His grip tightened. “No.”
I tried to squirm free, but he refused to let go.
“Please,” I begged him. “I have to go!”
“You can’t go out there. It’s not safe.”
Twisting my wrist, I broke away from him and dived for the door.
My fingers had scarcely grazed the handle before Jaxon locked his arms around me and swooped me away from my escape route.
“No!” I screamed. “Let me go! Please!” Tears blinded my vision. “I have to go after him. The Divellions will kill him!”
I could feel Jaxon’s rasping breath against my throat.
“Please,” I said, trying to claw my way out of his clutches. “Let me go!” I wriggled and kicked in an attempt to free myself, but his arms were like an iron vice.
“Stop,” he soothed me. “I will let you go, but you have to listen to me first.” He contemplated for a second, then spoke again. “I might be able to track Sam. On the condition that you stay here.”
I stopped struggling. “But what if—”
“No, Sophie,” said Jaxon. “There is no bargaining. I’ll go, on the condition that you stay.”
I figured it was wise not to start another sentence with the word ‘but’, so I opted for, “However, I can help. Let me come.” Translation: I didn’t like the thought of Sam and Jaxon out there alone.
“No,” Jaxon said tautly. “Stay here.”
I slumped in his arms. “Well, should we at least tell Ness and the others? I don’t want you to go out there alone.”
“If we tell them, then I won’t be going at all. No one would. Now, do not, under any circumstances, leave this room. Do not tell anyone I’ve gone. Do not follow me. Do nothing. Agreed?”
I exhaled in a broken breath.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
I nodded my head.
“Then believe me when I say that I will bring your brother home safely.” He kissed my temple before releasing me from his grasp.
I crumbled to the floor, watching as the bedroom door swung shut behind him.
Now I was the only one left.
#
Breathless, I rapped frantically on the door to Ness’s office.
“Who’s there?” I heard her muffled voice reply.
“Me,” I called back.
“Oh. Come in,” she granted.
I opened the door, surprised to find the little cherry-coloured office crammed with half the school. Mabel sat in a rocking chair sipping tea from a china cup, while Mr. Garret and Mr. Hardy stood together with a dozen or so boys hovering around them. Ness was seated at her desk, wearing her bifocals and looking utterly exhausted.
“I have to talk to you,” I blurted out. Granted, I hadn’t planned on doing this with an audience, but there was no stopping me now. “Sam’s gone,” I cried.
I felt the room collectively deflate.
Ness took off her glasses and tossed them aside. “Sam,” she muttered. “How could he be so stupid?”
Although my reaction had been pretty much the same, I had an intrinsic loyalty trigger that made me want to defend my idiot.
“He was desperate,” I said. “He couldn’t sit around watching Todd…”
Ness sighed. “I understand.”
“That’s not all,” I added. “Jaxon’s gone after him.”
Ness hesitated. “But how did he…?”
In the corner of the room, Reuben stiffened.
“I let him out,” I lied. “I’m sorry, but I found him and I needed his help.”
“Oh, Sophie,” Ness groaned. “What were you thinking?”
I folded my arms. “I was thinking that my brother is dying, my other brother is missing, and my only friend around here is locked in a cage for the outrageous crime of trying to protect me!”
Ness frowned. “A cage?”
Reuben the Magnificent cleared his throat. “I think she meant ‘room’.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, room,” I revised. “But a metaphorical cage.”
Ness’s expression relaxed a fraction. “Well, if luck is on our side, Jaxon will find Sam before he gets too far.”
“Does this make a difference to your decision?” I asked, looking pleadingly at Mr. Hardy and Mr. Garret. “Now that Jaxon and Sam are both out there, can you help?”
Mr. Garret shifted nervously from left to right. He wouldn’t meet my gaze.
Mr. Hardy, however, stared at me through hard, russet eyes. “It is… undecided.”
“Undecided?” I repeated. “You’ve been in here for hours!” What had they been doing? Drinking tea and talking about the weather?
