“Someone has done something monstrous here,” Othella said.
Despite the lurching in her stomach, Chloe stepped close to the bars of the cell and touched the blistered metal. She stared at the corpse in his shackles. Even though he had probably been a bad criminal, she knew that no crimes could match the malevolence of whatever had ripped through the prison. Some delicate balance had been tipped.
“My mother,” Tobin said shakily. “God, where is my mother?”
Chloe knew what he was thinking. The Pyxis Charm had brought them through on the trail of whoever had been in Kiros Rubedo’s apartment before them. That meant that whoever had kidnapped her had brought her to the prison. She didn’t know what to say to him.
Suddenly there came a new sound. It was the noise of hushed voices, dampened by many walls. There was someone else in the prison.
Without a word Othella put out her source crystal. The darkness enveloped them again, but now it was worse because Chloe could feel the stares of the empty eye sockets behind the bars. She had never been surrounded by so much death. Even though she couldn’t see it, it had a presence just like a shadow in the dark. She felt its chill sweeping over her, hungry for the life that throbbed inside her. She hugged her arms around her chest to guard it.
They listened. At times the voices grew more audible, as though they’d turned a corner and come close; sometimes, though, they seemed to be going further away. It reminded Chloe of the time she’d gone down to Ivywild’s labyrinth to save Emma. They’d followed each other’s voices through the maze of walls.
After a while the voices came closer so that they could hear the soft footfalls of boots on the burnt floor. It was a group of men from the sounds of it. Chloe held her breath.
“I’m telling you, I heard a scream!” said one of the men.
“You’re imagining it. We’ve been all through this place. There’s nobody here but these poor, shackled bastards.”
Someone brushed by Chloe’s arm. It was Tobin. He pointed down the hall and said as softly as possible, “That way.”
She watched in horror as a soft glow illuminated the furthest wall. It was hazy purple—from an Amethyst source crystal, no doubt. She gulped. They were up against powerful foes. She was just a fledgling Amber Rank. Violet was Emerald, and Mother…well, who knew what Mother was? At any rate the odds were grim. Chloe quickly calculated that their greatest advantage lay in the element of surprise. They knew that danger was coming and what direction it was coming from. That put her one step ahead.
“We should run,” Violet whispered. “Let’s go back the way we came.”
Chloe stood firm. “No,” she hissed. “There’s no exit that way and you know it. Chin up, little sister. We’ve got to wallop these guys and get them to tell us what’s been going on here!”
“Yeah,” Tobin said. “Maybe they know where my mom is!”
There was no time left to argue. The end of the hall lit up bright purple. Chloe saw the shadows of five men cast on the wall by the light of the source crystal. To keep the upper hand she had to act immediately.
She cast a pillar of flame at the men. A bolt of lightning met Chloe’s spell halfway. The two spells collided, transferring their energy back on each other. The flame sizzled back towards Chloe while the lightning ricocheted towards the men.
Chloe dove to the floor to duck her own failed fire spell. Fortunately for her, Othella cast a barrier and the spell stopped short of doing any damage. The men down the hall took cover around the corner as the lightning bolt pierced the wall where they’d been standing. Chunks of stone and mortar flew out of the blackened impact crater.
For a moment nobody moved. Chloe lifted her head cautiously and looked down the hall. The lightning bolt’s remnant energy danced in little arcs around the crater. It was powerful magic. Chloe trembled. She’d underestimated her advantage. Whoever had thrown that bolt was as quick as she was—and far more powerful.
“We mean you no harm!” shouted one of the men.
“Ha!” Chloe snapped. “Tell that to the crater in the wall!”
“You struck first!” came the snappish reply. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
“Who are YOU and what are YOU doing here?” Chloe snapped right back.
A different voice spoke up and asked, “Your Highness?”
Chloe gasped. Othella drew a sharp breath behind her.
A flicker lit up the end of the hall with green light. The person holding the Emerald source crystal took a few tentative steps toward Chloe. It was too dark to see his face. He paused and studied her.
