The Crystal Tree (Song Magic Book 1)

by Imogen Elvis

“Levi,” A cold smile spread over Master Sachio’s face. “I was so pleased to hear my Nameless Ones finally found you. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” He waved the guards away, and they released Briar and Kade, stepping back to stand by the door, though they didn’t leave.

  “Not long enough,” Kade said stiffly.

  Briar looked at him and frowned. Why did Master Sachio call him ‘Levi’? But no one explained. It was if nothing existed outside of Kade and Master Sachio. Kade glared at the master, anger crackling off him in waves.

  “Varik will be pleased to hear you’ve been found.” Master Sachio stepped around the desk, still with the same calm smile on his lips. “One less traitor for him to worry about.”

  “I’m no traitor.” Kade’s voice shook with quiet fury. “You are.” He took a half step forward, fists clenched, though they were tied behind his back. The guards moved to restrain him again, but Master Sachio waved them off.

  “And yet you’re the one they’re all looking for,” the master said. “The king is beside himself with grief. To think that his only son could betray him.” Master Sachio shook his head in a mockery of concern.

  Briar’s eyes widened. If Varik was his father, then that would make Kade… “You’re the prince?” The words were out before she could stop herself.

  “He didn’t tell you?” Master Sachio shook his head. “No, I don’t suppose he did. Betraying your country doesn’t tend to win you many friends.”

  “I’m no traitor, and you know it.” Kade surged forward again. The guards grabbed his arms, hauling him back before he could reach Master Sachio. Kade strained against their grip, his eyes blazing. “You’re the one playing with the king’s mind. I. Did. Nothing.”

  “True. But it was so easy to plant the seed in Varik’s mind.” Master Sachio circled Kade slowly. “I wonder if he already doubted you before I ever gave him the idea.”

  “You’re a monster,” Kade’s voice shook.

  “Why would you do this?” Briar asked. It made no sense. Master Sachio was the king’s brother. Why would he do such a thing to his own family?

  “Because I was born to be king.”

  Briar frowned. “But the law says-”

  “The law?” Master Sachio’s lip curls. “Don’t talk to me about the rules. I stand in the shadow of my little brother, watching my idiot of a nephew failing to grow into a king. I bow and smile and fix the king’s messes, because of a rule that was made so long ago no one even remembers why.”

  “You just prove how much we need that rule,” Kade spat. “You manipulate your own family. How is that a sign of a good king?”

  Master Sachio shook his head. “You’re so naïve, Levi. People manipulate each other every day. I’m sure even your young companion here has an angle. I just happen to have a natural advantage. With my gifts, I could make Kerr a hundred times more powerful. Our borders would be stronger, and our treaties easier to negotiate. People would fear and respect us. Instead, I must be pushed to the background, watching my little brother struggling to hold on to even what he has.” Master Sachio’s voice rose with every word.

  “And so you terrorise our people. Create threats. Twist the king’s mind. The people are scared. They’re dying because of your Nameless Ones.” Kade’s angry gaze bored into Master Sachio’s face. “Because of you.”

  “They’re scared now. But that’s necessary, to put the world in order again. Sacrifices have to be made.” Master Sachio’s face composed itself back into its usual calm mask again. “When I am king-”

  “You will never be king,” Kade snarled.

  “You won’t be around to know one way or another. There’s a standing order for your execution the moment you reach Mizra.”

  “And Briar?”

  Master Sachio’s eyes moved to her. “When you join a traitor, you become a traitor. An example has to be made.”

  He couldn’t mean that. She never even knew Kade was really Prince Levi, let alone betrayed anyone. All she wanted was Ava back. And yet his voice, the calm, serious expression on his face, it sent ice to her heart. There was no lie there, no matter how desperately she searched. He meant for her to die with Kade.

  Briar pressed her lips together and lifted her chin, dragging together any dregs of courage she had left. “I’m no traitor. And neither is Kade.”

