Charlie pouted and rubbed the sore spot where she’d been flicked. “I don’t need any help. I’m fine. People treat me like I’m fragile when they find out. I’m not fragile. I’m less fragile than all of you since I’m already broken.” It sounded like an argument she’d made many times before. “I can do anything you can do.”
Marie laughed. “You can do a bunch of stuff we can’t do.”
That relaxed Charlie a little. “Promise you won’t get weird now that you know, and you won’t tell anyone.”
“Of course not,” said Marie, giving Charlie’s shoulder a squeeze and staring pointedly at Kuro and Arthur until they agreed as well.
“Yeah, no problem,” agreed Kuro once he’d caught on.
“Sure,” said Arthur. “Everyone has secrets.”
Eleven
Samhain
The approach of winter was accompanied by considerable excitement among most of the students. For Kuro, the excitement was mostly drawn from the fact that the weather never actually changed on Avalon, and that he wouldn’t ever be begging in a blizzard. For most other students, it was because the turning of the seasons was marked by a great celebration, with an outdoor feast, sports, games, dancing, and a huge bonfire. Even more exciting was that it would be happening up on the Avalon High plateau. All the junior high students would be brought up the huge cliffs for the celebration and be allowed to see the high school and its grounds.
Kuro’s friends were caught up in the excitement as well, and it served to distract from Arthur’s frequent questions to Charlie about her remarkable abilities. Instead, they had taken to imagining what the celebrations would be like. Charlie speculated in grandiose terms about the “unparalleled majesty atop Avalon Peak and the mysteries hidden within,” something she’d picked up from a book. Arthur wanted to watch the high school team play lacrosse, and Marie was quietly looking forward to the bonfire and the dancing that would go with it. Kuro didn’t quite get the appeal of those things. He was excited for the food, though. He ate better at Autumn Lodge than he had before in his life, even if the lutin cooking was a bit odd. Even so, the idea of being allowed to eat a feast that had been prepared for the rich kids from the other residences made his stomach rumble.
The best thing about the Samhain celebration, though, the thing which every student could agree was absolutely the best, was that they would have no afternoon classes. When the bell rang at the end of alchemy, Kuro jammed his books in his bag and ran for the door like every other student. He was nearly out of the room when his escape was cut off.
Ms. McCutcheon appeared in the door, barring his way just as he was about to cross the threshold to freedom. “Kuro, please come with me,” she said with a cold authority that allowed no room for argument.
He couldn’t remember doing anything to warrant the principal’s attention, but some whispers from Evelyn’s posse nearby indicated that they had a few ideas of what his crimes might be.
Kuro followed McCutcheon out of the class and along several halls. She waited to speak until no other students were around. “You are not in any trouble, Kuro. There is a woman from the Guard here for you.”
In Kuro’s reckoning, those two statements were completely incompatible. He wondered if they had finally decided to arrest him properly.
He was led to a small room beside the principal’s office. It was overcrowded for such a small space, with a bookshelf taking up all of one wall, a plant that had outgrown its pot, and two well-stuffed velvet armchairs facing each other over a low table that would need to be straddled to climb into either. The room looked like it was meant to be cozy and friendly, but it just felt confining. Its only saving grace was that it had a single narrow window that Kuro could squeeze through in an emergency.
Also in the room was a woman in a grey uniform coat of the Royal Guard, a Ledger. Kuro tensed instinctively in the presence of a guardswoman. She wasn’t much like the other Ledgers he’d seen at the citadel, however, and nothing like the Hounds. She had a kind face, and just a few creases around her bright golden eyes that made it seem as though she smiled a lot. She wore her uniform unbuttoned over a long flowing robelike dress, and she wore a scarf wrapped around her head. She met Kuro with a warm smile as he was pushed inside. He wasn’t certain if her apparent friendliness made him more or less comfortable.
