by Eva Chase
“Yes,” I said, figuring this was safe enough to say out loud. “As soon as possible.”
Let’s give them a little while to calm down, and then I’ll see what I can do.
The events I’d intended to set in motion might work even if I was stuck in here the whole time… but they’d work a whole lot better if I could give Lillian a heads up in advance. I closed my eyes and sent up a silent prayer that an opening would present itself before we ran out of time.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Declan
My brother’s hair had gotten shaggier since I’d last seen him. The black strands fell across his eyes as he huffed his way up the last flight of stairs in the junior residences. He had a big duffel bag slung across his back as well as a suitcase in one hand; I was lugging a second suitcase behind him.
“You know, one of the benefits of having home just a couple hours away instead of on the other side of an ocean is you don’t have to bring every possession you own to school with you,” I pointed out wryly. “If you realize you forgot something you need, it’s not that hard to get it.”
“Now you tell me.” Noah shot an amused smile my way. “I like to live in comfort. Maybe the French spoiled me.”
They had, but not in the way he was thinking. After doing his first two years of schooling abroad, he had no idea what life was going to be like at Blood U.
We got a taste just walking into his assigned dorm room. All of his dormmates had come out into the common room in anticipation of his arrival. Most newcomers wouldn’t get quite that eager a welcome, but the young fearmancers wanted to check out the kid who was second in line for the Ashgrave barony.
“Ashgrave!” said a guy I knew my brother had hung out with occasionally before their school years. His family’s property wasn’t far from ours. “Finally decided we were good enough for you, huh?”
Noah laughed. “Maybe I heard you all weren’t coping so well without me and decided I should take pity on you.”
It was normal seventeen-year-old-style ribbing… except it also wasn’t. The other guys chuckled and tossed out a few remarks as we carried Noah’s things to his corner room, but I caught the anticipation in certain expressions, the analytical consideration of some of those gazes.
Noah wasn’t used to looking out for himself the way I was. No one in Paris had given a crap about his last name—it’d conferred no special standing there. Here…
Some of his dormmates would be looking to suck up to him for whatever benefits that might grant them in future, sure, and that wasn’t so bad. But others would see his presence as an opportunity to make a show of their own dominance. The jockeying for power between the regular fearmancers was bad enough. If someone saw an opening to prove themselves stronger than a potential scion? They’d jump on that chance the second they thought they could get away with it.
As Rory had discovered in uncomfortable clarity during her first month on campus, before everyone had found out just how strong she’d be once she got a handle on her powers.
Even without the older barons scheming away, Noah couldn’t exactly consider himself safe here. Which was partly why I’d offered to help him get settled in. He strode right into his room, but I stopped on the threshold and glanced back at the other juniors. A stern glance, with all the authority I’d learned to convey over the years and a clear message: anyone who messed with my little brother was messing with a soon-to-be baron as well.
The guy who’d greeted him first just nodded, so maybe he’d be okay. A couple of the others averted their eyes with nervousness that might have had a little guilt mixed in. As long as the nervousness won out over their desire to make a name for themselves at my brother’s expense, we were good.
Noah was puttering around his room with his luggage unopened on his bed, peering into the wardrobe, running his hands over the desk.
“A bit of a letdown after Paris?” I asked.
He gave me a crooked grin. “Actually, my room at the school there was half this size. The bed too. But it did have a more interesting view. There’s a hell of a lot more to do when you’re on the edge of a big city.”
“You’ll have lots of chances to visit New York,” I said. “Even if that’s not quite as impressive as Paris either. The European mages don’t seem to have quite as much to worry about from opposing factions as we do.” From what I understood, while both fearmancers and joymancers existed elsewhere, the tensions between them ran higher here than anywhere else. Lucky us. It was a lot easier to stay hidden on an isolated property where you could lay down as many strong wards as you wanted without interfering with the Nary population.
Noah didn’t look particularly bothered, though. He dug into his bags and started hanging up clothes in the wardrobe. I let him figure all that out, sitting down at the desk while he worked. When he’d put away everything he appeared to feel he needed to for the moment, he dropped down on the side of the bed.
“My internal clock has gotten totally out of whack,” he said. “I was exhausted when I got home this afternoon, so I took a nap, and now that it’s actually dark out, the last thing I want to do is sleep.”
“Why don’t I show you around the rest of campus while I’m free to?” I suggested.
“That sounds good.” He stretched out his legs, which might have gotten even longer than mine in the last couple years while he’d been mostly away at school, and stood up again.
Night had fully settled in outside, the fields dark beyond the ring of lights along the buildings that surrounded the green. I pointed out the hall that bore our family name where he’d find the library and my own dorm, and the Tower where he’d have his classes starting tomorrow. Then we wandered on toward the Stormhurst Building and the lake beyond it. A few stars twinkled overhead amid streaks of cloud. The grass rustled under our feet.
“Have you given any thought to taking a familiar?” I asked. “I know you put it off because of the hassle with international travel.”
Noah nodded. “I’m still debating what kind of animal would be the best fit. I know what a long commitment it is.”
