by Imogen Elvis
Finally, Kade came to a halt. Just ahead of them, the hallway they followed reached a junction with yet another passage. “Sachio’s rooms are in that direction.” Kade gestured to the right. “I’ll distract the guards, lure them away so you can get inside. Wait until the coast is clear.”
“And we’ll meet you outside, by the side door, won’t we?” Briar asked.
Kade nodded. “I’ll find you.”
“What if something happens to you?” Briar’s chest tightened.
“Don’t worry about me. Just focus on finding that catcher. Nothing else matters.”
“I don’t believe that.” Lara folded her arms, her chin jutting out. “No one knows we’re here yet. We’ve still got time to think of a better way of creating a distraction than putting your life on the line. You know what will happen if they catch you.”
“I’m prepared to take that risk. If we don’t move now, the council will place Sachio on the throne, and all of this will be for nothing.” Kade shook his head. “We can’t afford to let that happen.”
“I don’t want you to be right. I want you to be safe.” Lara threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. “I lost one brother. I can’t lose you too.”
Kade hugged her back. “I know. But we have to try. Find the song catcher. That will save us all.”
Lara nodded and stepped back. “You can count on us.” She turned away quickly, but Briar thought that she might have wiped away a tear.
“I always have.” Kade turned to Briar and hugged her as well. She closed her eyes, memorising the feeling of his arms around her and the sound of his heart beating in his chest. She didn’t want this moment to end. The moment she let go, he would leave. And if this went wrong, she might never see him again.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t lose someone else. Not after Rowen. Not after Ava. But what other choice did they have? She couldn’t hold him here, no matter how much she wanted to. So instead, she hugged him a little tighter. This goodbye felt so final like he knew something they didn’t. But Kade was smart. He’d evade the soldiers and join them as soon as he could. She just had to trust him.
“I’ll see you both soon,” Kade stepped back, and Briar had to release him and pretend that she wasn’t fighting back tears.
Briar wanted to wish him luck, but the words stuck in her throat and before she could choke out some sort of farewell, Kade was gone, slipping around the corner and vanishing from sight. All she could do was silently beg the Tree to protect him.
“Come on.” All emotion drained from Lara’s face. Now her eyes were cold and focused. “We need to be ready.”
Briar and Lara peeped around the corner. Kade might be unarmed, but he marched down the hallway as if he weren’t afraid of anything, head held high, hood pulled back, shoulders set. There was no attempt to hide his identity now. He strode towards the two guards standing one on either side of what Briar could only guess was the door to Master Sachio’s private suite.
“Where is Sachio?” Kade’s voice rang out loud and clear. “I want to see my uncle.”
The two guards shifted to face him, and ice ran through Briar’s blood. These weren’t palace guards. Oh no, these were Nameless Ones, silent, deadly, unarmed other than with their magic. They wore the smooth, metal masks Briar had seen the others wearing. They turned to meet Kade, their stance shifting, ready to fight.
Kade stood no chance against them. His best bet was to run and make them chase him. He could lose them somewhere in the castle. Briar’s fingers curled around her medallion. Run, Kade. Run. But he didn’t. He carried on towards the Nameless Ones, even as the first notes of their deadly songs shivered into the air. The carpet beneath his feet shifted, the fibres grasping at his feet like a thousand tiny fingers. Kade pulled his feet free with a sharp jerk, each step becoming more and more of an effort. And still, he didn’t flee.
The Nameless Ones left Master Sachio’s door, spreading out and approaching Kade with caution. Kade’s hands balled into fists, but he didn’t attempt to swing a punch. Instead, he just kept walking towards them, back straight, no fear on his face. As the threads of the carpet closed over Kade’s boots completely, bringing him to a stop, one of the Nameless Ones took the final step to close the gap between them. The man grabbed Kade’s shirt, pulling him forward, headbutting him in the face. The etching on the metal faceplate left an imprint on Kade’s skin as he staggered back. The Nameless One pulled him forward again and headbutted him a second time. There was no finesse of magic now, just brute strength. Maybe the Nameless One enjoyed getting his hands dirty for once.
