The Princess in the Tower (Schooled in Magic Book 15)

by Christopher Nuttall

  “Tam got a lot of his organization done in record time,” Cat said. His voice was pleased, yet there was an edge in it that worried her. “But I don’t know how long they’ll last if they’re attacked.”

  Emily glanced behind her. There was no sign of Matilda–or Randor’s soldiers–but she could hear the sounds of fighting from the south. Sir Roger was out there somewhere, battling to keep the Noblest out of Alexis...she wondered if he’d survive the next few hours. She didn’t want him to die, but...she wasn’t sure she wanted him to live either, not while he was on the other side. He knew too much about modern weapons for him to be anything other than an asset to his king.

  Maybe Randor won’t know that, she thought, although she knew it was almost certainly whistling in the dark. Sir Roger is too competent to be ignored and too loyal to be casually discarded.

  She slowed to a walk as they stepped into yet another alleyway. “I told Jade we’d meet him at the inn.”

  “I know a better place to go,” Cat said. He started fumbling through his pockets as the sound of fighting grew louder. “We still have to get out of the city.”

  Emily frowned. She didn’t have the power to teleport and she didn’t think Jade or Cat had it either. She wasn’t even sure if Alassa knew how to teleport. “Will Jade know where to find us?”

  Cat dug a parchment out of his pocket. “Yeah,” he said. He scribbled out a quick note. “I’ll tell him myself.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  EMILY COULDN’T HELP FEELING A FLASH of déjà vu as they stopped outside a warehouse that was practically identical to the last one. She would have thought it was the last one, at least from the outside, if it hadn’t been far closer to the docks and clearly vacated in a hurry. The stench of fish was overpowering, but she almost welcomed it. King Randor’s dungeons had smelt worse.

  She glanced at Cat as they stepped through the door, the wards brushing over them. “How...how did you get here?”

  “We were a bit drained when we left the Tower,” Jade said. He was working at a table, hastily putting together a set of crystals. Alassa sat next to him, her arm resting on his shoulder. “We underestimated just how much magic we’d have left, after we escaped, so...we ended up leaving the warehouse to burn and fleeing here.”

  “And we couldn’t leave you in my father’s hands,” Alassa said, softly. She looked up, her face grim. “I knew what he’d do to you.”

  Emily nodded, feeling a wave of love and gratitude for her friends. They hadn’t had to rescue her–they might have risked everything trying to rescue her–but they’d saved her life. She leaned into Cat for a moment, enjoying the chance to just relax. Friends...were wonderful, even if they did make life more complicated. She just wished she’d had a real friend before she’d fallen into the Nameless World. Perhaps her life would have been better.

  She sucked in her breath as she realized who was missing. “Where’s Imaiqah?”

  Jade jerked a finger towards the nearest door. “We did what we could for her, but she really needs a proper Healer,” he said. “She didn’t have a good time in captivity.”

  Emily looked at him for a long moment, then sighed. “How are we getting out of here?”

  “Portal,” Jade said. He held up one of the crystals. “There’s no other way out of the city before it falls.”

  “We have one battery left,” Cat added. “The portal won’t stay open for long, but we won’t need it for more than a few minutes.”

  Emily nodded, feeling suddenly dizzy. It had been a very long day.

  “I’ll speak to Imaiqah,” she said. Another wave of dizziness threatened to overcome her. “Can one of you find me something to eat?”

  “I’ll see to it,” Cat said. “I stuck some hardtack in the backroom.”

  Emily met Alassa’s eyes, just for a second. Her friend wanted to talk about something...and Emily could guess what. But...Emily didn’t want to have that conversation, not now. They were too far from safety to risk an argument. She didn’t have any idea how many people knew about the warehouse, let alone that it had been turned into a rebel base, but she suspected it wouldn’t be long before the soldiers started looking for them. Or the Noblest, if the city fell. They were more likely to burn the docks to the ground than make the slightest concession to the Levellers.

  Tam might know about this place too, she thought, as she pushed the door open. And who knows what he’ll tell the king if he’s captured?