“We cannot go ahead with anything until we are all in agreement,” Mr. Hardy answered.
I didn’t need to ask who was against the notion. The look on Mr. Hardy’s face was cold enough to chill the sun.
“Please,” I appealed to him. “If there’s a chance to save Todd…”
“We cannot take any measures before all the elders are in agreement,” he reiterated.
“But, can’t you try to agree on it?”
Evidently taking pity on me, Mabel rose to her feet.
“I’m with you on this, lovey,” she said to me, her lined face puckered in solidarity.
“Thank you,” I told her.
She took a swig of tea and sat back down in her rocking chair.
“Please, Mr. Hardy,” I tried again. “They’re my brothers.”
“We do nothing unless it is agreed on by all of us,” he repeated for the third time.
I felt my cheeks flush with rage. “How can you be so heartless?” I cried.
He stared into my eyes but said nothing.
“You’re evil!” I exclaimed.
“Sophie Ballester,” Mr. Garret intervened, twiddling his thumbs nervously, “I must be truthful with you. It’s not Mr. Hardy who opposes the action—it is me.” He clasped his hands together repentantly. “You must understand, I wish there was a way… But I cannot, in happy heart, send my boys to certain death.”
“But…” I trailed off. He was right. I knew he was right. That didn’t mean I’d give up, though. “What have you been training the boys for, if not for situations exactly like this?”
“No. Not situations like this,” Mr. Garret corrected. “The boys protect the Academy and the holt. They are by no means capable of attacking the south side.”
I looked to Ness now, pleading with her to do something.
And then, the office door flung open and Jaxon stormed in.
My heart skipped a beat.
He glanced fleetingly at me before striding across the room, uninterested in anything other than a carved oak cupboard at the back of the office.
“What happened?” I asked.
He didn’t respond.
As the rest of the room looked on in awe, Jaxon snapped the padlock from the cupboard doors and opened them to reveal shelves of weaponry.
Oblivious to the rest of us, he selected a large wooden archer’s bow and slung it over his shoulder, then made for the door.
“You’re going back out there?” I choked.
Pausing in the doorway, he stared intently at me. There was a look of determination in his stone-grey eyes—one that was combined with the profound understanding that he may not return.
“No,” I murmured. “I’m coming with you.”
His eyes narrowed and he glowered at me.
“Jaxon,” Mr. Hardy said sternly. “Nobody leaves unless I say so.”
“You won’t have the faintest idea where to search for Sam,” Ness warned. “He may not even be heading south. He could be anywhere!” Her focus shot to me. “Sophie,” she breathed, “the link. Sam said you were his link, that he could find you anywhere. Perhaps he is yours?”
A note of panic rose in my throat. “I’ve never been able to do that,” I reminded her.
“You must try,” Ness insisted. “It may be our only hope of finding Sam.”
Oh, great, I thought. So no p
ressure or anything.
I closed my eyes, vainly trying to pinpoint my brother’s location. The room fell silent; only the tick of the grandfather clock continued to strike.
Okay, think, I ordered myself. Where’s my brother? Todd’s upstairs, and Sam is… tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…
“Anything?” Ness asked, after a bated hush.
“No,” I sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Then he is not your link,” Ness told me. “If he was, the connection would be instinctive. Effortless.”
Jaxon adjusted the wooden bow on his shoulder and turned for the door.
“No!” Mr. Hardy ordered briskly. “No solider leaves without authorisation.”
The other boys looked on in curious excitement. Apparently mutiny wasn’t all that common at Averett Academy.
“Requesting authorisation,” Jaxon said calmly.
Every single person in the room—apart from me—gasped in sheer disbelief.
And then I remembered…
“He spoke!” someone exclaimed.
The room erupted into mumblings, and Mabel spat out a mouthful of tea.
Mr. Hardy, though taken aback, resumed the conversation. “Authorisation denied,” he said stiffly.
Jaxon made for the door, regardless.
