The Black Fortress

by E. G. Foley

  Brian scowled.

  “Gross!” Dani muttered. It would take a house brownie or a major magic spell to get her dashing uniform back to its spit-spot shape.

  “Stupid skeletons,” Brian muttered.

  “What are you lookin’ at?” Dani grumbled at the climbing fish, who were staring at her and her partner as they climbed out of the creatures’ swampy habitat. “Sorry to bother you!”

  They were harmless, of course. She actually wasn’t sure if they were true fish or amphibians or something in between, but over eons, they had developed weirdly strong little fins that allowed them to squish their way up into the dead trees that graced their desolate habitat.

  As Dani and Brian climbed over the post-and-rail fence around their pen, along came Dr. Plantagenet.

  “Sorry about this, Dr. P,” Dani said wearily.

  “It’s not our fault,” Brian hastened to tell him.

  “Hmm.” The Green Man looked at the fishes’ pen and then the muddy footprints that followed Dani and Brian onto the walking path, and sighed. “I really must have a word with Master Finnderool before one of my climbing fish suffers an injury. He really has a wicked sense of humor.”

  “The Green Man’s worried about the climbing fish?” Brian huffed privately to her as he and Dani walked away. “We’re the ones who got dumped out of the sky.”

  “At least we didn’t land in the yeti’s cage,” she replied.

  Brian grumbled under his breath.

  After dropping the dead Princess Pansy in the dustbin near the zoo entrance, the two of them shuffled back to Merlin Hall in a state of muddy humiliation.

  By St. Patrick’s nose, if she ran into the skunkies right now and that Prue Badgerton said one wrong word to her, Dani swore she could not be held responsible for her actions.

  Fortunately, she was spared an encounter with her archenemies. As Brian and she walked up to Merlin Hall, cold and covered in mud, the gnomes were waiting outside with hoses.

  “Well,” Brian said in a philosophical tone while the gnomes blasted them with water, clothes and all, “we were doing pretty well right up until the end there.”

  Dani gave him a glum nod. “You did very well with all those skeletons. And the woodcutter.”

  “You remembered the coordinates in the end.”

  Considering they had seen two other teams fail before them, they didn’t take it too hard, all in all. It had been a hard test. Well, medium-hard. Still.

  At least I didn’t get the Bud of Life wet.

  It made them both feel slightly better to remember that each team after them would have it even harder than they did.

  They wondered aloud together what the future teams’ challenges might entail. A more aggressive attack from the naiad? More skeletons? Maybe the woodcutter would only have one eye sewn shut instead of both?

  “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” Dani concluded. “That was exhausting.”

  Brian nodded, then the gnomes handed them each a towel. They dried off a little, then parted ways, each trudging back to their rooms in their still soaking wet, somewhat less muddy uniforms.

  Dani was glad the long school day was over. She could not wait to take a bath and get the icky, slimy mud of the climbing fish cage off her. The gnomes’ hosing them down had barely begun to wash away the filth.

  Still feeling yucky and worn out, she pulled open the door to the Bradford suite, then stepped (or rather squished) onto the little carpet just inside the entrance.

  Normally, it was quite lonely coming in here these days, but for once, she was glad the whole gang was not there to see her in this embarrassing state, awash in failure and the stink of climbing fish.

  Head down, she pulled the door shut behind her, when she heard a familiar voice. “Why, here’s a right plum lass. Finally.”

  Dani lifted her head with a gasp. “Jake!”

  The handsome blond rogue was sitting in an armchair with one ankle resting across his opposite knee, his fingers steepled.

  He took one look at her in her bedraggled state and lifted his eyebrows. “Getting into trouble without me? What is this world coming to?”

  “Jake—what are you doing here?” she exclaimed.

  “Tell you all about it, but first, special delivery,” he said, then Teddy leaped off the chair, where he had snuggled in beside his temporary owner.

  Dani cheered and Teddy yipped with glee, scampering across the room to her. She knelt, not wanting to get water and dirt everywhere.

