by E. G. Foley
Black-haired Miss Helena trailed behind them, wearing a gown that shimmered like a field of dark purple wildflowers.
“How smart we’re all looking, eh?” Derek Stone greeted them with a grin, sauntering across the entrance hall in a tuxedo, his dark mane of longish hair tied back in a small queue.
Jake was startled to see the muscle-bound Guardian looking so debonair in his formal attire. “Evening, everybody. Ah, Jake, glad to see you’re on your feet again. Say, before we go in, there’s someone I’d like you all to meet.”
Jake glanced sourly at Maddox St. Trinian, who had followed Derek over. He was not dressed for the ball, but wore ordinary street clothes with a short black jacket.
“This very promising young Guardian is Mr. Maddox St. Trinian. I believe you witnessed his Assessment earlier today,” Derek said.
“Indeed, most impressive,” Aunt Ramona told the lad.
Then Derek went around the circle, telling Maddox each of their names.
“Great work saving that gnome!” Archie congratulated him. But when Derek introduced his protégé to Dani, the redhead merely sent Isabelle a sly smile.
Jake looked over with a scowl and realized Maddox hadn’t heard anybody’s name except for Isabelle’s. She, in turn, was standing stock-still, staring back at him, her blue eyes round as Wedgwood saucers, her cheeks the scarlet hue of Red’s now-shed feathers.
“And this is Jake,” Derek finished, gesturing to him.
“Hullo?” Jake said in a loud, purposely rather rude tone, stepping in front of the boy to make him stop ogling his pretty cousin. “Nice to meet you!” he said in his face.
His pointed greeting jarred Maddox from his daze. “Er, likewise,” he growled, but the irked stare he gave Jake made it clear that their instant hostility was mutual.
Determined to enjoy the evening’s festivities, Derek opted to ignore the tension between his two aspiring heroes-in-training and smiled fondly at Miss Helena. He offered her his arm. “Stunning as ever, mademoiselle.”
“Merci. You, too.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Aren’t you going to the ball, Maddox?” Dani simpered with a glimmer of matchmaking mischief in her eyes.
“I don’t dance,” he said flatly.
Isabelle’s face fell.
He glanced at her one last time, then withdrew with a slight bow to the family, and walked away.
“Well, then. Shall we?” Lord Bradford proposed, and with that, their party proceeded toward the ballroom.
Before they could go in, however, they had to wait in the line of guests arriving. That way, they could be formally announced by the butler as they entered the ballroom. While the adults in line stood chatting, Isabelle beckoned the three of them over.
“What is it?” Archie asked.
Dani bounced on her toes, already knowing somehow exactly what Isabelle wanted. “He saw you! He’s so cute.”
“I can’t believe he’s not going to the ball!” Izzy whispered.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Try not to be too disappointed, Izzy. Maybe you could dance with the Troll Boy, instead.”
“I’m not allowed to dance with anybody yet, you dolt,” she shot back in a hushed tone. “I haven’t officially made my debut yet, remember? This is just a practice ball for me. Mother just wants to present me to some of her lady friends. Supposedly, they’ll help me when I make my debut in London next year.”
“And I thought Assessments were bad,” Jake muttered.
“Listen, I want you to do me a favor.” Blushing again, Isabelle lowered her voice to a whisper to avoid her father’s overhearing. “Find out if Maddox already has a sweetheart.”
“Uh, why?” Jake drawled, but Dani bounced again and clapped her hands.
“We will! We will!”
“Well, we’ve got nothing else to do tonight, I suppose,” Archie said, nodding decisively. “Very well, sis. I shall see it done. But you’ll owe me one.”
“Thanks,” she whispered to her brother.
“First of all, who cares, and second, I can tell you right now that kid doesn’t have a sweetheart,” Jake said flatly. “I mean, look at him. He’s weird.”
“Jake!” Izzy scolded.
“For all we know, he could be the Dark Druids’ spy! Remember, Aunt Ramona said they might try to send one?”
Dani turned to him in exasperation. “Honestly.”
“What?” Jake said.
