, preparing to stand and fight at her side. But at my movement, she relaxed her grip on the weapon and sagged in defeat.
‘Good.’ Zandri relaxed too. ‘Now, I think it best—’
Something streaked through the air from behind me. Zandri threw up an arm and a knife sliced into her skin, blood welling in its wake. She blinked at the wound, like she’d forgotten she could bleed. Then she turned slowly, her bearing filled with menace. The red torque at her throat gleamed with bloody inner fire.
‘Attack me again,’ she said slowly, ‘and it will be the last thing you ever do.’
Fear surged through me. Not just for myself or my mother – but for Verex, who had come to our defence. The large, imposing man was armed with a handful of his throwing knives. I knew he was lethal; I’d seen his unnerving accuracy during performances. But this time, I wasn’t sure accuracy would be enough.
‘You won’t be taking them,’ Verex said in his low, rumbling voice. He twirled another a knife against his palm – a threat and a promise.
‘Last chance,’ Zandri warned.
Verex’s gaze took in my mother, her hand curled tightly around the weapon. Then he looked at me. The fear in my face only seemed to feed his conviction.
He aimed the knife, sending it careening through the air. I watched in desperate, breathless hope, waiting for it to slam into the raven-haired woman.
But Zandri moved with inhuman speed, dodging the knife and catching it in a single, lithe movement. She glanced at the weapon, then at Verex. He paused, whatever he saw in her expression rooting him to the spot. Then he took a step back—
His own blade struck him in the throat, sending a spray of blood through the air. Verex crumbled to the ground and Zandri strode over, calmly retrieving the knife from his neck. Arterial blood spurted over her black leather, but she didn’t seem to notice. She raised her head, the dagger dripping red onto the grass.
‘I can do this all day,’ she announced – and, as if to prove her point, flung the knife in the direction of the stage.
I flinched as it thudded into the centre of the target. The cruelty of the gesture was what struck me, because that target had been Verex’s. Just like that knife had been Verex’s, the one she had used to—
‘You murdered him.’ Just like that, I was propelled into action. I didn’t have a weapon in my hand, but in that moment, it didn’t even matter.
‘Mira,’ Celeste said sharply.
I ignored my mother, focused on Zandri. I wasn’t sure what I expected her to say. Maybe that she’d tried to warn Verex and he hadn’t listened. Maybe that he’d thrown the first knife. But all she said was, ‘He was in the way.’
The coldness in her voice, the apathy, enraged me. Without thinking, I dived for Verex’s body and picked up his discarded knife.
‘You’re not taking us anywhere,’ I told Zandri with false confidence, ignoring the tremble of my hands.
‘Mira—’
Whatever my mother was going to say dissolved into choked silence. Zandri hadn’t spoken, hadn’t so much as moved, but suddenly Celeste was on her knees.
I raced to my mother’s side. My mother, who was struggling to form words, blood dribbling from her lips instead—
Like in the Artisan’s vision.
Panic constricted my chest as I turned on Zandri, as I shouted, ‘Stop it! You’re killing her!’
Zandri’s inscrutable expression didn’t alter. Silhouetted against the red tent, she was a pillar of darkness.
My mother was gasping for breath now, and I had never felt more helpless. Somehow, I managed to climb to my feet. Fury raced through my veins as I faced Zandri, turning my blood molten. Like fire.
Like fire—
And just like that, the tent was alight.
Zandri stumbled back, staring at the flames in astonishment. Black flames.
They were running along my arms, too. I could feel them, but they didn’t burn.
All I’d wanted was to stop Zandri. To protect my mother. But now—
‘Mira.’ Celeste’s eyes were riveted on my neck. It took me a second to make sense of her hoarse words, to understand what she was saying: ‘The locket. Use the locket.’
I grasped for the locket, expecting it to feel cold beneath my fingers. A pained hiss left my lips; it was as hot as the flames surrounding us.
‘Breathe, Mira. Focus.’
Screwing my eyes shut, I sucked in a deep, steadying breath. As I did, the locket began to cool. When I reopened my eyes, the black flames had disappeared – as if they’d never existed.