  But she couldn’t resist bending down to hug and pet her dog. Teddy bounced with a few insistent leaps until she conceded and caught him in her arms.

  “Good boy!” The wee brown terrier licked her cheek. Teddy never cared how much of a mess she was. “Oh, I missed you, too! Did you behave for Uncle Jakey?”

  “He did.” Jake rose from his chair. “In fact, that dog of yours once again proved himself a furry little hero.”

  “Really? How?”

  “In due time, Miss O’Dell. But first”—he gestured at her muddy self—“should I be concerned?”

  Dani laughed. “No. Just another day of Lightrider training. How are you? You look good,” she blurted out, then was embarrassed.

  Well, it was true. He seemed different somehow, she noticed at once. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, but something about him had changed.

  Perhaps he stood a little straighter; he came across a little calmer. Sauntering toward her, the ex-pickpocket seemed lordlier and more self-assured than ever. Strangely mature, compared to his usual rascally self.

  “Thank you.” Jake nodded, looking a little embarrassed at her compliment. “I’m doing well. Yourself?”

  “Oh…I’m good.” She gave Teddy a doting squeeze and begged her brain to think of a change of subject. What was this strange awkwardness between her and Jake? But he looked so handsome. She swallowed hard. “Thanks for watching him for me.”

  “Of course.”

  The conversation floundered again. A stilted silence descended. After all their warm, joking letters back and forth, actually being in the presence of this new Jake felt a little strange. It gave her butterflies in her stomach.

  In truth, Dani wanted to hug him, to say welcome back, but she was such a mess. She didn’t want to get his gentlemanly clothes all muddy.

  Feeling very odd, she kept staring at him, trying to figure out why he seemed different. But Jake started blushing, as though he had noticed her ogling him, and then Dani blushed, in turn, because she was.

  She couldn’t help it. Her old friend looked cuter than ever. “So, um”—she tucked a mud-crusted lock of hair behind her ear—“are you just visiting Merlin Hall or are you back for good?”

  “For good, as far as I know.”

  She managed to stifle a whoop of joy at that news. Stop acting like an idiot! she scolded herself. It’s just Jake. You’ve known him all your life.

  “Why did they bring you back?” she forced out, trying to sound intelligent despite her racing heart.

  “Oh, it’s a long story. Griffon Castle didn’t, um, it didn’t work out.”

  Jake was looking at her strangely, too, but that was probably because she looked like a swamp monster.

  Blast. If only he had come when she was in her pristine uniform. He would’ve been so impressed by her then.

  “I’ll tell you all about it,” he said. “But, um…” He gestured at her. “Did you fall in a puddle or what?”

  She laughed halfheartedly, mortified. “The climbing fish pen, actually.”

  Jake’s eyes widened.

  She waved it off. “That’s just Finnderool’s evil sense of humor.”

  Jake flashed a grin, and Dani’s heart fluttered. What on earth was wrong with her?

  Maybe it was true that absence made the heart grow fonder, for they were gawking at each other and blushing like a couple of idiots. For her, it was just weird, but for cool-nerved Jake, it was unheard of.

  “Um, you have a…”
He took a gentlemanly step toward her, whipping a neatly pressed handkerchief square out of his breast pocket. Hesitating, he lifted his hand toward her face, then gently wiped a glob of mud off her cheek that the gnomes’ hoses must have missed.

  Dani stared at him, amazed.

  “There you are,” Jake whispered, suddenly turning embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he stepped out of her way and gestured her on toward her room. “Well—I’ll let you go and clean yourself up, then.”

  “Thanks,” Dani said slowly. Huh. Something weird was definitely going on here. Then she put Teddy down and bent to unlace her boots. She dared not get the carpet muddy.

  “What’s that on your arm?” Jake suddenly asked, pointing at the gauntlet. He seemed recovered from his bout of tender affection for her.

  Too bad. She had rather liked it.