Chloe remembered that she was wearing human clothes and a hat. She took off the hat and shook her hair free.
“Your Highness!”
The person dropped to one knee. He was close enough that the crystal glow glinted on his eyeglasses.
“Garland!” Chloe shouted. She started to run towards him, but Othella grabbed her by the wrist and held her back.
“It could be a trick,” she whispered. “Doppelgangers.”
Chloe remembered all too well how she’d fallen for the trick before. Once, they had believed they were rescuing Garland’s mother, but it turned out to be an enemy who had disguised himself by using Florrie’s doppelganger. It was an atrocity to do such a thing but she could tell by the looks of the prison that these new enemies were capable of much worse.
The other men hesitated at the end of the hall. Chloe did not recognize three of them, but when she saw the spiky hair on the fourth one she knew instantly who had thrown the lightning bolt.
“Bazzlejet? Is that you?”
“One and the same, Your Highness.”
Othella still held Chloe by the arm. Tobin hung back. Violet stood beside Othella, trembling. Her wide blue eyes held the same desperate hope that Chloe felt—that they had found friends.
Then Chloe thought of a simple way to tell whom they were dealing with.
“Bazzlejet,” Chloe asked, “What color bloomers do I wear on the first day of each week?”
He hesitated. Chloe stiffened up. It was not a good sign. As her maid he’d laid out all her laundry. He should know.
“Red,” he said. “Always red with the little ruffles.”
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. “And the next day?”
“Green silk.”
“And the next?”
“The light blue knits with the little flowers on them.”
One of the other men that Chloe didn’t know smacked Bazzlejet on the back of the head. “How do you know that? What have you been up to?”
“Sorry, Pops. It was one of my missions.”
“To memorize the queen’s bloomers?”
“No, not exactly…”
Chloe didn’t hear the rest because Othella released her. Chloe ran over to Garland and wrapped her arms around him just as he was trying to rise up from his knees. Laughing, he stumbled down again.
The two groups converged around them. All the men knelt before Chloe, even Bazzlejet.
Chloe placed her hands on her hips and stared down at the men. “What are you doing? Get up! Tell me what’s going on. What happened here? Where are the others?” She singled out Garland. “Where is your father?”
“Calm down, dear,” Othella said. “We have some explaining to do ourselves.”
“Not here,” Violet said, shivering. “Is there a way out? Is it safe?”
“This way,” said Garland.
***
I watched Lord Finbarr pace back and forth in the kitchen of Woodman’s Hall. He rubbed his chin, mumbled to himself and shook his head. More pacing.
Beside me, a restless Slaugh awaited Lord Finbarr’s orders. Lev was as tense as a drawn bowstring and his wings wouldn’t stop twitching. I could almost read his mind: Attack. Kill. Destroy the threat.
I felt the same, except that there were hostages involved. I could only guess what had happened at Feegman’s Boot. Word must have gotten out about what Commander Larue had done
to the red capes there. The duke had sent reinforcements. The townspeople’s ambush must have failed.
Lord Finbarr paused and took a deep breath. He raised his eyes to meet mine, then Lev’s. “We cannot risk giving away our location, nor can we risk the lives of those poor souls from Feegman’s Boot. King Hugo?”
“Yes, Sir?”
“You know I don’t like asking, but…”
Lev relaxed a little. “There’s no need to ask. I’ll have my quickest flyers scout out the enemy numbers and we’ll engage the red capes in ground combat.”
“What about the hostages?” I asked.
“There’s the problem,” Lord Finbarr said. “We need to distract those red capes from the hostages so we can get them somewhere safe without revealing ourselves.”
“I could lead them back to the cave,” I said. “You know, the one in the forest? We could hide there until the Slaugh are finished with the red capes.”
“No,” Lev said.
I scowled. “Why not? It’s a perfectly good idea!”
“Yes, the idea is good, but you cannot be the one to lead the hostages. I’ll have one of my people—”
“You’ll need every Slaugh here to fight!” I argued. “This is a Fay hideout, too. We have to do our part to protect it!”