“Wait!” I called to him. “I’m coming with you.” I scrambled to get to the cupboard. If I was going out there, I was going to need a weapon…
I heard the sound of a bowstring being drawn back, and the next thing I knew, my arm was pinned to the cupboard door. A slim arrow pierced the sleeve of my top, missing my skin by a whisker.
With one arm fixed to the cupboard, I spun around to see Jaxon lowering his bow.
My mouth fell open. “You shot me!”
“I shot your sleeve,” he corrected coolly.
The rest of the room gasped.
“He spoke again!” someone cried.
“Oh,” I said, placing my one free hand on my hip. “So, you’re shocked that he spoke, but you’re not shocked that he just shot me?” The cupboard door rattled as I tried to free myself. “I can’t believe you shot me!”
“I had to,” Jaxon told me, in a velvety tone. “And I think you’ll find that I shot your sleeve.”
The gaspers gasped for a third time.
“Yes, wonderful. He speaks. It’s a miracle,” I said huffily. “Now, can someone please help me out here?” I rattled the cupboard door again, well and truly stuck.
Nobody moved. I thought for a moment that Mabel might have been considering it, but she made no action.
“Jaxon,” Mr. Hardy barked, “do not leave without authorisation.”
“Apologies,” Jaxon said politely before crossing the threshold.
“Jaxon!” I yelled.
“Yes?” he replied, innocently.
I scowled at him. “Get your arrow out of my arm—”
“Sleeve,” he corrected.
“You’re so annoying! Let me down, this instant!” I rattled the cupboard and stamped my feet all at once.
“It’s for your own good,” he said.
“Jaxon!” Mr. Hardy and I shouted in unison.
And I was sure I saw him smile to himself before he disappeared from our sight.
Chapter Eighteen
Magnificent
By the time I’d been freed from the cupboard, Jaxon was long gone. And Sam, well… he could have been anywhere.
I returned to my room and took my post at Todd’s bedside. I watched him sleep while I drifted in and out of a disturbed sleep myself. I awoke on four occasions in a cold sweat, blinking in the haunting darkness.
I was relieved when the first break of dawn lit the room with a dusty pink glow. At least now I could wake up and escape the merciless nightmares.
As for Todd, the first blush of daylight softly lit his peaceful face. His complexion was sallow, and the bite marks on his throat were inflamed—purple and bruised.
“Come on, Todd,” I whispered. “Fight this. Don’t give in to it.”
It sickened me to think that somewhere out there, a Divellion was slowly draining the life from Todd. And somewhere else out there, Sam and Jaxon were perhaps facing those very same monsters.
Why weren’t they back yet? They’d been gone all night.
My chest tightened. What if they don’t come back? I thought suddenly.
No. Stop it, I scolded myself. They will come back.
There was a light tap on my bedroom door.
“Come in,” I called, willing it to be Jaxon or Sam, but knowing that a knock made it more likely to be Ness.
The door creaked open and a broad figure stepped inside. To my surprise, it wasn’t any of my three contenders. In fact, it was probably the last person I’d expected to see.
Reuben. Mr. Magnificent, in the flesh.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, unable to hide the bewilderment in my tone.
He ventured further into the room, briefly glancing at Todd before staring down his nose at me. Dark, matted hair fell wildly above his full eyebrows.
“I am aware that we did not get off on the best foot…” he began.
I stared up at him, dumbfounded.
“We were never properly introduced,” he continued, offering me his rough hand. “My name is Daniel Reuben.”
“I know your name, Reuben,” I said, my tone clipped.
Reuben laughed sinuously. “You’re understandably wary of me. I’ve not shown myself in the greatest of lights, now, have I?” His coffee-coloured eyes bore into me like lasers.
I kept silent.
When Reuben realised that I had no intention of taking his hand, he withdrew it. “I thought,” he went on, idly, “in light of your current circumstances, perhaps you could use a friend.”
“Thanks,” I replied, still a little terse.
Reuben perched himself on Sam’s camp bed, bowing the structure with his husky build.
“For what it’s worth,” he added, “I agree with you.”