Then Lady Bradford gave Isabelle a nudge. It was their turn to step into the ballroom. “Come along, darling.”
None of the younger kids were allowed beyond that point. Izzy waved them off and mouthed the word, “Go!”
Archie, Jake, and Dani withdrew into the entrance hall again and looked at each other.
“Well,” Archie said, “it seems we have our mission for the night.”
“I like him,” Dani said. “He seems nice.”
“How could you possibly tell? All he did was stare at Izzy! Pretty rude if you ask me,” Jake huffed, folding his arms across his chest.
“We didn’t,” Dani said. “Are you coming with us or not?”
Jake frowned. Of course, he had no desire to wander around by himself all night. He was no troll.
“Tell you what,” he countered. “You two can find out if Mr. Vainglorious has a girlfriend. I’m going to investigate whether he’s our spy.”
Archie looked at Dani. “Maybe my cousin’s still a bit out of his head after the day’s ordeal.”
She nodded. “Probably right. C’mon, Jake, we’ll look after you, my little demented friend. Let’s go spy hunting,” Dani said indulgently.
“Hey, I’m serious! What if he is?”
She grabbed hold of his jacket and pulled him along after them. “Quit dawdling. We’ve got to find him before he disappears.”
“If only,” Jake muttered.
A moment later, they burst through the main doors of Merlin Hall, out into the cool, black night—the last night of April. Reveling in their glorious freedom from parents and chaperones, they savored the night’s adventure—especially since it wasn’t a serious one and none of their lives were at stake.
They paused in the courtyard and glanced around, searching for their quarry. They could see the Beltane fires burning here and there around the dark landscape, the maypoles waiting for the morrow’s festivities.
Dani looked around. “Which way did he go? I saw him come outside.”
“There!” Archie pointed. “Hurry, we’ve got to catch up.”
“I wonder why Maddox doesn’t want to go to the ball,” Dani mused aloud as they crossed the courtyard some twenty yards behind the Guardian kid. “He’s old enough.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jake answered. “It’s the perfect time to break into people’s rooms so he can collect, you know, secret spy information.”
Dani rolled her eyes at him. “You have noticed that we’re outside? He didn’t go up to the floors of the palace where the bedchambers are.”
“He might still! He could be going around to the back of the building or something. Don’t look at me like that! You saw him today! Well, you have to admit he has the sort of skills that would make a good spy.”
“Jake, Isabelle can sense people’s feelings,” Dani said in an oh-so-reasonable tone. “Do you think she’d like him if he were some slimy liar of a spy? And what about Derek’s Guardian instincts? Don’t you think he could tell if Maddox was a fraud?”
Jake frowned. “I guess you have a point,” he grumbled after a moment.
“You don’t want to like him, that’s all,” Archie said. “Walk faster, he’s getting away.” He drew a breath to call out to Maddox, but Jake stopped him.
“Shh! No, don’t! Let’s just follow him for a bit first and see what he’s really up to.”
“Why?” Dani asked.
“Because I said so! And it’s my birthday tomorrow—”
“We know!” they said.
“Well, that means you have to do what I
say! So, come on, then!”
Archie and Dani looked at each other and shrugged, deciding without words to humor him.
It was more fun sneaking, anyway.
The process of stalking Maddox St. Trinian actually proved pretty amusing. Deep down, Jake supposed he knew quite well that no protégé of Derek’s could ever be a Dark Druid spy, but Archie was right. He didn’t want to like him. Just looking at the older, stronger, faster boy made him feel abysmally inadequate.
He wasn’t used to feeling so insecure and didn’t like it one bit. It was much easier making fun of his newfound rival from a distance.
Archie and Dani could not resist the sense of mischievous fun as Jake, barely suppressing his own laughter, led them dodging from shrub to shrub, and tree to tree amid the shadows, following the Guardian kid.
What little sense of mock-danger they could muster in their stealthy pursuit was nearly lost altogether when they heard a dog barking from straight above them.
They looked up and saw the winged sheepdog chasing one of the Dreaming Sheep across the starry sky. They broke down in laughter at this unlikely sight. A few fairies flying by on their way to the ball looked askance at them. Dani waved, still laughing. “Say hello to Gladwin for us!”
