“How do you know where to go?” I asked.
“Last night’s scouting mission was a success,” replied Master Jesper. “Ah, here we are.”
I peered through the balloon fish’s eye to find we were bobbing up and down in an air pocket within an underground cave. Thick, limestone stalactites hung from the ceiling like upside-down mountains. I took in my surroundings and gulped. If this escape turned out to be anything like the battle with the homunculi, we might not make it out alive.
The balloon fish bumped into something hard, making us all jerk forward.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We’ve arrived.” Master Jesper spread its arms wide. “If you’re carrying any possessions you’d like to take into the prison, hold on to them tight.”
My lips parted to ask what he meant, but the insides of the fish rumbled. Trepidation shook my limbs, and I held onto Stafford for dear life. The fleshy walls rippled, and the bones shrank. Phoenix leaped to his feet and pulled us up. Then an almighty spasm squeezed the fish’s interior together, ejecting us out through its open mouth.
The three of us flew over the water and landed on a rocky ledge.
“Watch out!” shouted Stafford.
I scrambled out of the way, just in time for Master Jesper to crash-land beside me.
“What kind of exit was that?”
The troll rubbed its temple. “My apologies, Cadet. It was the best I could produce in such a short space of time.”
A pair of small feet stopped by my head. Its owner spat, “I can’t believe you left me here for this long with just a flask for sustenance.”
Jaw dropping, I raised my head to find Roseate standing above us with her hands on her hips. Her staff rested in the crook of her elbow, illuminating the limestone walls of the cave. Since leaving the laboratory disguised as Stafford, I’d forgotten she’d even existed.
“Madam Roseate,” said Master Jesper. “I see you survived the night.”
“No thanks to you. Two giggling mermaid Princesses wanted to drown me!”
“How do you know that?” asked Stafford.
She spluttered. “They were wearing crowns, of course.”
He shook his head. “Never mind.”
I pulled myself to my feet. “Something about mermaids in this part of the world is off.”
Master Jesper shook its head. “I can’t see the Magical Militia convincing any of the residents of Merfolkstone or Finmanland to leave their homes in the Wretched Sea to patrol foreign waters.”
Unease quickened through my insides. The notion of mermaid Princesses invading the cave seemed too far-fetched to be a lie, even for Roseate, yet Master Jesper’s explanation made sense. But something about their appearance made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I hoped the mermaids wouldn’t return to cause us any strife.
Chapter 20
Roseate led us through the cave, up a ledge so steep we had to climb it like a ladder, and to the gap in the wards. All through the trek, she complained about having to burrow through the rock with poor tools. Her screechy voice echoed off the walls, setting my teeth on edge, but I held my silence. She was helping Evolene, and because of her, we were one step closer to rescuing our friend.
The hole in the wards took the shape of a trunk-thick column of gravestone with a perfectly spherical, apple-sized hole five feet above the ground. To its side lay a blanket and an empty bottle.
Master Jesper examined the hole. “Am I to believe that this is the progress you’ve made since last night?”
She drew herself up to her full height and raised her chin. “I did tell you it wasn’t possible without magic.”
“And I told you to push your power into the rotator.” The troll gestured at a cone ten feet away from the gravestone. “Its diamond tip would rotate and produce the necessary hole.”
“I’ve run out of magic.” She folded her arms across her chest. “And I think your rotator is broken.”
Running my hands through my hair, I let out a long, weary sigh. At least she had been out of the way and unable to contact the witches about our prison break. “Is there anything we can do?”
Master Jesper pursed its wrinkled lips. “If I had the spare magic, I would donate it to drilling the hole.”
“I’ve got some spare magic,” said Stafford.
“Unfortunately, the rotator isn’t compatible with the power of dragon warriors.”
“What about frozen flames?”
The troll shook its head. “I used it all up on Pisces Pila.”
“I’ve got some in my knapsack.” Stafford pulled off his backpack and held it open.
Master Jesper grinned. “Let’s get to work!”
Stafford and Phoenix spent the next two hours boring a hole through the column of gravestone large enough for us to scale. Since I had slain the sea serpent, the males told me to sit this task out with Master Jesper, whose shoulders were too broad to fit through the column. No one dared to widen it in case they accidentally upset the wards surrounding the gravestone.