  “Oh—it’s called the Bud of Life,” she told him as she untied her laces. “It’s the junior version of the Flower of Life they embed in the Lightriders’ arms.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded, desperate that he not feel jealous. “It’s such a pain. I have to wear it all the time. Trust me, you’ll hate it when you get one.” She continued unlacing her boots. “If I had got it wet when I fell in the climbing fishes’ pen, I’d be in so much trouble.”

  “Blimey.” Jake came toward her for a closer look.

  Dani held up her arm, letting him inspect the gauntlet.

  “This is fantastic.” He studied it in fascination, then lifted his gaze and looked into her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about this in your letters?”

  She hesitated. “I must’ve…forgotten?”

  “Dani, it’s all right. I’m not jealous anymore.” Jake paused, searching her eyes. “I really am sorry for how I reacted when you first told us that you had been selected. Sometimes I wonder why you put up with me.”

  Because I…

  “I’m happy for you,” he added while Dani stared at him in mixed shock and delight at his kind words.

  “Listen.” He took her hand in his—her left hand, the one on which she wore the gauntlet. “You don’t have to avoid telling me about your Lightrider training just to spare my feelings. I promise. I’m a big boy. I can stand the disappointment. If they pick me someday, so be it. If not, I’ll live.”

  “Well, I won’t!” she retorted. “Every hour I’m there, all I can think about is how you should be there too. It’s not fair that we can’t do it together!”

  “It’s all right.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Believe me, I have other things to think about these days.”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, like Lord Wyvern attacking us earlier today at Griffon Castle.”

  “What?” Dani gasped with horror while Jake flashed an uncomfortable smile.

  “It’s fine. We’re all fine,” he said. “We managed to chase him off. But you’ll be happy to know it was actually your dog who saved the day.”

  “Teddy?”

  He nodded. “My cousins and I had gone to the village. Teddy came and warned us through Isabelle that Wyvern had come to the house. And Fionnula.”

  “Fionnula?” she cried, even more shocked.

  “And Uncle Waldrick.”

  Dani’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking.”

  Jake shook his head. “Wyvern broke them out of prison. Surprise, surprise. There is definitely strange business afoot, Dani O’Dell.”

  “Crikey…”

  “I have a lot more to tell you—and I really want to hear about what you’ve been doing, too. But I can see you need to get yourself, er, de-mudded. So do what you’ve got to do, but sit by me at supper tonight so we can catch up. Aye?”

  She turned bright red at his extraordinary invitation and could only nod, tongue-tied.

  In truth, they sat together at meals as often as not, but usually, it was because Dani was a tagalong. Where Jake went, she followed.

  Only, this time, it was he, the golden boy of the Order, asking her to sit with him.

  Most unusual.

  A bit rattled by this unexpected turnabout, Dani lowered her head shyly without another word and finished taking off her boots. Then she rose, muddy boots in one hand.

  Jake nodded farewell, taking a step back to get out of her way.

  Having collected her wits, more or less, Dani carried her boots with her to her room. She felt like she should say something, though, so she paused at the doorway of her chamber. “Say, Jake?”

  “Aye?”

  “I’m glad you’re back.”

  That was putting it mildly.

  He smiled warmly at her, his blue eyes shining. “It’s good to be back.”

  Then he took a deep breath and uttered words Dani never thought that she would hear: “I missed you somethin’ awful, carrot-cake.”

  A gigantic smile spread across her face at his confession—along with a blush. She mumbled something stupid, then fled into her chamber, heart pounding. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

  But she still couldn’t wipe the dreamy smile off her face.

  PART IV

  CHAPTER 45

  A Good Meal

  It was grand to be back at the palace, among friends, and safe behind the Veil once more in this place protected by the Order.

  True, there was a spy here somewhere in their midst reporting his activities to the Dark Druids—and not everyone was glad to see Jake return. But at least Magick-kind’s shock and dismay over the prophecy about him had had a few weeks to die down.

  Jake decided to ignore it, and, that evening, enjoyed a lavish supper in the vast, noisy dining hall, catching up with his favorite redhead.