  “I believe you.” There was an almost soothing quality to Master Sachio’s voice, an undercurrent of persuasion that tugged at Briar’s heart as if he really believed and sympathised with her. “But anyone who supports the traitor prince is against the king and must be punished.” He paused. “I can save you from that though.”

  “Really?” Briar narrowed her eyes.

  “Of course. If Levi was to tell me who helps him, and what they have planned, you could walk free. I don’t need you. The power is entirely in his hands.”

  So that was his angle. Force Kade to betray his friends to save her. Briar bit the inside of her cheek, holding back the sudden rush of pleading words that leapt to her tongue. She didn’t want to go to Mizra, to die in front of a crowd as a criminal. But Kade wasn’t the traitor here. Master Sachio was. A traitor to his country, to the Order, and to his own family. Fear made her legs weak, but she stood a little taller, meeting Master Sachio’s eye. “I won’t beg.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Not even to save your own life?” Master Sachio turned to Kade. “And you, you’d just stand there and let her die when you know you could save her?”

  Kade glanced at Briar and his eyes begged for her forgiveness and understanding. “I can’t, Briar. If I could, I would. But I can’t.”

  Briar met his gaze and gave him a tiny nod. “I know. I wouldn’t ask you to.” They were in this together. Whatever happened, this was her choice too. Master Sachio had them both. She wouldn’t give him Lara and Rowen as well. Briar turned back to the master. “Kade won’t tell you anything. And neither will I.”

  Master Sachio let out a heavy sigh. “I was hoping you’d be more reasonable. But I suppose that was too much to ask.” He looked past them to the guards. “Take them down to the interview cells. I think we might be able to persuade them better down there.” He paused. “I’ll start with the girl first, I think.”

  “No.” Kade surged against the guards. “You don’t need Briar. Let her go.”

  A slow, cruel smile spread across Master Sachio’s face. “Oh, but I do. You care about her safety. That’s more than enough reason for me to keep her here. You know what your greatest weakness is, Levi? You care far too much about people who, in the end, really don’t matter.” He nodded to the guards. “Take them down.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The guard took Briar down into the very bowels of the building. At first, Kade followed them, his two guards wrestling him along as he fought every step of the way. But, in the deepest hallways, they disappeared down a side corridor, and Briar was left alone with just the single guard by her side. They stopped outside an ominous, iron-bound door. The light from a flickering torch set into the wall nearby gleamed on the huge bolts and straps of metal that covered this door. The guard pushed it open and forced Briar into a tiny, square stone box of a cell. It was furnished with a single chair that stood in the very centre of the room. The walls breathed out a ghostly chill, and the only light in the room came from a single torch in a sconce, which cast eerie, twisted shadows over the stones. Briar could almost taste the stale fear seeped into the very walls.

  “Why are you doing this?” Briar dug in her heels. Cold sweat prickled over her skin as she eyed the cuffs attached to the arms of the chair.

  “Orders. Now get over there.” The guard kneed her in the back, forcing Briar to stagger forward. He marched her over to the chair, dragging her by the arms as if she were a child. When they reached the seat, he spun her around and ripped the bindings off her wrists. Briar gave a small cry as the cords sliced across her skin. She struggled as the guard grabbed her shoulders, forcing her down into the seat.

  “Plea
se. Let me go.” Her voice shook. “Don’t do this.”

  “Stop moving, or I’ll make sure this hurts.” The guard slammed her hand into the first cuff, locking it tight around her left wrist. Briar clawed at it, but the man grabbed her right hand and forced it into the second cuff. Then, despite Briar’s best efforts to kick him, he secured her ankles too.

  “There. That’ll hold you ‘til the master gets here.”

  Never in her life had Briar felt as helpless as she did now, sitting completely at his mercy, unable to more than stare at the man with wide eyes and wildly fluttering heart. She clenched her hands in an attempt to stop their shaking. The guard made for the torch in its sconce and Briar’s heart skipped a beat as he lifted it from its bracket.

  “No. Please.”

  “What, you scared of the dark?” The guard sniggered and held the torch a little higher, making the shadows dance. “Enjoy your stay.” He slammed the door shut, cutting off the light.