Jake clapped a hand over her lips and yanked her back behind the tree with his cousin. “Shush, bigmouth! He’s gonna hear you!”
“Where’s he going now?” Archie whispered. “If only I had brought my telescope.”
“There! He’s going over the bridge!”
“Ooh, look at the pretty water nymphs! They’re having their own party, too! Why aren’t we ever invited to anything?” Dani heaved a sigh.
“Because we’re children. Just as good as lepers,” Archie answered dryly.
“Shh!” Jake ordered. “C’mon.”
They hurried after him.
As they sneaked over the bridge, Jake happened to glimpse a strange sight a fair distance downstream from the naiads’ revelries. He paused and squinted in the darkness. What the—?
He could have sworn for a moment that he saw a strange creature lolling in the water, its rounded back and long body glistening wetly in the moonlight. Red eyes glowed among the pussy willows by the river’s edge. He could just make out a pair of pointed ears like a horse’s or a mule’s. He hung back, peering over the bridge to try to get a better look.
“Jake, hurry up! Target’s on the move!”
“We’re going to lose him!” his companions prompted.
He jolted back into motion, chasing them. “Archie? Do naiads have horses?”
“Hmm, I don’t think so. The ocean mermaids have seahorses, naturally, but not the freshwater nymphs. Why do you ask?”
“No reason.” Jake glanced over his shoulder at the river, but the hulking form hiding in the reeds wasn’t there anymore—if it ever had been.
Perhaps it was no more than a trick of the moonlight.
“Get out of sight!” Dani warned. “He’s going into that building!” She pushed the boys behind another large tree.
From there, they spied: three heads in a vertical row.
She was right.
Their mysterious quarry had stepped into some kind of a shed with three walls and a chimney with a great, roaring fire.
“That’s a blacksmith’s forge!” Archie whispered.
“What the deuce does he want in there?” Jake murmured.
Maddox St. Trinian shook hands with the large, leather-aproned blacksmith, who ushered him in with a welcoming gesture. The older boy took off his black jacket; put on a leather apron, a pair of goggles, and big fireproof gloves; and then picked up a long pair of blacksmith’s tongs.
The three spies watched in bemusement as he used the tongs to stick a small chunk of metal into the fire.
“Wot’s ’e doing?” Dani whispered.
“Making something,” Archie said with a shrug.
Jake shook his head. “I told you he was weird. C’mon. I think we can get closer.”
Creeping ahead with the utmost stealth, they took up a position behind a pile of split logs meant to feed the fires of the forge. Peeking over the top, they watched intently as Maddox pulled the glowing metal out and placed it on an anvil. He picked up a large hammer and proceeded to pound the piece of metal thin.
Sparks flew at every bang. At length, he tossed the hammer aside and examined his handiwork by the firelight of the forge.
The night got very quiet when Maddox quit banging. But they should have realized they were dealing with someone who possessed a Guardian’s supernatural senses.
Tipping the goggles up over his forehead, Maddox sauntered to the edge of the shed, drawing off his oversized gloves. They could see him clearly in the moonlight.
“Hey, idiots, you can come out now,” he said, sounding dully amused.
Jake whispered “Blast!” and winced in chagrin. Archie and Dani glared at him in reproach.
“I know you’re spying on me,” Maddox called. “Just a bit curious as to why.”
“We just had to listen to you,” Dani muttered to Jake.
“How embarrassing.” Archie was the first to stand up from behind the woodpile. He cleared his throat, smoothed his vest, and started forward. “I say! Good evening there, ol’ man.”
Maddox arched a brow at the gentlemanly greeting.
Dani stood up next with nearly equal dignity, brushing her hair behind her ear. “We were, um, just out for a stroll.”
“Of course you were,” Maddox said obligingly.
“We were!” she lied.
“Ahem, what’s all this, then?” Archie inquired, awkwardly changing the subject with a nod at Maddox’s work.
“Made myself a dagger,” the Guardian kid said. “Want to see?”