Especially since the magical bond allowed the animals to live quite a bit longer than they might have otherwise. I was glad to hear him approaching the idea with that much foresight. “Well, if you want to talk through the possibilities, you can always call on me. You can call on me for anything you need advice on, really. I’m only going to be at the school a few more months, so you might as well make use of that benefit while you can.”
Noah looked sideways at me with a lift of one eyebrow. “I have been at a magical school for more than two years now, even if it’s not this one. I think I’ll get along all right without having to turn to my big brother for support too often.”
“It’s not that I don’t think you’ll adapt just fine,” I said quickly. I wasn’t looking to squash his confidence. Just to… moderate it. “The social and political dynamics here are going to be a lot more complicated, that’s all. In ways you’re not totally used to.” Maybe I shouldn’t have sent him off to broaden his horizons when that meant he wasn’t fully prepared for the situation here. A few months wasn’t much time for him to get used to the change in his peers’ attitudes.
A spring came into Noah’s step. “Hey, I’m looking forward to diving into all that political stuff. Maybe I’m not scion, but I should be able to lend a hand here and there. It’s going to be boring as hell sitting in the background the whole time.”
I shot him a stern look. “You won’t be sitting in the background. You’ll figure out what you’d be happiest doing with your life, and then you’ll go do that. You just need to be careful along the way. Because of your position, people will try to use you—by seeking favors and by looking for ways to undermine you to make themselves look stronger. It sucks, but you have to stay wary and on guard much more than you’d ever have had to be in Paris.”
“Let them bring it on, then.” Noah clapped his hands together. “That’s what goes with being an Ash
grave. I can handle it.”
How could he know that when he’d never had to before? I grappled for the right words to get across just how seriously he needed to take my warning.
“It’s more than just the others students. There are pressures and conflicts from all over…” I glanced around, distrusting the darkness. Sound could travel far across open ground. I motioned him over to the woods so we could at least have a little shelter before we went into any more detail.
“I’ve heard you and Dad talking,” Noah said as he followed me over. “I know there’s a lot of stress and all. Obviously way more on you than there’ll be on me. But you don’t need to coddle me. I’ve got to get used to it sometime, right?”
“It’s not that simple. You have to understand…”
I trailed off until we’d walked several paces through the brush. With a couple of quick castings, I confirmed no one else was nearby and then formed a bubble of silence around us so anyone who happened to come our way wouldn’t overhear us. Then I turned to my brother, touching his arm to emphasize how much I needed his attention.
“I’m not just talking people giving you a hard time or twisting your arm for an inside edge or whatever. I haven’t wanted to discuss a lot of this with you because, well, the more you know, the more of a target it makes you. And I didn’t want you having to carry those worries around when you were younger. But you need to know enough to protect yourself.”
“What are you talking about, Declan?” Noah asked.
I exhaled in a rush. “The pressures we face are a matter of life and death. All right? Do you know Dad had to fend off at least three attempts to murder me before I came into my magic? Attempts that couldn’t be traced to the source, because otherwise we could have called for an arrest, but it’s been obvious from the start that Aunt Ambrosia would happily see both you and me dead when that gives her a clear path to the barony.”
Noah blinked at me. “You’re saying Aunt Ambrosia tried to kill you?”
“Arranged scenarios that would have been deadly if not interrupted, would be more accurate.” I made a face. “And that’s just one example. A lot of mages want the kind of authority we have, or want to stop us from exercising that authority, or simply see us as an access point to getting at the barony as a whole… The Ashgraves don’t have the reputation for being particularly ruthless, so people are more inclined to try us than, say, a Nightwood or a Stormhurst.”
“Fuck.” Noah kicked at a fallen twig. But when he looked up at me, I didn’t see the caution I’d been trying to inspire in his face. No, his expression was all fierce conviction. In a way, it reminded me of Rory. “We can’t let them get away with that crap. They won’t get away with shit like that now that you’ve got me here. The two of us together, especially as I get even better with my magic—we’ll be a real force to be reckoned with. I’ll have your back, whenever you need me.”
“Hey. I want to keep you out of the dangerous side of politics as much as I can.” I raised my hand to his shoulder and squeezed it. “I’m going to be baron. It’s my job to protect my family. And part of that is preparing you for what you can expect here.”
Noah shook his head. “No way. I told you I don’t want to just sit back. Maybe I’m younger, but I’ve got three magical strengths just like you do. I’ll catch up. I want to help. I want to fight whoever we need to fight, however we need to fight them. Don’t shut me out.”
I didn’t think I really could now that he was here. He’d be tied to me regardless of how much distance I attempted to maintain between our roles. But his determination sent a twinge of uneasiness through me all the same.
Why did he have to be so enthusiastic about getting involved? It’d have been a hell of a lot easier to keep him safe if he’d taken the warning as I’d meant it rather than as a call to battle.
“I won’t,” I said. “You’re going to do the Ashgrave name proud too. But for now, take it slow, pay close attention to everyone around you, and watch before you leap. We won’t win fights we stumble into by accident.”
