“It’s… like it’s floating in space,” Kathryn said, joining Shana to gaze out the window.
“S-so there’s no escape?” Rae asked, her voice rising an octave.
“We were able to get here from the grove,” Shias said. “So there has to be a way back. Probably magic portals or something like that, gateways that lead to various locations.”
“Sounds like fun,” Kathryn said, grinning. “So, where do you think they would be?”
“They’re probably scattered all over,” Ben said. “That’s what I would do if I had a castle this big. I wouldn’t want all of the entrances and exits in one place. You avoid traffic jams, and no matter where you are, there’s always at least one exit nearby if you need to leave in a hurry.”
“With a castle this large, lots of people could live here,” Shias said, nodding thoughtfully. “If all the exits were in one place, that would definitely make for congested traffic. Okay. So, where should we start?”
There was a long silence, which made Shana turned around, to notice all eyes were on her.
“Hey, wait, why me?” Shana asked.
“You’re the one with the magical dreams,” Kathryn said. “And it was your intuition that led you down the right path to find all of us.”
“Well…” Shana mulled it over, looking back outside, surveying the castle’s architecture.
It wasn’t a simple, blocky structure. Rather than rising up in straight lines, there were curved sections of the castle’s walls. Some floors were pushed in further, while others bowed out and had glass floors so that inhabitants could look straight down to the bottom of the castle, even from high up. There was a segmented approach to its structure, as well — several large buildings were connected by enclosed bridges. Some sections were all on their own, floating in space with a set of stairs leading up or down to them. Those sections were usually gardens, full of glittering water and colorful flowers.
The outer gardens she could see had benches and places for sitting, and were spacious enough to allow for many visitors. Outer stairs seemed to be designed for heavy traffic, built wide and solid.
So why didn’t she see a single person anywhere?
“This place is big enough to house thousands,” Shana said.
“At least,” Ben said.
“So how come there’s no one in sight?” Shana asked.
“Kind of spooky, for such a bright place,” Kathryn said.
“We’ll just have to keep our wits about us,” Shias said. “And with no one else around, there’s less a chance of someone spotting us and raising the alarm. Any thoughts of where to start?”
Shana looked around, saw a set of stairs that bridged to the outside, heading up and up and up… to the roof? It looked that way. “How about we start by heading to the top?” she asked. “If we don’t find anything up there, we can start working our way down floor by floor. And we can keep our eyes out for signs or anything that might help point us in the right direction.”
“It’s awfully bright outside,” Kathryn said, finally looking away from the window, tilting her head towards the floor as she rubbed her eyes. “Let’s see if we can find some sunglasses.”
“I think escape is more important than luxury,” Shias said.
“Eye safety is important, too,” Kathryn said.
“We don’t want to go blind,” Rae said, often shutting her eyes entirely and covering them with one hand, feeling the way along the wall with her other.
“Anyway, let’s start heading up,” Shias said, leading the way out into the atrium and towards the upward staircase.
“I’ve got you,” Kathryn said, guiding Rae by the arm.
They climbed, with Ben occasionally Blinking ahead, vanishing and reappearing with his short-range teleport to scout the path forward. The golden staircase started within the castle, but continued to climb outside, with walls giving way to open air.
There was very little wind, and the light from all around was more intense without walls or windows to dull its glare. Shana had her eyes closed most of the time, feeling along the stair’s railing as she trod upward. Kathryn was right. They needed to find some sunglasses.
Mercifully, the outdoor climb wasn’t a long one, and Shana was able to open her aching eyes as they came back to the comparably dimmer interior. Up and up they continued to climb, with halls branching off to either side at regular intervals, showing nothing, no signs or flags, to denote what they might lead to.
How did the people who lived here — assuming there were any, as the Dawn Riders were still the only living beings in sight — get around without getting lost? This castle was a featureless maze so far, save for the tree in the atrium.
“Can we… stop?” Rae asked, catching her breath as she leaned against the wall. “It’s a… lot of stairs, and I’m just… not as in shape as the rest of you.”
“It’s okay,” Shana said, smiling sympathetically. Rae was small and slight, and had joined the Literature Club partly because of her friendship with Shana, and partly because she had zero interest in active endeavors — most of Grimoire Academy’s clubs were sports and athletic organizations, a poor fit for the diminutive Rae.
Besides, Shana could use a breather, too. She looked back down the stairs, amazed at how high they’d climbed. Looking down just six floors back to where they’d started was dizzying. High ceilings and several floors being much taller than others meant they’d really climbed closer to twenty stories if this was a normal building.
“I’ll keep scouting ahead,” Ben said, Blinking farther up the stairs and peering into hallways as he went.
“Why isn’t there anyone else here?” Kathryn asked, taking a seat on the stairs next to Rae. “This is getting spooky.”