  Panic swept through Briar. She had to get out of here. Briar flung herself against the restrains over and over until hot blood ran down her fingers and pain seared her wrists. Only then did she sit still, chest heaving. Her staring eyes could see nothing, the restraints had no give, and even the chair seemed to be fastened to the floor, for no matter how hard she rocked, it didn’t shift even slightly. She was trapped down here.

  Briar closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths. There was nothing in this dark that could hurt her. After everything else she’d been through, she could bear this too. Master Sachio wanted her to be scared. He wanted her to be desperate, so she would tell him everything just to get out of this room. But she wouldn’t. He was a disgrace to magicians. He didn’t deserve to know anything. She was stronger than that. Briar repeated this to herself, over and over, in words that sounded far braver than the scared, shivering little girl inside her that wanted to curl up and weep.

  Briar knew death. She knew the way a life song stuttered and faded at the end. She knew what the final breath sounded like as it sighed away. She knew how people died in terror, choking on their fear. And she didn’t want to die. Not like that. Not alone and afraid. But she couldn’t give in either. Briar clenched her fists and lifted her chin, trying to find even the smallest spark of courage to carry her through. She had to be strong.

  It seemed a lifetime before Master Sachio entered the room, a torch in his hand. He placed it in the sconce, where it lit the walls with a flickering, orange glow that did nothing to settle the roiling fear in Briar’s stomach. Now he was here, she almost preferred the suffocating darkness. At least then she’d been safe.

  The master watched Briar in silence. His eyes were calculating and unemotional. Briar tried to hold his gaze, tried to read from his face what he was thinking. But her eyes soon dropped away.

  When Master Sachio finally spoke, his voice held that same smooth, persuasive tone as before. “I am going to ask you some questions, Briar. All you have to do is answer them honestly, and you can go free.”

  “I won’t tell you anything.” Briar ran her tongue over her dry lips. Her words might be brave, but the quiver in her voice was anything but.

  “I don’t know about that.” Master Sachio didn’t sound at all put off. “I have no real need of you, after all. All I need is Levi. If you answer my questions, I’ll let you walk out that gate, as free as can be.” His light, conversational tone was almost more frightening than if he’d started by threatening her. “Let’s start by talking about you shall we? How did you meet Levi?”

  Briar pressed her lips together and refused to look at him. She doubted that answering this particular question would hurt anyone, but still, she wouldn’t give him even that satisfaction.

  Master Sachio waited a moment, then said, “It’s not a difficult question. All I want to know is how and where you met Levi. Why don’t you tell me and help yourself? No? Very well then. How about you tell me why you’re travelling with him?”

  “I don’t travel with Levi. I travel with Kade.” Levi was a prince, unreachable, unknowable, whereas Kade was her friend and her companion.

  A smile spread across Master Sachio’s face making Briar instantly regret saying anything. “Ah yes. Kade, the wanted fugitive. Why would you travel with a man like that?”

  Why would she travel with a man like Kade? A man who was kind and honourable? Who put himself and his own journey at risk to help her find Ava? Why wouldn’t she travel with him? Briar bit her tongue, holding back the urge to leap to Kade’s defence.

  “From your silence, I can only assume that you travelled with a man you know nothing about for absolutely no reason at all. Do I have that right?”

  “It means I’m telling you nothing.” Briar’s nails dug into her bloodied palms. He wouldn’t get that satisfaction from her.

  “And you want me to believe that all the time you travelled with Levi, you never once suspected he might be the prince?”

  “Why would I be so surprised to find out if I had known anything?” Briar spat. “I had no reason to suspect.”

  Master Sachio sighed. “You know, you’re not being very helpful.”

  Good. She didn’t want to be helpful.

  There was another beat of silence before Master Sachio said, in that same, hollow, disappointed tone, “Your loyalty is admirable, but I doubt it will impress Levi. Don’t you want to be free?”