But as I took in my surroundings, whatever relief I’d felt was extinguished. Because the circus . . . the circus was burning.
‘Mira,’ Celeste shouted, slashing through the tent with Verex’s knife. ‘We have to go!’
I didn’t hesitate. I climbed out after my mother, and we ran.
Magic. I had just used magic .
It seemed impossible. Unbelievable. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it now.
My jaw gritted with effort as I fought to keep moving, racing towards the white-washed buildings. Shouts and screams carried to me on a smoke-drenched breeze, and tears welled in my eyes as I thought of the performers. If anything had happened to them—
I risked a glance back over my shoulder, but all I could see was chaos. Destruction.
And something else.
Across the field, Zandri’s distant figure was visible. She was standing on the other side of the wall of flame, and I should have felt safe, because surely there was no way Zandri could get to us now.
Instead, I was filled with trepidation. A normal person didn’t stand so still, facing the flames without moving. And yet Zandri remained in place, making no attempt to flee. What was she doing ?
A second later, I had my answer. It came in the form of a huge burst of energy that surged through the field, sweeping aside tents and extinguishing the flames.
Even racing down through the streets, the force was enough to make me stumble. I cried out but managed to keep my footing. Celeste pulled me along, panting with effort. If she was aware of what just happened, she didn’t show it. She just picked up her pace, sprinting in the direction of the harbour.
Thankfully, no one seemed to have raised the alarm. My first impression was one of stillness and calm: only a few sailors were present, lingering near the wharf or next to their vessels. I counted a handful of merchant ships and half a dozen fishing boats, bobbing gently on dark water.
‘Let me do the talking,’ Celeste instructed, already striding forward.
I watched as she spoke to one of the captains. He looked in my direction a few times and finally my mother motioned me over with an impatient hand.
‘This is my daughter, Lillian. She’s been offered an apprenticeship in the capital.’
The captain ran a sceptical eye over me. ‘What kind of apprenticeship is it?’
‘Dressmaking,’ I replied, playing along. ‘The weaver – my mistress – has a connection in Ravalia. But she wants me to start right away.’
He nodded slowly, the suspicion beginning to clear from his eyes. ‘You’re leaving it mighty late,’ he remarked, looking over at the rapidly darkening horizon. ‘It makes more sense to come back tomorrow.’
Celeste shook her head firmly. ‘We’re in a hurry,’ she said, passing him a coin – no, a gold piece . I stared at it in shock, wondering where it had come from.
The captain considered the gold, then us. With an ironic smile, he said, ‘Far be it for me to turn down paying customers.’
He escorted us down the gangplank and onto one of the merchant ships, its small crew springing into action. It didn’t take long for the sailors to unmoor the ship and unfurl its ghostly white sails.
Soon enough, we were sailing out of the sheltered harbour and across the churning sea. I waited, heart in my mouth, for other vessels to try and pursue us. But, somehow, our luck held.
I crossed the deck to where my mother was standing, her expression remote as she gazed over the black water. In the distance, Aldara was little more than a speck of land, and I swallowed past a sudden lump in my throat.
In the morning, Aric and Lillian would wake to find me gone. No goodbye. No explanation. Nothing.
Would they discover the truth – that my mother and I were fugitives? Or would Zandri keep that knowledge to herself ?
I hoped she did. I didn’t want Aric and Lillian to believe I hadn’t trusted them. I knew how deeply that pain could wound.
‘I’m sorry for involving you in all of this,’ my mother said, and I realised that she’d been watching me closely.
I glanced at the sharp, unsmiling lines of her face. The pleasant-faced performer was gone, if she’d ever really existed.
‘I don’t even know what to call you,’ I said softly, my words almost lost over the groan of the rigging. I don’t even know who you are.
‘Call me Celeste,’ she murmured. ‘Adalyn is my past. That’s all.’
I wished it were that simple. I wished it were true . But whatever she’d done, whoever she’d been, today had brought that past to the surface. And I didn’t like what it had revealed.