“I can’t say I’d blame people for not wanting to live here,” Shana said, still partially squinting no matter where she looked. “Maybe the castle was built to accommodate a lot of people a long time ago, and over time it became abandoned.”
“It seems that way,” Shias said. “It’s… kind of sad.”
Shana felt that same vibe from the castle. Seeing gardens out to the sides, still full of beautiful flowers and water but with no one to visit them, seemed awfully depressing. Even with how bright and nearly blinding everything here was, there was a beauty to the place that Shana couldn’t deny.
Someone had just gone way overboard with the lighting.
Unless… that was a new addition?
Shana looked closer at her surroundings, and thought about what they’d seen so far. She knelt down on the stairs, took out her bookmark, and scraped the metal against the step above her.
The golden surface scuffed, then flaked, then chipped away. It took nearly a minute, but Shana was able to peel back a small coin-sized spot on the step. Beneath the golden sheen, the stairs were a cool blue crystal color. Even in the golden light coming from all around, the blue beneath the gold didn’t grow bright. It maintained its own tone, and was pleasant to look at.
“What do you think it means?” Shias asked, watching Shana’s reveal.
“I dunno,” Shana said, pursing her lips as she began to scrape away more of the gold, revealing more of the lovely, calming, crystal blue surface beneath.
“Why would someone cover that up with gold?” Kathryn asked, staring in awe as more of the stairs’ true color was revealed. “This is so much more beautiful.”
They didn’t get time to admire their new discovery, however.
“Guys!” Ben shouted frantically from above them. “Run!”
Shana looked up, staring in fear at Ben. His arms were pinned behind his back by a pale man dressed all in black. He was tall and intimidating, and clearly strong, able to pin both of Ben’s arms with one hand, while the man’s other hand held a long black cane. His hands were gloved, and on the backs of them was a silver symbol: a six-pointed star encircled by silver rings.
But what stood out the most about the man, and frightened Shana to her core, were his eyes. Cont
rasting the man’s pale skin, his eyes were dark and intense, and they seemed to burn with a dark flame of focused energy and danger.
“I wouldn’t run if I were you,” the man said. His voice was like ice, making Shana shiver to her core. “The King wishes to see the five of you. I’m under orders to take you in unharmed. But if you make this difficult, I can’t promise your complete safety.”
The man’s cruel smile sold his threat.
“Just run, guys,” Ben said, wincing in pain. “I’ll be fine.”
“Why can’t he Blink away?” Shana asked Shias in a hushed whisper.
“You have to be free and unobstructed to Blink,” Shias replied. “He’s being held, so he’s stuck. The man probably noticed him Blinking and knew to hold him tight.”
Well, that sold Shana’s decision. “We’ll go with you,” she said. “Right, guys?”
This time, even Kathryn wasn’t ready to fight. She nodded sadly. “Right,” she said.
There was a despondent air to the Dawn Riders as they followed the man in black and the captive Ben. They’d thought they’d escaped, but it was an illusion of freedom.
Whether they liked it or not, they were going to meet the Radiant King.
Chapter 35: Unexpected
— G —
Anastasia stood at the counter, talking to the employee across from her.
Delilah was shocked. Anastasia was smiling. She seemed to be having a nice, pleasant conversation with the employee. Delilah could pick up a word here and there, but they were just a little too far away to hear, so she reached into her pocket, taking hold of her keychain talisman, and used Divination Magic to extend her hearing to pick up the contents of the conversation.
“Ignace wants to get a puppy,” said the employee, shaking her head. “I keep telling him, there’s a reason only people with penthouses own pets in Starlight Spires. There just isn’t enough open space outside.”
“Well, he always was a softy,” Anastasia said, her voice surprisingly warm. Delilah hadn’t heard Anastasia talk in the Wood of the Wisps, but from her demeanor and violent skill set she hadn’t expected her to sound so… nice. “And I thought the two of you were looking into upsizing.”
The employee shook her head. “It was a thought, but… well, we’re looking into leaving the city. He has family in Sunset Square.”
“That old dump?” Anastasia asked, shaking her head. “Come on, Erica, you don’t want to live there. You’re too refined for it.”
Erica giggled. “Oh, maybe you’re right, Ana,” she said. “So? How are things in the Human world?”
Anastasia sighed. “Well, you can already guess why I’m here.”
Erica nodded. “Mathers has you running errands again.”
Delilah’s eyes widened. Mathers? But isn’t that…
Anastasia pursed her lips. “I know it’s important. But my place is by his side. Especially lately. The way he’s been acting…”
“He needs you,” Erica said, nodding. “I know. Look… have you tried talking to him? Let him know you’re worried about him, and why.”
Anastasia shook her head. “I can’t do that,” she said. She let out a long sigh, then smiled. “Anyway, when do you get off? I can’t leave until tomorrow.”