“Agreed,” Lord Finbarr said. “I agree with the king, too. I need you here, Emma. I’ll ask the Terra Cartisans to assist with the hostages. Mr. Tully knows that cave better than anyone. He and his men should be able to hold out until the Slaugh have handled the red capes and then they can take the hostages to safety. I’ll round up all our resident Channelers, too. I’m sure they’ll be needed.”
Outnumbered, I was left with nothing to do but worry and fume.
“Why doesn’t Lev trust me to handle it?” I mumbled aloud as I paced back and forth upstairs in much the same way Lord Finbarr had been.
Valory sat listening on the nearest bed. She was picking fish bones out of her teeth with a small knife. “I don’t know,” she said, lowering her knife. “Sounds to me like he’s protecting you.”
“Why on earth would he do a stupid thing like that?”
Valory shrugged. “Mmmph dudn ate eww.”
I tried to translate and couldn’t quite manage it. “Could you repeat that without the knife in your mouth?”
Valory sighed and abandoned her oversize toothpick. “I said maybe he doesn’t hate you.”
I hadn’t bothered to brief her on what Lev had said back in the forest. For one thing, I wasn’t sure what it meant. Had he forgiven me? Were we friends again? More than that? All had been overshadowed by the appearance of the red capes.
Valory’s ears pricked up and she sprang from the bed. Without a word she ran out of the room and down the hall.
Soon enough, I heard what Valory had: the clinking of armor. I followed her out to the stairway above the great room. Valory stood motionless, captivated by the scene unfolding below.
A dozen Slaugh stood in formation, awaiting King Hugo’s orders. They wore breastplates made of animal bones and metal. They also had helmets with narrow eye slits and plumes of black feathers going down the middle. Most impressive was their wing armor. Thin, mobile plates of metal bound by leather straps guarded the backs of their bony wings. At the metal joints where their wings bent there were spikes like spearheads sticking out of the armor. It made their wings like weapons—not that they needed more. Each Slaugh carried a spear and more daggers than I could count.
They were in perfect form—intimidating, disciplined and majestic. Valory had gone completely silent and there was a look of reverence in her eyes. “My people,” she said in a breathless whisper.
Hugo entered the room. His armor was no better than any of the rest, but there was no mistaking who was in charge. The others went still as statues when he appeared, offering him every last ounce of their attention. The sight gave me shivers.
That’s really him down there. The Slaugh boy who fought me the first night we met. The filthy orphan with the blue dagger and the torn wing. My Lev, leader of the angels of death.
When he spoke, he took off his helmet and held it under his arm. He looked more severe without it. His hair was brushed back off his face so that his jagged scar stood out.
“I’m not going to say this will be easy,” he addressed his troops. “But we’re dealing with flesh and bone this time, not metal. The duke’s men have the advantage of magic. Don’t give them the chance to use it. We’ll lay in an ambush and remain unseen as long as possible. If you are injured, remain in the forest until someone comes to find you. Do not come back here.”
The floor shook as all the Slaugh tapped their spears and shouted a war cry.
A little cry escaped Valory’s throat. She caught herself and covered her mouth.
“Feeling left out?” I asked her.
Valory turned to me with sparkling eyes. “They’re so…”
I nodded. “I know.”
Valory’s wings trembled and she hugged her body as though it ached. “I want to be a part of that. I see now. I see why they hate me so. I could never…I’m not…”
She looked like she might cry. I gave her arm a little squeeze. “You’re you.”
The Slaugh filed out of Woodman’s Hall. Outside, Mr. Tulley had already assembled his Terra Cartisans. The two groups set out into the shadows of the forest to wage a battle that I would not be able to see. The rest of us could only cross our fingers and hope for the best.
Not all were content to sit around and wait, however. Joyboy and Wimbleysminch hauled something on creaking wheels to the far end of the drawbridge. The bulky apparatus was covered in a canvas tarp.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Something we’ve salvaged from the ship,” Joyboy said with a grin that showed all of his pointed teeth.