  Inside, the room was dim. The only light came from a single light-globe, hovering over a small collection of blankets. Imaiqah was leaning back against a pile of cushions, reading a spellbook; she looked up, her eyes going wide with relief, as she saw Emily. Her face was still bruised, even in the dim light. Emily couldn’t help wondering why Imaiqah hadn’t fixed the damage. Her friend had never been as vain as Alassa, although neither of them had been foolish with it, but Imaiqah had still enjoyed attracting the boys.

  “Emily,” Imaiqah said. Her voice was raspy, but strong. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Emily said. She knelt down next to her friend. “What...what happened to you?”

  “I was meant to be visiting the king,” Imaiqah said. “We’d...we’d talked, you know, ever since you left me in Cockatrice. It wasn’t the first time he’d summoned me to discuss something or other. This time...this time, they grabbed me the moment I walked into the hall. I didn’t have any warning. They just dropped a cage on me, drained my magic and...and the next thing I knew, I was in the cell.”

  Emily swallowed, hard. It was her fault. If she’d told Imaiqah the truth, if she’d warned her about her father’s treachery...and about the fact it might come out sooner rather than later...her friend might have had a chance to escape. But she’d kept her mouth shut instead, trusting that the secret would remain buried. And...

  “I’m sorry,” she said, quietly.

  “The king came to rant at me, a couple of times,” Imaiqah told her. “He seemed to enjoy telling me about...about everything, then...then his men demanded answers and made me hurt when I didn’t know what to tell them. And then they just started hurting me without even bothering to ask questions and...and I nearly broke.”

  “It’s over now,” Emily said. She gave her friend a hug, feeling Imaiqah’s magic spluttering faintly against hers. “And we’ll get out of here.”

  “I didn’t believe it, when I saw you,” Imaiqah told her. “I thought I was going to die before the king had a chance to hang me.”

  “You escaped,” Emily said. “We got you out.”

  She held her friend tightly, silently promising herself that she’d kill Randor the next time she saw him. Imaiqah hadn’t known anything. There was no point in torturing her, nothing to be gained save relieving the king’s feelings by making someone else suffer. Alassa might have been reluctant to shoot her father, but Emily had no such qualms. Zangaria would be better off without a mad monarch.

  There was a tap on the door. Cat stepped in a moment later, carrying a piece of hardtack in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Emily took it gratefully, dipping the tack in the water to soften it enough to eat. Sergeant Miles had assured her that a man could live on hardtack alone, if he wished, but Emily couldn’t help feeling that it wouldn’t be a life worth living. Hardtack tasted of cardboard, occasionally with enough hints of a deeper flavor to convince her to keep eating...until she reached the end and discovered that the promises were never kept.

  “Thank you,” she said, between bites. She was so hungry she would have welcomed the dwarf’s cooking. “I...”

  “Think nothing of it,” Cat said. He looked past her, at Imaiqah. “We’ll be leaving in ten minutes, according to Jade. Will you be ready to go?”

  Imaiqah smiled, rather weakly. Emily felt a sudden stab of jealously, followed by another wave of dizziness. She and Cat weren’t anything formal, were they? Cat had made that clear...hell, there was no reason to think that Imaiqah and Cat might be up to something. She was be
ing stupid and yet...

  I need sleep, she told herself, firmly. They’d have to find a place to rest, even if it was underneath a hedgerow. The dangers of sleeping in open countryside paled compared to the dangers of staying in the city. And once we get out of here, I can sleep.

  “I should be ready,” Imaiqah said. “Do I have a choice?”

  She pushed back her blanket and tried to stand, her nightgown riding up to reveal far too much bare flesh for anyone’s peace of mind. Emily shuddered as she saw her friend’s legs. She’d seen all kinds of injuries over the past few years, from the marks left behind by a teacher’s cane to broken bones and pulped flesh, but there was something sickening by how thoroughly Imaiqah had been tortured. It was a minor miracle that Imaiqah could even walk.

  “Not really,” Cat said. He quirked an eyebrow. “Unless you know a place you can hide?”

  Imaiqah shrugged. “I doubt there’s anywhere I know that isn’t already known to the king,” she managed. Her breath came in gasps and wheezes. “Just give me a week or two and I’ll be fine.”