  “I have nothing to offer you, even if I wanted to,” Briar said. Frustration welled up inside her, hot and angry, fed by her overwhelming sense of helplessness. “I never knew who he was. I never knew what he was doing. I needed his help, not the other way round. Whatever happens to me, Kade won’t tell you anything. He’ll take his secrets to the grave before he says a word.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. He can be… persuaded. But as for you, I’m sure you can be of more help than you think.” That soft, sympathetic tone was back, and it made Briar’s stomach churn. “Did Levi ever meet with anyone while you were travelling together? Think before you answer. This could be your chance. You don’t want to stay down here forever, do you?”

  Briar bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. He already had her and Kade. She couldn’t give him Lara and Rowen too.

  Master Sachio sighed. “Levi always did have a knack for finding foolish friends. I’m going to ask you one last time, and you’d be wise to answer me. Who did Levi meet with?”

  “I won’t tell you.”

  “Very well. I see you prefer to do things the hard way.” Master Sachio shook out his hands. “Remember, you chose this. One way or another, you will give me what I want.”

  He stood in front of her chair and laid his hands over hers. His cold fingers dug into her skin like talons. Briar squirmed and tried to pull away, but the restraints held her still. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Magic wasn’t supposed to be used like this. It went against everything the Order taught, everything it stood for.

  Master Sachio closed his eyes and began to sing. Briar gasped. The song burned through her blood like fire. It forced its way inside, burrowing deeper and deeper. She could feel Master Sachio inside her song, clawing at her mind. Pain burst inside her head. Briar gritted her teeth. She tried to put up a shutter that would keep him out. But his magic was too strong. He could see everything, every memory and thought she tried to hide. All the secrets she fought so hard to keep. She didn’t want to show him. He shouldn’t be able to force her to.

  But he did.

  It was like she floated free of her body, lost in a river of notes that was too strong to fight, unable to do anything but watch as Master Sachio ripped her secrets from the innermost parts of her mind. He saw everything. Kade. Lara. Rowan… Ava. Briar choked. There was no hiding Ava. Master Sachio saw it all. Briar fought to push him out, but her meagre magic was nothing compared to his overwhelming power.

  In the middle of her struggle, another song brushed past Briar. Another life song. Not hers. Not the song he sang. It mingled with the song that poured from the
master’s lips, but never joined it. Was it his? Briar’s head throbbed with pain, making it difficult to focus. If she sang it-if she-if the song… She couldn’t find the right thought. So instead she just sang.

  The world shifted around her. Now all Briar could hear was the pulse of Master Sachio’s life song. She sang blindly, reaching for his mind even as he rifled through hers. Briar poured herself into the music, magic burning in every note. He should have pushed her out at once. But, distracted by his own singing, Master Sachio’s mind was unguarded, and Briar saw:

  A thirteen year old boy being told he would never be king

  Searing anger

  Jealousy

  A younger brother taking his place

  Grey habit

  Silver medallion

  Singing

  Training

  Waiting

  Hatred

  Strong and cold

  Smiling and hating behind that smile

  A tree

  The echo of a song, stretched thin across memory

  Leaves, so smooth and white and crystalline

  The sudden rush of power

  Planning…

  The image fractured into a thousand notes, and the song vanished so fast it took Briar’s breath away. She blinked at Master Sachio with blurry eyes as he lurched away from her. Sweat trickled down his face, and his eyes burned with a cold hatred Briar now recognised.

  “You think you’re so clever.” Master Sachio spat the words out. “But you’re nothing. A failure. It’s all you’ve ever been. Failing to stop your mother. Failing to save your sister. Failing to keep your precious secrets. You were always going to fail. You’re weak.”

  It wasn’t true. He was lying. She wasn’t a failure. And yet, Briar’s stomach twisted at the bitter truth in his words and she hung her head.

  “Your sister is such a gifted little thing.” Master Sachio paced a slow circle around her chair. Briar closed her eyes. Not Ava too. What more could he take from her? “You never wanted to believe she was special, did you? You never wanted to believe that you weren’t the only daughter with magic.”