“I only have a few hours left,” Erica said. “And Ignace won’t be home until late. Let’s have some fun. And hey, there’s a bright side — when you’re sent away on errands, it gives you an excuse to visit old friends.”
“Silver lining,” Anastasia said with a laugh. “I’m glad I wound up here, even if it was by accident. I’ll be back in a little while, okay?”
Erica nodded, and Anastasia turned to leave. Her path took her towards the exit Delilah’s group was “hiding” at, and halfway there, she noticed the girls and stopped in her tracks.
“Run?” Delilah asked, looking to the rest of them.
“She can’t do anything to us,” Gwen said, standing up and eyeing Anastasia defiantly. “That’s the benefit of Starlight Spires’ first law.”
“Can I pass?” Anastasia asked. Delilah blinked in surprise. Anastasia wasn’t at all intimidating right now. When she asked her question, it came out wearily, like she didn’t want to deal with a confrontation.
“Aren’t you after Isabelle?” Chelsea asked, standing in Anastasia’s way with her arms folded across her chest. It was kind of a funny pose, since her owl still perched on her shoulders, trying to mimic Chelsea’s pose with his wings. “Why would you just leave us be?”
“Because, as Gwen smartly pointed out, I can’t do anything to you here,” Anastasia said coolly. Her violet eyes rested on Isabelle, who shrank back in fear. “It wasn’t supposed to go this way. I didn’t want to scare her. And I never wanted it to come to a fight.”
“You tried to kill me,” Chelsea said, eyes narrowing.
“As I recall, I told you I didn’t want anyone to die,” Anastasia countered. “I’m not fond of collateral damage. You got in my way once. That doesn’t make us enemies. Now — can I pass? Or are we going to stand here and talk all day?”
“Guys…” Delilah said, “maybe… she isn’t so bad.”
“She tried to kill me,” Chelsea said, glaring at the Anastasia.
“She didn’t,” Delilah said. “She fought because she felt she had to. And she’s already made it clear she can’t do anything to us here. Let’s just let it go.”
“Let it —” Chelsea started, before cutting off with an angry sigh. “What about back in Grimoire, when she was using the Piper’s Flute in the library? When she unleashed a horde of Hollows on us, that were definitely trying to kill us.”
“Master Mathers,” Lorelei said. She fixed her gaze on Anastasia. “I didn’t catch everything the two of you were talking about over there, but I did hear that. You mean Blaise Mathers, don’t you? The head of the Mage Council?”
Anastasia sighed, looking away dejectedly. “Naturally,” she said.
“Wait, so you…” Chelsea stared at Anastasia, then at Isabelle, then back to Anastasia. “What does the head of the Council want with a little girl?”
Anastasia scoffed. “Like I would tell you. If you’re done with questions, I just want to find somewhere quiet and peaceful to wait for my friend.”
“How do you have friends?” Chelsea asked.
Anastasia chuckled. “I’m not a monster. Stop looking at me like that. We only met once, and you already think you know everything about me.” Her eyes drifted to Chelsea’s owl, still attempting to look intimidating. “He’s cute. I’m glad you two are getting along.”
“Can we stop?” Delilah asked, cutting Chelsea off as she was about to speak. “Please. We don’t know her. And she isn’t going to hurt us here. So let’s let her go her way, while we go ours.”
“Amazing how children can be more mature than adults sometimes,” Anastasia said with a smirk.
“Ana, who are those people?” Erica called from the counter. Anastasia froze, her expression tightening. “Are they more friends of yours?”
“No, they’re just —” Anastasia started to say.
“Invite them to come along with us!” Erica said, grinning. “The more the merrier, right?”
“Unfortunately, they have pressing business,” Anastasia said, her voice taut and strained. She gave Chelsea and the rest of their group a meaningful look. “Don’t you?”
“Can we go?” Isabelle asked. Her eyes had never left Anastasia, eyeing her with the caution of a small, wide-eyed animal cornered by a predator.
“Let’s,” Lorelei said, nudging Chelsea along. “Come on.”
“If I see you again,” Chelsea said, glaring at Anastasia, “I swear —”
“You’ll what?” Anastasia asked, walking out of the message center as the girls stepped aside. “Attack me completely unprovoked? Here’s some advice, Miss Reiner: don’t judge someone by first impressions alone. If you weren’t so quick to jump to conclusions, maybe you’d have more friends.”
“Oh, th
at’s —” Chelsea started.
“Enough,” Lorelei said, pulling Chelsea away. “It’s enough, right? Come on.” She sounded more annoyed than anything else, like she’d dealt with this side of Chelsea before.
“Is there something wrong?” Anastasia asked. She was looking at Delilah now, who hadn’t stopped looking at Anastasia since she’d heard her conversation with Erica.
“I…” Delilah started, but didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t connect the vicious enemy from the Wood of the Wisps with the more ordinary woman she saw now. How could they be the same person?
Greysons of Grimoire Page 41