“Just in case,” Wimbleysminch said.
Bayard followed them with a bag of something that looked suspiciously like cannonballs. Sweating as he lugged the heavy bag, he called out to the Gremlins to slow down.
“How about you hurry up, you big lout!” Joyboy shouted back.
In the kitchen, Anouk, Yert and Mrs. Larue were busy packing all of the remaining food stores into bags and baskets. Mrs. Larue worked her magic to make the entire contents of the pantry fit into four small containers.
“Just in case,” she said frantically. She paused to wipe her brow and flashed Valory and me a tired smile. “Would you girls mind checking up on the children? I left them in the nursery downstairs.”
I found the nursery in a state of chaos. Fritz, my poor old Gnome butler, was trying to handle fifteen small children all by himself.
“Please climb out of that flowerpot!” he pleaded with one toddler
A budding Enchanter somehow managed to turn Fritz’s shoes into pie pans. The tot laughed and squealed as Fritz clanged around the room, trying to restore order. Alice and Harriet Larue shouted at the other children to quiet down and behave, but none of the others would listen.
I recalled how the children had taken to Valory before. I turned to ask her if she would help get the kids to calm down, but she wasn’t behind me. I spotted her in a corner with a shy-looking little Slaugh girl.
I had not realized that there were any Slaugh children staying at Woodman’s Hall. The girl was nearly invisible in the dusty corner.
Valory was speaking softly while the girl listened with wide eyes. Except for her little wings and her frost-colored skin, she looked much the same as any toddler. She had one thumb in her mouth and the other hand was wrapped around some kind of rag doll.
“Hey, Emma,” Valory said. “This young lady is Noemi. Noemi, this is my good friend, Emma.”
I knelt down. “Hello, Noemi. It’s nice to meet you. Are your parents with King Hugo?”
Without removing the thumb from her mouth, Noemi nodded.
“This is the first time that Noemi’s been left with the other children,” Valory said with a sideways glance to me.
Noemi took her thumb out of her mouth and frowned at the pack of Fay hooligans who were tormenting Fritz. “Why are they so loud? Mom says you have to be quiet so that bad men can’t hear you.”
I smiled at Noemi, but I felt sad for the little girl. She was no older than three. She’d never known a life when the Slaugh were at peace.
“We won’t let anyone get you,” Valory said. “Everyone here will keep you safe.”
“Mom says you have to keep yourself safe.”
Valory and I looked at each other helplessly.
“Oh dear!” Fritz cried. “Oh dear. Do stop that! Please, children!”
The children had wrapped Fritz up in the room’s only rug and were rolling him around the floor in it.
I groaned. “I’ll go get a handle on them.”
Valory stopped me. She stood up straight, arched her shoulders and did a dead-on impersonation of Lev’s commanding scowl.
“CHILDREN,” she said in a loud, deep voice, “EYES ON ME!”
Every child in the room froze and stared.
“UNROLL THAT GNOME!”
Fritz was free in an instant. He tottered dizzily over to a rocking chair and sank down into it.
Valory continued to stare down the tykes. I watched in amazement. It was actually working. The children gave her their full attention. They looked too scared to do otherwise.
Valory cracked. She smiled a little and relaxed her shoulders. “Okay, squirts. Who wants to hear about the time I trapped a kelpie using nothing but bootlaces and a slab of smoked cheese?”
Fifteen little voices squealed, “I do! I do!”
Valory looked down at Noemi and winked. “Good. You all spread out that rug and have a seat. We’re gonna have us some story time!”
The children quickly arranged themselves, leaving a space for Valory in the middle of the rug. She let Noemi nestle up close beside her. Once she began to tell her tale there was no evidence that the nursery had been a madhouse only moments before.
“Thank goodness!” Fritz said, slumping in the rocking chair. “I do long for the days when all I have to do is attend to you again at the castle, Miss Wren.”
The Flute Keeper's Promise (The Flute Keeper Saga) Page 37