‘What exactly are you involved in? Why did Zandri want you so badly?’
My mother didn’t respond. I was so angry that I was trembling, but I forced my voice to remain calm. Steady.
‘Back at the circus . . . I used magic, didn’t I? How?’
‘Your emotions summoned the magic inside the blood ruby. There’s a reason I kept it hidden from you, Mira; if anyone discovered you had this, you would forfeit your life.’ Celeste hesitated. Though she was usually filled with energy, she suddenly seemed exhausted. Drained. ‘How did you find it?’
‘An Artisan told me something of mine was buried behind our tent.’ My voice turned challenging. ‘What did he mean? Is the blood ruby mine?’
‘No. It belongs to me.’ Celeste rubbed her temple, as if fighting back a headache. ‘The locket I concealed it in . . . that was always meant to be yours. Your father gave it to me for safekeeping.’
My hand enclosed reverently around the necklace, nestled inside the bodice of my dress.
My father’s necklace.
‘You can have it back one day,’ she said, stepping closer. ‘But for now, it needs to stay with me.’
Before I could react, her nimble fingers quickly undid the clasp. As she took it, I felt a sense of loss. A lightness and heaviness all at the same time.
‘It seems I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets,’ Celeste said after a marked pause. ‘I don’t recall you telling me you intended to enter the Trials.’
‘And I seem to recall you telling me we were running from criminals.’
Her silence was confirmation of the lie. One more to add to a mounting list.
‘Once we’re safe,’ she said, ‘I’ll tell you everything. But until then, we need to focus on staying alive.’
I inhaled deeply, clinging to patience. ‘And where is safe? Ravalia?’
‘No,’ Celeste replied. ‘We need to pass through Ravalia to source a larger ship and crew, but I don’t intend to remain longer than necessary. Once we’re prepared for a long journey, we’ll sail around the bottom of the continent and up to the North. To the Wilds of Kalure.’
‘ That’s your plan?’ I turned to gape at my mother – what little I could see of her face in the darkness. I didn’t know which part was more shocking – that she wanted to flee to the Wilds, or the route she intended to take to get there. ‘Even if we make it across the Tempest Sea alive, Kalure is occupied by Ravalia. The entire country is a powder keg waiting to explode.’
‘That’s why we’re going to the Wilds.’ Celeste smiled faintly. ‘You should be excited. I know how much you loved my stories about free magic. If we make it there, you won’t need to listen to those stories anymore. You’ll be living them.’
‘Don’t try to make this sound like an adventure,’ I said sharply. ‘Kalure is dangerous, and I’ve heard the Warriors talk. Last month, Emperor Kalias sent an entire regiment into those forests.’
‘I heard that too,’ Celeste replied, irritatingly calm. ‘I didn’t hear anything about those soldiers returning.’
I stared at her. Just stared. ‘You want to risk our lives based on – what? A hunch ?’
‘All rulers love to publicise their victories, Mira, but not their failures.’ Celeste’s fingers tightened around my father’s locket. ‘Even with Emperor Kalias’s command over the Orders, some places – and magic – are too powerful to be conquered or controlled.’
I wasn’t convinced. Surely no one – no place , even – could stand against the full might of the Ravalian Empire. And if it could, then it was dangerous in a whole other way.
My doubts must have been obvious, because my mother said, ‘We’ll be safe in the Wilds, for a little while at least. And if a time comes when we’re not . . . well, there are worse places to take a stand. I promise you that.’
The hard note in her voice gave me pause. It scared me in a way that not even Zandri had scared me.
I didn’t want to believe that I was on the wrong side of this. I loathed Zandri for what she had done to Verex, but I couldn’t forget the accusations she had levelled at my mother.
‘She said you burned down a palace,’ I muttered, and the unease was clear in my voice. ‘She said you killed people.’
Celeste’s eyes locked with mine. They were the same eyes I’d stared into all my life, usually filled with compassion and a hint of mischief. Tonight, though, they were hard and cold.
I was looking at a stranger who wore my mother’s face.