  “You’ll take as long as you need to heal,” Emily said, as she helped her friend to remain upright. She admired Imaiqah’s determination–and understood the mindset that insisted no one could be allowed to spend too long recuperating–but it was stupid. “I’ll get you to a Healer.”

  Cat nodded, then swept out of the room, closing the door behind him. Emily held Imaiqah gently, feeling another wave of guilt. She was to blame, wasn’t she? Or was it someone else’s fault? Randor hadn’t had to destroy Paren’s entire family, let alone the rest of the people he’d swept up in his war...

  Imaiqah nudged her. “So, you and Cat. When did that happen?”

  Emily blushed. “I’ll tell you later. It was a bit of a surprise.”

  “You’d better tell me everything,” Imaiqah said. She leaned against Emily as they inched their way to the door. “I want to know the full story.”

  “Later,” Emily promised. She’d never really been comfortable talking about boys–or men–but it would distract Imaiqah’s mind from her injuries. “Right now, we have to get out of here.”

  Another wave of dizziness struck her. She stumbled, falling to her knees; Imaiqah gasped in pain as her bruised flesh brushed against Emily’s skin. Emily felt her mind start to spin, as if she couldn’t quite think properly. Imaiqah was saying something, but her thoughts were a long–long–way away. She barely heard anything until she felt a hard smack on her bottom. Her eyes jerked open in shock. She was lying on the floor, Alassa and Cat staring down at her.

  “Emily,” Cat said. “What happened?”

  “I...I don’t know,” Emily managed. “I just felt...”

  Jade hurried over to join them, moving one hand in a complicated pattern. “Blood magic,” he swore. “Did you leave some of your blood behind?”

  Emily felt a flash of pure horror that drove the rest of the cobwebs from her mind. Blood magic...Shadye had used that against her, years ago. She cursed under her breath as the implications struck her. Matilda had had plenty of time to take a blood sample, if she wished...and, as someone who had never gone to school, she probably wouldn’t share the taboo against blood magic. And she’d presumably had plenty of time to weaken Emily’s defenses too...

  “Get the portal open now,” Cat snapped. “We’re leaving.”

  “Definitely,” Jade agreed. He eyed Emily warily. “Clear your mind, whatever it takes.”

  Emily nodded, trying not to flush in embarrassment. Blood magic...she’d thought her defenses were strong, but they clearly hadn’t stood up to subtle attack. Jade was right to be careful. Matilda might be able to see through Emily’s eyes, hear through her ears...or control her body, just as Shadye had done. She closed her eyes as Alassa helped Imaiqah to a seat, concentrating on feeling out her mind. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, a combination of everything that had happened over the last few days and the remnants of the potions she’d drunk, but...she could feel it now, an influence pressing at the edge of her mind. She pushed it away as hard as she could, locking her mental defenses in place. Matilda wouldn’t be able to influence her any longer.

  And the blood won’t last forever, she thought. No matter what she does, she won’t be able to use it against me for long.

  She opened her eyes, trying not to take their concern personally. Jade and the others had every reason to worry. But...

  Cat nudged her as Jade put the crystals into place. “What happened after we...we left you?”

  “Long story,” Emily said. She knew she’d have to talk to Alassa about her father. And Sir Roger, and Matilda, and even Alicia. And...she shook her head, slowly. That wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have any time soon either. “It wasn’t a good time.”

  “The portal is opening now,” Jade called. “We’re going to Swanhaven.”

  “That’s a big place,” Alassa said. “Anywhere in particular?”

  “A place we should find a few friends.” Jade sounded tense. “Unless you want to run away forever...?”

  Alassa shook her head, firmly. Emily nodded in understanding. It wasn’t in Alassa’s nature to run away and abandon anything, let alone her throne. Alassa would sooner fight, lose and die rather than walk away and live a long life. And the hell of it was that she was the best of a set of bad options for her kingdom. Randor was going insane, the Noblest would tear the country apart and her half-brother was a baby.