Blood streamed down Kade’s face. Briar pressed her hands to her mouth, biting down on her tongue to hold in a cry, lest she drew the Nameless One’s attention. Kade swayed on his feet but stayed upright without help, wiping at the blood with one hand. It smeared over his cheek. He stared into the Nameless One’s eyes with his head cocked slightly to one side in a silent challenge. The second Nameless One grabbed Kade’s shoulder and slammed a fist into his stomach. Kade let out a wheeze and doubled over, throwing out a hand for balance. His fingers skimmed across the wall without latching on to anything, and he fell to one knee.
Even then, the Nameless Ones weren’t done. They gathered in close until Briar could barely see Kade, beating him to the ground with fists and feet. There was a sort of savage pleasure in their movements. It would have taken them only a few notes to capture him without shedding a drop of blood, but they chose to use their hands until Kade lay motionless on the floor.
Lara’s fingers dug into Briar’s shoulder until her nails were points of searing pain. Briar swallowed hard, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye as she fought the urge to break free of cover and run to Kade’s motionless body. It felt like betrayal to look away now, though even lingering this nearby was a danger. The Nameless Ones hoisted Kade’s body up between them. He hung limp in their hands, his head lolling on his chest, blood trickling down his cheek and dripping on the carpet, the scarlet spots mingling with the red and gold weave. Then, they turned and marched away in that same, terrible silence they always maintained. Briar stared after them, willing Kade’s head to move, or his hands to twitch, anything to show that he was alive.
“We need to move.” Lara’s voice was husky. Her nails still dug into Briar’s shoulder as she hustled Briar around the corner and over to the door the Nameless Ones had, until a few moments ago, guarded so closely. “Is there anyone inside?”
It took Briar a moment to focus enough to listen for life songs inside the room. When she closed her eyes, all she saw was Kade’s bloodied face and the way his body hung limp and broken in the Nameless One’s grip. But she pushed the images aside. Kade put himself at risk to give them this chance. She couldn’t waste it. Briar strained her ears, listening for the softest hum of a life song from inside the room, any sign that there were guards other than the two that had been posted on the door, or that Master Sachio himself had returned to his suite. But there was nothing, just a hollow, empty silence beyond the wooden door.
“It’s safe.”
“Good.” Lara pushed open the door and together, they stepped into Master Sachio’s private quarters.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Master Sachio’s rooms were dim and eerily silent. The first room appeared to be a sitting room. It was much larger than Briar expected, especially considering Master Sachio was part of the Order, and the magicians tended to live very simply. Then again, it went some way to explaining why he never gave up his dreams of the throne. He appeared to be a man used to the comforts of the nobility. Then again, Kade and Lara gave up those comforts willingly, so maybe it said more about him as a person, rather than his upbringing.
Bookshelves filled with thick, leather-bound tomes lined the walls. A sofa sat against the back wall under a large window that looked out over the castle gardens. The floor was of highly polished wood, so shiny Briar could almost see the blurry reflection of her face in it. A simple yet tasteful rug covered t
he boards in the centre of the room. It was woven in shades of blue and grey, possibly a nod to the Order, and was, Briar had no doubt, exceedingly expensive.
“It makes my skin crawl to think that Master Sachio actually lives here,” Briar said.
“Well, he won’t for much longer.” Lara pursed her lips, one hand on her hip. “We need to be quick. You search the study. I’ll check this room and then make a start on the bedroom. Join me when you’re finished. The song catcher is just a small sliver of white stone, right? Nothing remarkable.”
Not to look at, no. When Briar had first seen a catcher, she hadn’t even realised what it was. Not recognising it earlier was perhaps one of her biggest regrets. “It’s no bigger than my medallion.”
“Somehow, I doubt Sachio is the sort of person to keep jewellery around anyway. I suppose it’ll be pretty easy to recognise it if we do find it.” Lara moved away and lifted some of the ornamental books on the shelf.