“Got it.” He acknowledged the point with a jerk of his head, immediately followed by a yawn he couldn’t clap his hand over fast enough. “Okay, I think I might be ready to hit the sack now. Point me in the direction of Killbrook Hall, and I’ll be good.”
I walked him partway across the field to where he could see the building easily, and he gave me a mock salute before continuing on his way. A weight settled onto my gut as I watched him go.
Maybe there hadn’t been any good way to warn him. Maybe this was just how it had to be. At least I’d given it my best shot.
The thought of fraught baron politics brought my hand to my phone as I headed to my own dorm. I hadn’t seen Connar or Baron Stormhurst since I’d run into the other scion a few hours ago. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t generally handle himself or his mother had any reasons to come down hard on him right now, but still… I knew he didn’t enjoy his parents’ company either.
Hey, I texted him. How’s it going? Up for a night cap in the scion lounge? If his mother had been hassling him about Rory again, we could strategize together.
The reply took long enough that I was already getting concerned when it finally popped up.
Headed out of town for the next day or two. Private shifter tournament came up that looked like a good opportunity. We’ll catch up after!
There wasn’t anything about the wording that sounded specifically un-Connar like. I frowned at the message anyway. Multiple times in the past, I’d heard the Stormhurst scion complaining about the fact that his mentor kept pushing him toward various tournaments. He’d been clearly relieved whenever Malcolm had used some sway to justify his refusal.
Perhaps his mother had proposed attending this one, and he’d simply thought it was better not to argue with her about this on top of existing tensions. Still, the explanation didn’t totally sit right.
I considered my phone for a few seconds longer and then shoved it into my pocket with a sigh. Unfortunately, no matter how I felt about it, there wasn’t anything much I could do in the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing. I’d just have to wait to check in with him whenever he made it back to campus. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rory
None of the joymancers came back for quite a while. I didn’t have much sense of time without any points of reference—if there was a window in the room beyond, it was out of my view from the closet. It had to be night by now. How late into it, I had no idea. My mind was getting groggy from jetlag and lack of sleep, but the constant sense of the minutes slipping away before the fearmancers noticed my absence kept me semi-alert with a buzz of anxiety.
Deborah couldn’t have had any more idea of time passing than I did, but after a while she apparently decided it was safe for her to make a move. I’m going to take a look around and see what our best course of action is, she told me. I’ll try to be back quickly. Hold strong as well as you can.
Despite those last words, a pang of deeper fear shot through my gut as she darted out of the room. She could decide to throw in her lot with the other joymancers after all. Or she could simply get caught and I’d lose even that one small ally. There was nothing I could do while I was shut up in this makeshift prison.
I got up and walked around the chair a few times to stretch my legs. Then I fiddled with the cuffs around my wrists some more to see if maybe I could work them loose after all. My activities didn’t bring any joymancer observers, so I was going to guess they didn’t have a visual on me, only some way of listening in.
I wasn’t much of a threat without my magic, after all. Along with restraining me, they must have drained me. When I’d been cuffed by the fearmancers, I’d still been able to feel the magic coursing through me; I just hadn’t been able to shift it. Right now, that spot behind my collarbone felt utterly empty. Even if I got out of the cuffs, I’d have to frighten someone before I’d have any power.
The minutes sl
id by even more unnervingly while Deborah was gone. I strained my ears for any sound of a commotion from the hall, but nothing reached me.
The joymancers might have bespelled the room to muffle sounds from beyond anyway. They wouldn’t want me listening in on their conversations.
Finally, my familiar’s little white body scurried back through the doorway. Relief washed through me. Something glinted on her fur and below her head. When she scrambled onto my lap, I saw with a flicker of surprise that she was carrying my dragon charm on its silver chain.
I know this isn’t going to help you in here, she said, but I saw the opportunity, and I didn’t think you’d want to leave without it if you didn’t have to.
My heart swelled. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to thank her out loud, but I nodded in a way I hoped showed my gratitude.
I’m going to go back for the key to your cuffs. I should be able to get the chance to grab it, but I’m not sure how long we’ll have before they notice. You’ll need to be ready to get out of here as fast as you can once you have them.
I looked down at my wrists. Did she really think it’d be that simple? I opened my mouth, fumbled with the words to ask her in a way that wouldn’t alert my jailors, and motioned to the doorway in front of me. “I can’t,” I said quietly, hoping she’d understand.
I’ve no doubt you have enough power to break any spells they have holding you here once you have the chance to use it. At the moment, the way to the front door is clear. Once the cuffs are off, you can tear down the barrier and simply run.
It took me several more seconds to express the problem with that. “I don’t have anything,” I settled on, my spirits sinking. If her whole plan depended on my magic, we were shit out of luck.
Oh, sweetheart. They’ve only tricked you. The energies joymancers work with are too different from yours to really diffuse the magic you have inside you. They haven’t forced you into any castings, so whatever power you had when you arrived here, it’s still in you. The cuffs only dull your awareness of it so you can’t sense it to cast with it. It’s the best strategy they have for unexpected conflicts like this.