  She felt the magic brushing against her as the portal opened and smiled, an instant before the entire building shook. Pieces of debris fell from high overhead as the wall exploded inwards, dark figures crashing through in its wake. Emily threw up a shield automatically, cursing as she saw Matilda and two more dark-clad magic ninjas. Matilda might not have been able to use blood magic to control her, but she’d still managed to track her down. The boys had thrown up plenty of wards to hide the warehouse, yet it was hard–almost impossible–to keep blood-linked magics out.

  Damn it, she thought, as she hurled a spell at the nearest figure. There’s a battle on and they still came after us!

  “Get them out of here,” she shouted, hoping that Jade would have the sense to pitch Alassa through the portal if she tried to fight. “Hurry!”

  The ninja ducked her spell and came at her, stretching out his fingers to cast a series of spells she didn’t recognize. Emily jumped to one side and launched another spell of her own, hoping it would disrupt his spellwork. The ninja neatly caught her spell on his wards, pulled it apart and threw the magic back at her. Emily wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or horrified. The man wasn’t powerful, but he was skilled. Matilda flew past her, firing off spell after spell at Jade and Cat.

  Damn it, Emily thought again. Her opponent caught hold of her, yanking her forward as he started to cast another spell. We can’t stay here.

  She released Aurelius. The snake’s presence blossomed in her mind as he uncurled from her wrist and lunged forward. Her opponent barely had a second to realize what was happening before the Death Viper was crawling up his arm. He screamed in pain, waving his hand in the air in a desperate bid to dislodge the poisonous snake. Whatever charms he’d woven into his outfit weren’t enough to keep the venom oozing through the cloth and touching his skin.

  His companion landed next to him, already casting a healing spell. Emily summoned Aurelius back to her, allowing the snake to curl around her neck. There was no way to save the man’s arm, not now. It would have to be cut off before the poison reached his shoulder or there would be no stopping it. She opened her mouth to warn them, then ducked sharply as Jade shouted a warning of his own. A fireball flashed over her head and crashed into the far wall.

  “This way,” Jade shouted. “Hurry!”

  Emily sucked in a breath as she raced towards the spinning portal. Jade was matching Matilda blow for blow, but his inexperience was telling. She seemed to be winning, if slowly; her magic was tearing into his, while he wasn’t making much of an impact on her.
Cat was standing by the portal, a nasty red mark on his face. Emily wondered, absently, what had happened to him.

  A thought occurred to her. “Jade,” she shouted, motioning for Cat to jump through the portal as it slowly started to come apart. “Here!”

  Jade glanced back, then turned and ran, throwing up a powerful shield to slow Matilda down before she could come after him. Emily jabbed a finger at the portal, ordering him through, then braced herself as Jade ran past her and vanished. She mustered her magic, cast a summoning spell on Matilda’s belt and yanked her forward as Emily jumped through the collapsing portal herself. She landed badly, Matilda’s chest landing on top of her. The portal had sliced her apart, leaving her head and legs on the far side. A moment later, it flickered and collapsed in on itself.

  “Yuck,” Cat said. He sounded as though he wanted to laugh, but didn’t quite dare. “Emily, you are covered in blood.”

  Emily pulled herself to her feet and looked down. Matilda’s body–half of Matilda’s body–was lying on the ground, blood spilling onto the soil. She was drenched in blood, her dress clinging to her skin. Gritting her teeth, she cast a spell to clean her body as much as possible as she looked around. She wouldn’t feel clean until she had a long bath, and a good night’s sleep, but...it would have to do.

  “She’s dead,” she managed. “There’s no way she’ll be coming back from that.”

  “Not unless Randor manages to save her head in time,” Jade agreed. He nodded in the direction of a large building, barely visible amongst the trees. “I need to go...open communications with a couple of friends. The rest of you had better stay here.”

  “Take Cat with you,” Alassa ordered. “You might need backup.”

  Jade and Alassa shared a long glance. “Very well,” Jade said. He looked at Cat. “Coming?”

  Alassa waited until the boys were gone, then smiled at Emily. “Thank you for saving us,” she said, as they sat down on the grass some distance from the body. “Now...I think you owe us both an explanation.”