Briar moved slowly towards the door into the study, biting on her lip. It was such a gamble, pinning their hopes on Master Sachio bringing the catcher that had once belonged to Mistress Rhosmari here to the castle. But he was cautious, and he would want all the pieces where he could control them. At least, that’s what she was counting on. Because if they were wrong, they didn’t get another chance.
Master Sachio’s study was as neat and tidy as his sitting room, sparsely, yet tastefully furnished. A polished wooden desk sat against one wall, the surface of which was stacked with books and parchments in neat piles, not a single leaf lying out of place. A pen sat waiting in an inkwell, as if, at any moment, the master might return. Briar shivered at the thought. Hopefully not. Against the opposite wall stood another bookshelf, filled with more leather-bound tomes. The spines of these were cracked and worn with age and use. Master Sachio must have read these books many, many times. Everything sat in its place, tidy and ordered and logical.
Briar searched the desk first, rifling through stacks of parchments, pens, bottles of ink and other assorted items that Master Sachio stored in the drawers. She also ran her fingers over the bottom and back of each drawer, just in case there might be a secret compartment concealed in there. Nothing. Though, she could hardly expect the catcher to be in the first place she looked. Briar moved to the shelves. Something scraped over the floor in the next room, and her nerves tingled. The Nameless Ones would return eventually, and what if she and Lara were still here when they did?
Briar pulled out the books, one by one, with fingers that trembled slightly. Maybe one of the books was hollow and hid the song catcher inside. Or it might have been pressed behind the books. But there was nothing. Every book was real, and well-read at that, the pages soft and creased with reading. Master Sachio kept nothing on these shelves other than his tomes. Briar even dragged the chair over to the bookcase so she could check on top, but her grasping fingers didn’t find so much as dust.
Maybe Lara had had better luck in the sitting room. Briar returned the chair to the desk, casting her eye over the room to make sure everything looked as it had when she entered. Nothing appeared drastically out of place. Hopefully, Master Sachio wouldn’t be able to tell that she’d been there.
“Any luck?” Lara asked as Briar joined her in the sitting room.
Briar shook her head. “It’s not in there.”
“I haven’t found anything here either. Though I suppose it would be risky to keep it in the same room that he’d entertain visitors in. If the Nameless Ones weren’t enough to chase any sane person away, that is. Maybe it’s in his bedroom.”
“Let’s hope,” Briar said. “I’m not sure what to do if it’s not.”
“Don’t even suggest such a thing.” Lara’s voice was sharp. “It’ll be here.”
Lara threw open the door and marched into Master Sachio’s bedroom. Briar followed a little more slowly. The catcher would be here somewhere. Lara was right to be confident. But…what if it wasn’t? That was a chilling thought, and Briar pushed it away hastily. They would find the song catcher.
If it felt strange to be in Master Sachio’s silent sitting room and study, then it was doubly strange to stand in the middle of his bedroom. A shiver ran over Briar’s skin. He could come back at any time, just as soon as he’d finished dealing with Kade, and that wouldn’t take him forever.
“Don’t just stand there. Help me search.” Lara moved over to the large wardrobe that stood against the right-hand wall. It was large, with intricate carvings covering both doors. The carvings depicted a mountain range and two standing figures facing the view. It could have been any mountain range, but it reminded Briar sharply of the northern mountains, where the Crystal Tree stood. Lara wasted no time admiring the carvings but threw back the doors, rifling through the clothes hanging inside.
Between them, Briar and Lara searched the whole room, checking in, around, and under the four-poster bed, even scaling up the posts to check on top of the canopy. Between them, they hunted through everyone single one of Master Sachio’s belongings, whether they hung on the wall, or were stacked in a chest at the foot of his bed. Nothing anywhere.
“It has to be here somewhere.” Lara folded her arms and turned in a slow circle. “Maybe there’s a hidden compartment?” She moved to one of the walls and ran her hands over the panelling. “Check the floorboards. It would be just like Sachio to have a secret hiding place.”