“About what?” I asked, my voice flat.
“I say we fight. Hunt down the beast that did this.” He gestured loosely to Todd. “Do what we phoenixes were brought back to do.”
Oh. This was an unlikely alliance, to say the least.
“Thank you,” I replied, swallowing my pride. “Is there any word on the decision yet?”
Reuben flashed me a gentle smile. “Sorry. Nothing has been confirmed.”
“We’re running out of time. Is there any hint of which way it’ll go?” I pressed. I noticed that I was sounding increasingly urgent with each word. Especially now that I had three people at stake.
Reuben shook his head solemnly. “I’m afraid it’s not looking good.”
I closed my eyes. That was what I’d been afraid of.
Reuben edged nearer to me until his hand was on my shoulder. His touch felt uncomfortable to me; I didn’t like it at all. I shrank away from him.
“You know,” he said, taking the hint and dropping his hand to his lap, “it riles me, if I am to be frank. Why are we waiting for permission? It’s us, the phoenix soldiers, who possess the strength to fight the Divellions. And yet, our actions are under the control of the elders.”
I licked my lips nervously.
“Jaxon didn’t wait for permission,” Reuben pointed out thoughtfully. “Why must we? Especially when there is one witch more than willing to help…”
“Who?” I asked.
Reuben dazzled me with another enticing smile. “You.”
“Oh, but I’m not a real witch,” I explained. “I’m just a normal person.”
His eyebrows knotted together. “Aren’t you a witch?”
“Well, yes. Sort of. In the technical sense of the word.”
“A witch is a witch,” he simplified. “Witches brew potions, yes?”
“I- I guess so.”
Reuben sat forward fervently. “Then tell me, witch, what are we waiting for?”
“Um… I don�
�t know.” I really didn’t know. What were we waiting for? Why did the elders have to be involved, anyway?
“Just say the word,” Reuben coaxed, his dark eyes glinting in anticipation.
“Why are you so keen to rush into danger?” I asked guardedly.
“All I’ve done for years is train. Day in and day out. Now is the time to act, and yet they choose to slink away into the shadows, fearing creatures that are beneath us,” he spat.
I nodded my head in a jittery kind of way. “You think it’s possible?” Not even Jaxon thought we’d have a chance.
“Indeed, it is.”
I pressed my lips together. “How?”
Reuben’s mouth crooked into a catlike smile. “There’s a spell,” he informed me. “One that brews a potion powerful enough to take down a Divellion, while simultaneously preserving the essence. Once the Divellion is eliminated, the preserved essence will gradually return to the Ballester boy.” Again he waved his hand in Todd’s general direction.
“So, you need me to make the potion?”
“Yes. Then I shall track the beast that infects your brother and force it to ingest the brew. Ms. Ballester keeps the recipe in her book—”
“If it’s so foolproof, why hasn’t Ness thought of it?” I challenged.
Reuben cleared his throat rather awkwardly. “It is…” he peered furtively at the door. “It is considered dark magic,” he admitted in a low voice. “The brew will create the most potent poison known to witchcraft. The elders would not consent to it. And they would disregard the approach of a Divellion ingesting a potion. They prefer the kill-on-sight method. It’s safer.”
“I don’t know how to do dark magic,” I told him. “I don’t even know how to do regular magic.”
“It’s our only option. Either accept my assistance, or tell me to leave.”
“Maybe if we explained the idea to Ness, she’d help us.” I realised I was clutching at straws. “If she knows we’re going to do it with or without her, maybe she’ll be more inclined to—”
“No,” Reuben shook his head. “They will never allow it. And if they suspect, they’ll stop us by any means possible.” He looked profoundly into my eyes. “Your only task is to prepare the poison. I will see to the rest.”
His words made me shiver. My gut told me to run to Ness, but Reuben was offering me a chance to save my brother. How could I say no? I was beginning to learn that where the Academy was involved, I didn’t have the luxury of compromise.
Secrets in Phoenix Page 19