“Ms. El-Assar, this is Kuro,” said Ms. McCutcheon to the woman in the chair. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Thank you, Ms. McCutcheon. I’ll come speak to you before I leave.”
“If you have the time,” the principal said as she was leaving, “you should come visit the festival.”
“I might just do that.” She bowed the principal out and turned to Kuro. “Please, have a seat.”
Kuro was suspicious at her kindness. He took the chair closest to the window so he could leap out if things went badly.
“Did the principal explain to you why I’m here?”
Kuro shook his head.
“My name is Sabine. I’m from the Office of Orphan Affairs. Have you heard of it?”
He shook his head again.
She sat down facing him and smiled pleasantly again. “I’m not surprised. We’re relatively small, and we mostly work with young strays. Our job is to make sure that any witch or wizard orphans are properly looked after. I’m your case worker, and I’m here to make sure you are safe and well cared for. Normally we would have met before school started, but I understand that you’re a bit of a special case. You weren’t even registered with us until after you were on the ferry.”
Kuro wasn’t sure if that was due to Dubois plotting something or just being negligent.
“I’d like to get to know you a bit today, if that’s okay with you?”
Kuro remained motionless. She seemed entirely too genuine and friendly for his liking, as if she was going to try to sell him something.
“Okay, well, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. But I’d like to ask you some questions, all right?”
Kuro nodded slowly but checked that he still had a clear path to the window. Outside he could see the other students being carried up to the top of the plateau by the teachers on magic carpets.
“First, how are you liking it here at Avalon?”
What a complicated question. Kuro hadn’t fully considered it until she asked. “It’s okay,” he said. “The food is good, but I don’t like being a prisoner.”
“Why do you say you’re a prisoner?” she asked with a bit of surprise.
“Am I allowed to leave?” Kuro asked in response.
“Well, I suppose not right now. We don’t have anywhere for you to go yet. But I’m working to find a good home for you for the summer. But you’re really not a prisoner here, I promise. You’re a student. Just like everyone else. Okay?”
Kuro nodded because it felt like she wanted him to. The impassable span of churning, icy saltwater bay that surrounded the island contested her point.
“How are classes going? Do you have a favourite yet?”
“Badly,” Kuro said. “And no, but I hate alchemy the least.”
“Why is that?”
“Because De Rigueur ignores me, and I haven’t exploded anything in it yet.”
Kuro enjoyed watching Sabine shift uncomfortably while trying to process his answer. She changed the subject. “Have you made any friends?”
“Yes.” Kuro was a little surprised at how quickly he responded. It was true, though. He really had friends for the first time in his life. Charlie, Arthur, and Marie were real friends, even if they were all a bit strange. The happy realization made his chest feel uncomfortably light and warm.
“That’s wonderful. Do they treat you well? Do they tease you at all?”
“No, they don't. Everyone else does, but they don't.”
“The other children tease you? Why do you think that is?” She looked sad and very concerned. Kuro was starting to think
that she might actually be a nice person.
“Because I’m short, ugly, poor, and stupid, with no talent, name, or family,” Kuro told her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He did feel like it sort of hung like a sign around his neck.
“Oh dear. Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“I don’t think it’s true.” She comforted him with such compassion that he almost believed her. “You’ve had a tough start, that’s true. And it’s hard being an orphan—”
“I’m not an orphan,” Kuro cut her off.
“What?” She looked very confused and started shuffling through a sheaf of papers, looking for a mistake. “Where are your parents?”
“I don’t have any parents.” Kuro was surprised Sabine hadn’t been told.
“I, um, . . . well, . . .” Ms. El-Assar stumbled trying to make sense of Kuro. “So you don’t know your parents. That’s okay. Is that why you don’t have a last name?”
“I don’t have a name at all,” Kuro answered, growing a little impatient with the questions. He thought that she should know these things. “Kuro is just a number. I’m number nine.”
“Are there another eight?” Sabine asked urgently, as if he’d said something very important.