“Really?” Archie ran to look, suddenly talking a mile a minute. “Oh, this is brilliant! Where’d you learn to do this? You know, I’m always keen to find people who can actually help me build the inventions I design…”
Dani hurried after him to the edge of the blacksmith’s shed, no doubt determined to carry out her mission for Isabelle. But only after Maddox had turned away and headed back into the forge did Jake swallow his pride enough to come out of hiding, too.
Trying his best to look casual, he strolled up to the edge of the blacksmith’s three-sided shop, hands in pockets.
Maddox was holding up the knife he had fashioned. “It needs a lot more work, of course. Smoothing and polishing. But a Guardian’s got to learn how to make his own weapons.”
“That sounds hard,” Dani said.
Maddox shrugged. “I always found working in the forge kind of relaxing, actually.”
“Well, you must have needed it after your Assessment today,” she answered, obviously trying hard to draw him out.
Which was pointless, Jake predicted. Guardians preferred to be the strong, silent types.
“Were you nervous out there?”
Maddox shrugged. “A little.”
“You really were one of the best of the day!” Archie enthused. He started praising him again for his Assessment, much to Jake’s annoyance. “How did you know which gnome was going to be the one that was truly in danger?”
“No idea how I knew. I just did. Instinct.”
“Right,” Archie murmured, head bobbing.
Maddox eyed him more closely as he turned to reach for another odd tool. “So. You’re Miss Bradford’s brother.”
“Yes, he is, and I’m her lady’s companion!” Dani said proudly.
“And I’m her cousin,” Jake interjected with a warning stare. Maddox glanced at him with a flicker of mild curiosity, but Dani ignored him altogether.
“Actually, Maddox, Isabelle was very impressed with your Assessment, too,” she informed him like a little busybody.
“Really?” The serious lad almost smiled. “She saw me?”
“Mm-hmm!” Dani said, nodding. Jake could tell the carrot-head was loving her assignment.
Girls were so da
ft.
“And guess what?” Dani charged on. “Isabelle’s an empath!”
Maddox drew back in alarm. “She can read people’s minds?”
“No, only their emotions. Well, except for animals. They’re all heart, anyway, so she can communicate telepathically with animals of all kinds. But not insects and I don’t think fish.”
“Well, they probably don’t have much to say, anyway,” he murmured with a half-smile.
Dani laughed like Maddox’s low-toned quip was the funniest thing she had ever heard in her life. “You want to know something else about Isabelle? She’s a Keeper of the Unicorns! Isn’t that amazing? You have to be a really special girl to get that post, extra-nice and extra-good, ’cause unicorns won’t accept just anybody.”
“I suppose not.” Maddox pondered this while Jake considered giving Dani a discreet kick before she blabbed everybody’s whole life story to this stranger.
“So, Maddox,” Dani wheedled, “do you mind if I ask you a question? Do you have a special sweetheart here at the Gathering? Or maybe back home?”
He frowned at her. “Sweetheart? Of course not.” His cheeks colored at the question. Then he ducked his head and returned his attention to the knife he had made. “Guardians don’t have time for that sort of nonsense.”
Finally, a sensible answer, thought Jake.
“But you’re not a real Guardian yet,” Dani pointed out in her oh-so-helpful way.
Maddox looked a little irked at the reminder. “No,” he repeated, “no sweetheart. Nor do I want one.” He shook his head. “I don’t have time for girls.”
Good! Jake thought. Then stay away from Isabelle.
Dani’s mouth tilted sideways at this unfortunate news. She was obviously not looking forward to passing this along to the older girl.
“Well! Let’s not interrupt the man’s work. A Guardian has his duties,” Jake said in a brisk tone.
“Lord Griffon,” Maddox said as Jake turned away, prepared to drag the two younger ones out by force if need be.
He glanced back warily.
“Your Assessment today. Building the Stonehenge. Most people would’ve let the pain stop them. You kept going. ’Twas well done.”
Jake was startled by the compliment, and then quite pleased. It was one thing to have loads of random strangers congratulating him at dinner earlier, but this unexpected praise from a lad who possessed such excellent skills himself carried a greater significance.