According to the lieutenants who had confided in Roseate, the column stretched through to the lower end of the prison. Anyone designing wards would not leave any spaces around the gravestone in case someone attempted to attack its weak spot.
Stafford emerged from the column with a grin. “We’re finished. Who’s coming?”
I stood and made my way across the cave. “Good work!”
Roseate jogged in front of me. “I’m coming, too.”
“I thought you ran out of magic,” I said.
“No one’s that pathetic,” she snapped. “I was saving it for rescuing Evolene.”
I glanced at Master Jesper over my shoulder, who raised his brow. “Has anyone ever told you the wrongness of lying to comrades on a dangerous and important mission?”
“Has anyone ever told you not to talk so much?” She shoved past me, ducked into the column and scaled its wall.
My hands curled into fists, and I flared my nostrils. Why had she even volunteered to join us? I’d never seen her with Evolene. She wasn’t the person sitting with her when everyone had thought her father had died. That had been Phoenix.
“Cadet Bluford?” said Master Jesper.
“Yes?”
“The next time Madam Roseate says something irritating, do remember that her information got us this far.”
I gave him a sharp nod and followed Roseate up the column. Stafford and Phoenix had created little groves in the stone that served as both grips and foot-holes, making it the easiest wall I had ever scaled. Light streamed down from the chamber, and my heart pounded in anticipation of seeing Evolene. She was probably crying into Stafford’s shoulder right now, grateful that we had come to rescue her.
As soon as my head cleared the landing, I counted three pairs of legs. “Where is everybody?”
Stafford pulled me up the rest of the way. “That’s what we’re trying to work out.”
He set me on my feet, and I turned, taking in my new surroundings. We stood in the middle of a chamber exactly as I had imagined from the snippets of information shared by Roseate and Master Jesper: limestone, rectangular, and devoid of any characteristics except for the column.
“She probably has a visitor,” said Roseate.
“Then she’ll return in a few minutes,” I replied. “It’s not like visiting hours at the Magical Militia are generous.”
Stafford paced up and down the room, panting hard. “They knew we were coming and moved her. It’s the only explanation.”
“There’s no way they would have found out,” I replied.
He shook his head. “They’ve taken her.”
“Let’s just wait and see if she materializes.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said, “It’s not like we have a choice, is it?”
I shrugged. There was no point in panicking until we had definitive proof that the witches had uncovered our plans. Only two people outside this group knew what we were
really doing, and I couldn’t see either Niger or Fyrian telling anyone.
The only way Niger could ever talk was under magical interrogation, which was unlikely, as the witches would think they had the upper hand by locking him up. Besides, with Father in Mount Fornax, they wouldn’t dare practice any underhanded methods.
Several minutes later, Phoenix cleared his throat. “It makes no sense to keep a group of prisoners in a large room where they can fight each other. Perhaps this is a level used for exercise, and the cells are somewhere else?”
“No,” said Roseate. “My informants told me the prisoners were held under the cells.”
“What if this is the space under the space under the cells?” asked Phoenix.
“What are you talking about?” spat Roseate.
I pursed my lips. Why was she using such a rude tone of voice? “There might be even more levels.”
She shook her head, twisting her face into a superior, little smile. “I can assure you, there are only two to the prison.”
“Let’s go,” said Stafford. “We can search the walls for hidden passageways. If that doesn’t work, let’s use the rotator and make another hole.”
“Right.” I headed for the nearest wall and placed my hand on the cool stone. “It’s better than standing around waiting.”
“Suit yourself,” muttered Roseate.
Nobody took any notice of her. Each of us took a wall and walked from one end to the other, feeling around for inconsistencies in the rock. Roseate stood by the hole in the podium, making disparaging remarks about our lack of progress to Master Jesper.
The troll’s words reverberated in my skull. Without Roseate, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. They were the only thing keeping me from shoving her down the hole and telling her to go and play with the mermaid Princesses.
“Ah!” said Phoenix. “Found something.”
I turned around from my spot. “What?”
One of his arms was halfway into the wall. “Another chamber, perhaps? There’s some kind of hole leading to a cooler space.”
“Is it the sea?” asked Roseate.
“It’s dry,” he replied.
“Don’t just stand there like a useless lump.” She waved her hands in a shooing motion. “Go inside.”
Phoenix’s face hardened. He was about to say something when I snapped, “You go.”