Kuro narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the woman. She seemed so genuine, but then again, maybe too concerned with his well-being to be believed. Could she be yet another spy working for Dubois? “I don’t think so,” he said. He thought he would test her, see if she was digging for secrets. “Master never told me.”
“Master?” she said, very interested. “Is that who raised you? Why do you call him that?”
“I am his servant,” Kuro said.
“What is his name?” she asked carefully.
She had given herself away. She was just another tool of the Hounds. “He wouldn’t like me telling you,” Kuro said.
She backed off the question and spent another twenty minutes attempting to feign friendliness, discussing his classes, living arrangements, and health, but frequently circling back to get more details on his life before school. Kuro evaded the questions. He had no intention of betraying Phineas to her.
Kuro noticed her fidgeting with the head scarf whenever she asked probing questions. He was reminded of Dubois when he disguised himself as the lumberjack at the ferry dock, how he had to wear a hat to cover his scarred ear, checking it regularly to make sure it was in place; how Dubois could use illusions to change the look of his face and clothes but not his golden eyes. Golden eyes suspiciously like Ms. El-Assar’s. Kuro scowled in annoyance. She was definitely a spy. She might even be Dubois in disguise trying to get information.
There was one way to be sure she was Dubois. “Can I see your familiar?” Kuro asked. Dubois could disguise himself, but no way could he conceal that monster of a wolf he kept around. Even if it weren’t Dubois, any Hound would have a dog and betray the claim that she was just there to help him.
Ms. El-Assar, or whoever she was, tried to wave away the request. “Young people are so caught up in familiars. Mine wouldn’t really fit in here, anyway.” If that excuse weren’t enough, she feigned surprise as she looked out the window and saw the last few students being brought up the cliff. “Oh, the festival is starting soon, isn’t it? I’ve kept you too long. Go on, then. You wouldn’t want to miss the games.”
Definitely Dubois, thought Kuro as he bounded from his chair. He dashed into the hall, out into the sunlight, and away from the Hound in disguise.
He went to where he’d seen the other students being carried up to the plateau, but they had all gone, and no teachers were left waiting for him. It wasn’t terribly surprising, but he was a bit disappointed. He really did want to try the food.
He decided to climb.
Kuro had wanted to climb the cliff since he’d arrived just to see what was at the top. He wasn’t afraid of falling but expected he’d get in trouble if he were caught, and that had been enough to keep him off the near-vertical face of granite. Today was different though. He was allowed to be on the Avalon High plateau, and there wasn’t anyone at ground level to see him climbing.
He ran around the base of the enormous granite pillar looking for the best way up. He ran out of Spring and all the way through Summer before he found a path that looked promising in Autumn. It was the route that Meredith took to get to school. It had clear ledges and crevices the whole way up. He hoped it would work for him, too. At more than twice his height, she could reach much farther than he could. Then again, she just climbed hand over hand. Kuro could leap from ledge to ledge and hang from much smaller holds.
His first attempt ended quickly in failure. His cardigan kept getting caught on outcroppings, and his running shoes were too thick to get a good feel for the footholds.
He dropped back to the ground, ditched his overclothes, rolled up his sleeves, and took off his shoes and socks. He placed them neatly at the base of the cliff, covered them in leaves to keep them hidden, and restarted his climb.
He let the wind build beneath him, and he released a gust, sending fallen leaves flying all around and launching him nearly ten feet up the cliff. He caught a ledge, pulled himself onto it with ease, and bounded for the next, his bare feet gripping the small ledges like the uneven bricks in the buildings along Detritus.
He rose higher and higher, leaping and climbing up the cliff, never pausing to look down. It was exhilarating to move freely again, without eyes on him, without fear of punishment or judgement. He found his heart racing and his face sore from grinning as he threw himself up past the tops of the towering trees.