“Or it’s not here at all.” Briar’s throat tightened just saying the words.
“Don’t even think that. The song catcher will be here somewhere, I’m sure of it.” Was that real faith, or just desperation talking?
Briar trod carefully over the floorboards, rocking from heel to toe, testing to see if any moved or squeaked. If they couldn’t get the catcher, Master Talor won’t be able to use it on Master Sachio, who would keep his magic, and his hold over the king and court. Kade’s sacrifice would be for nothing, and he would be marched to his- No, she couldn’t even think about the possibility of him dying.
None of the floorboards squeaked or shifted, and Lara was having no better luck finding a hidden compartment in the panelling either. Much as Briar didn’t want to admit it, wherever the song catcher was, they weren’t going to find it here. And there were other things to worry about too, like the fact that the Nameless Ones would be back soon.
“We need to go,” Briar said reluctantly.
“Not without the catcher. Kade’s relying on it.” Lara continued to press her fingers over the panelling she’d already checked, refusing to meet Briar’s eyes. “We just have to look harder.”
“It’s not going to do us any good even if we do find one if we get caught in the process,” Briar said. “We have to go while we’ve still got the chance.”
“They will kill Kade if we can’t get this song catcher,” Lara said fiercely. “I already lost Rowen. I’m not going to lose him too.”
Briar bit her lip, her fingers curling around her medallion. The memory of Kade hanging limp over the Nameless One’s shoulder flash in front of her yes with a pang. “I don’t want to lose him either,” she said, her voice low. “But if the song catcher isn’t here, then risking capture ourselves isn’t going to help him.” Every word hurt, like a sharp betrayal. “We’ve looked everywhere. It’s time we retreat and come up with a new plan.”
Lara’s mouth tightened, and she continued stubbornly running her hand over the wall as if she might somehow be able to create a secret hiding place through sheer willpower alone. But then her shoulders slumped, and she turned to Briar with eyes that were suspiciously shiny. “Alright. We’ll go.” She turned and marched out of Master Sachio’s bedroom, her movements stiff and jerky.
Briar scurried after her. “Wait. Let me check that the hall is clear.” If the Nameless Ones had returned-
Too late. Lara flung the door open and stepped out into the corridor. Briar followed, peeped out to check that hall was, in fact, empty, before stepping out and closing the door carefully behind her.
&nbs
p; “Lara, wait.”
But already, Lara had turned the corner they’d hidden around before, disappearing from view. Briar hurried after her. The castle was so big; there was no way she’d ever remember the way out if she lost sight of Lara. And Lara was so far ahead already, moving as if the Nameless Ones themselves were on her heels.
The halls, which had been empty when they passed through before, were now filled with people, standing outside their doors, or clustering together in small groups in the corridor to gossip with the other residents of the castle. No one would know who she was, but Briar still lowered her head as she passed, and threaded her way through the crowd as quickly as she could. As she passed, Briar caught snippets of their conversations.
“-the prince. How did he manage to get in-”
“-Lord Sachio’s personal guards caught him-”
“Do you think he was trying to reach the king?”
“He’ll be punished, and all the better, I say.”
Briar gritted her teeth at their lack of empathy. All they knew were the lies that Master Sachio fed them, and the falsehoods that filled this place. But she couldn’t stop to defend Kade’s honour. It was hard enough just trying to keep Lara in sight. Lara wasn’t trying to delicately weave her way through the people without calling attention to herself. Instead, she shouldered them out of her way, ignoring their cries of annoyance.
A door on the left opened, and a group of young women spilt out into the corridor, so suddenly they caught Briar in the swirl of their wide skirts, their voices blending together in an excited babble of gossip. Briar lost sight of Lara. She craned her neck, walking on tiptoe to see over the women’s heads, but she couldn’t spot Lara. Which way had she gone?
“Excuse me. Excuse me,” Briar muttered over and over as she edged her way around the group. No one seemed to notice she was there. Or maybe they did and chose to ignore her. After all, she looked like an urchin to them.