  Seated at a round table beneath the blazing chandeliers with the rest of the gang, the two of them were engrossed in their own private conversation.

  They talked so much that Jake barely had time to eat the food he’d mounded on his plate: crab- and mushroom-stuffed trout, along with a slice of straccato that nearly fell apart, it was so tender. (Up in the buffet line, Miz Jillian had told him that straccato was a fashionable Italian recipe for pot roast, slow-cooked for hours with tomatoes, herbs, and a hint of cinnamon; she sometimes made it for Sir Peter.)

  The man clearly had good taste in women and food, Jake thought, then made a mental note that he should also marry a lady someday who could cook. Clever chap, that wizard. Maybe that was why he was always so happy.

  Moving on down the buffet, Jake had been careful to avoid any mishaps this time with his telekinesis. He made it out the other end unscathed. Back for seconds, he loaded up on a generous helping of toad in the hole, a fond favorite of most kids, with sausages peeking up everywhere through a flaky golden crust. Dutifully, he also helped himself to a well-salted pile of roasted vegetables.

  He had obviously got back his appetite.

  Returning to the table, he sat down, and Dani told him all about her Lightrider classes in between nibbling at her fried fish cakes. It sounded fascinating.

  Jake washed down his meal with gulps of warm apple cider and, in turn, related the wild story of finding the secret family vault, and how he could’ve been crushed to jelly if he hadn’t figured out the code.

  “Oh, I have to know codes, too!” she said eagerly. “Mine are coordinates, though. Horrid! I’ve already started memorizing some. It’s really hard.”

  He nodded as he shoveled food into his mouth. “Sounds it.”

  “So, what was in the vault?” Dani asked.

  Jake enjoyed regaling her about some of the family treasures stored there, and how, before leaving Griffon Castle that afternoon, they had moved all the vault’s wonders over to Archie’s giant underground safe full of prototypes and inventions.

  Something between a bunker and an industrial warehouse, the boy genius’s underground safe was connected by a tunnel to his lab in an outbuilding at Bradford Park, and protected by dastardly locks he’d invented himself.

  Nobody was getting in there.

  Dani shook h
er head, wide-eyed. “I didn’t even know he had that.”

  “Nor did I. But I guess that’s the whole point of having a safe, though.” He smiled at her, and Dani smiled back.

  Only the intriguing dragon-headed vial containing Uncle Waldrick’s firepower had come with them to Merlin Hall.

  Upon their arrival, Derek had made sure the shimmering little bottle of pyrokinesis was safely stowed away in the potion room of the palace. Jake hadn’t even known that Merlin Hall had a potion room, but, with all the witches and wizards about, it made sense. Apparently, the high-security chamber lay somewhere on the basement level, along with the guest lab the Elders were letting his cousin use.

  For a moment, Dani studied the boy genius from across the table. Archie was gulping down root beer like his mouth was on fire and even sweating mildly from the spicy fried Malabar chicken that he’d chosen.

  Dani leaned her head closer to Jake’s, and he tingled at her nearness. “How’s he been lately, anyway?” she murmured. “Finally getting back to his old self?”

  Jake thought it over. “Not really. He actually yelled at Derek and Helena today. All but cursed at them.”

  “No!” she whispered, scandalized. “Not Mr. Manners?”

  Jake shrugged. “He was fearless in front of Wyvern, but afterward, he told Derek to his face that if the adults can’t protect us, then, at the very least, they have a moral obligation to warn us of what the blazes is really going on so we can take measures to protect ourselves. Otherwise, we’re just sitting ducks.”

  “Crikey,” she breathed. “Well…he’s right, though. As usual. They should be more honest with you.”

  Jake seconded that, raising his glass of apple cider.

  “How ’bout Isabelle? How’s she been? She was a mess when you left.” Dani swirled her fork in circles in her mashed potatoes, stirring the gravy around.

  Jake gave Dani a penetrating gaze as he recalled his conversation with the empath on the terrace. “Maddox was right,” he finally said, keeping his voice low. “She’s in love with Janos.”