He took a moment, dangling by one hand, to take in the vista. A sea of red and yellow leaves stretched out beneath him, radiant in the afternoon sun, with a single splash of purple near the coast. The breeze washed over him unhindered by the trees: cool, dry, and full of the musty smell of autumn. It was breathtaking—nothing like his dirty rooftops in Detritus Lane. Here, alone on a cliff face above the trees, he almost felt free.
He took in a deep, satisfying breath and began to climb again, turning and lifting his leg to find a foothold off of which to leap. As his bare toes found purchase on the cool stone, he heard the clink of metal on rock below him. He looked back and saw two people far below raking the leaves near where he had stowed his things.
He dove from the cliff, looking to rescue his shoes from whoever was digging around down there. He landed catlike, on all fours, with a burst of air to soften the impact, which sent dry leaves flying up all around him. As the leaves cleared, he found his view of his shoes’ hiding spot still blocked. Someone was standing in the way. “I told you it was him,” said a boy’s voice.
Kuro instinctively tried to bolt, but it was too late. Before he could even stand up, he felt a hand grab the front of his shirt. He was lifted off the ground and slammed back against the cliff, knocking the air from his lungs. He scrambled to free himself, but another pair of hands joined in and held him in place.
“Sneaking away from the festival?” a very angry-sounding girl asked. “Don’t feel like watching the games?” It was Bella, the shoe thief. The other set of hands holding him could only belong to Seph.
Kuro tried to argue, but he was still gasping to reclaim his breath.
“We should be up there playing lacrosse, but we’re stuck down here raking leaves and chopping wood. You got us kicked off the team and two months of detention besides! We’re not even allowed to go to the festival.”
Kuro found enough air to choke out a poorly considered response. “You would have gotten caught anyway! You’re bad thieves.”
“Shut up!” Bella punched him.
Kuro laughed at her. She punched like a wizard, her wrist flimsy and crooked, but it still hurt. “You think you’d be wearing those shoes around here without anyone noticing? If you were rich enough to own them, you wouldn’t have been stealing them,” Kuro mocked as he tried to squirm free.
“You filthy little beggar.” Seph’s grip tightened painfully on Kuro’s shoulder. “We deserve them as much as any royal. We’d have said they were gifts. Nobody would have known.”
“Sure.” Kuro tried to twist his hand free. “Just like nobody will know you beat me down here. You’ll just say I beat myself up.”
Bella felt him trying to free his hand and pinned it painfully against the rock. “Nobody will know, because you won’t remember. You’ll have hit your head falling down the cliff you stupidly tried to climb,” Bella said with malice in her voice. “You’re going to pay for what you did to us.”
Kuro panicked. He began to kick and flail. His foot caught Seph in the gut, forcing him to let go as he doubled over.
Bella switched her grip to hold Kuro by the throat, pressing him hard against the cliff face and choking him so he couldn’t breathe. That freed his hands and he clawed at her wrist and arm, but to no effect. He heard her starting to cast something, beautiful lyrical Elvish words marred by the violence in her voice.
Kuro thrashed and kicked and grabbed at the stone behind him, trying to pull himself to freedom. A shard of stone came away in his hand and he used it to slash wildly in front of him. Bella screamed.
Her spell was cut short by a series of shouted curse words. She dropped Kuro and pressed her hand over her left eye, where blood was pouring out.
She looked ready to kill.
Kuro ran.
Bella was too hurt and angry to focus on any complex spells. All she could do was condense her rage into blasts of unfocused fire around Kuro. He dashed through waves of searing heat. The leaves he kicked up ignited around him as he ran. He could smell his hair burning, and it hurt to breathe, but he was moving fast enough that Bella was having trouble keeping her fire on him.
Kuro knew that Seph and Bella would be too slow to catch him. He just needed to get out of their range before they could do any real damage. He gathered all the wind he could behind him and pushed forward with all his strength, tearing his bare feet on the ground.
Volume 1: Pickpocketing Page 15