She reared back. “I could get hurt!”
“That’s it,” I snarled. “I’m sick to death of your little barbs and insinuations. You act like you’re better than everyone else, but deep down, you’re just a half-rate insignificant little witch so desperate for attention, you’ll get it any way you can.”
Her cheeks reddened. “And what about you?”
“What about me?” I said through clenched teeth.
“You’re not fooling anyone, Bluford.” She wrinkled her nose at fake name. “Or should I say Blue-fraud? Because that’s what everyone will call you when I expose you as a cheat and a liar and impostor.”
“What?” my insides turned cold.
Roseate stepped back, crossed her arms, and thrust out her chest. She tossed her hair back, exposing even more of that self-satisfied sneer.
“Every single dragon knows Cadet Bluford’s secret, and not a single one cares,” said Phoenix.
“I know it.” Stafford raised his shoulders. “It doesn’t make any difference. Albert’s still my best friend.”
Her face dropped. “B-but Master Fosco—”
“Is also a dragon,” said Phoenix. “And if you don’t want to find yourself cast out of Mount Fornax, you’ll keep your mouth shut and stop hindering our rescue of Evolene.”
Her chin wobbled, and her bottom lip quivered. “You lot think I’m sabotaging this mission. Don’t you?” In a more trembly voice, she repeated, “Don’t you?”
I folded my arms and rolled my eyes.
“What’s going on up there?” shouted Master Jesper from below.
“That pink witch is having a tantrum,” said Stafford.
Her eyes bulged. “P-pink? Well, I’ll show you.” She stormed past Phoenix and walked through the wall. A second later, she screamed, “Help!”
Phoenix turned to me. I turned to Stafford, and Stafford turned to Phoenix.
I stared down at my boots. “It’s not water.”
“What’s that?” asked Stafford.
“She wouldn’t have cried out for help if the room was filled with water.”
“T-they did something to Evolene!” she cried.
Panic burst across my chest, making my heart spasm. Without thinking, I sprinted to the spot where Roseate had disappeared. The other two males reached it before me. I followed them through the secret entrance and bumped into Stafford’s back. The sack he held fell to the ground with a thud.
“Ooof!” I reeled back and darted around Stafford.
The wall ahead of us consisted of glass. Floating behind it was an unconscious Evolene. Her skin took on the pallor of death, with the tips of her fingers and her lips turning blue. Her chestnut hair floated above her head like seaweed, and from the fitted chemise they’d made her wear, she appeared thinner than usual.
“Evolene.” Stafford’s voice broke.
“We need to smash the glass and get her out of there.” I turned to Phoenix. “How resilient is your skin in this form?”
“Resistant to broken glass.” He stepped forward and placed his hands on the exterior of the tank. “What have they done to her?”
“Roseate,” I asked. “Can you cut the glass with a spell?”
“M-me?” She pressed her hand on her chest. “Why?”
“Because the three of us only have fire and brute force at our disposal, which will harm Evolene.”
“Any attempts to extract Evolene from her tank will result in instant death,” said a sneering voice from behind.
I whirled around. Lieutenant Argentina stepped out from behind a screen disguised to look like part of the wall. Lieutenant Raven, the witch who wore her braids arranged around her head like hangman’s nooses stepped out from the other side.
“What are you two doing here?” I spat.
“Waiting for you,” replied the silver-haired witch. “You took your time.”
My pulse reverberated through my skull. How did the witches know we’d be here? All through my dealings with them, I had given them the impression that I would rescue Evolene using my influence over powerful individuals such as Father, the Magistratus, and the Witch General. After General Shipton explained that she couldn’t release Evolene without a group of witches losing their magic, they should never have guessed we could have worked out an alternative plan.
I gulped. Muti and the other dragon rider cadets had been vocal about my rescue attempt, but that was supposed to lead the witches to the decoy, not to Evolene’s cell. There was no way they would even think we could have worked out its loca—
A memory rolled to the forefront of my mind. Stafford and I sat in the Fornax Flying Float while Roseate chatted with the two lieutenants. The three of them must have planned this all along.
I glared at Roseate. “You!”
She staggered back, holding both hands to her chest. “I-I didn’t know they would keep her in a tank!”
“No.” I bared my teeth. “They told you where to find Evolene, and you told us, knowing they would be lying in wait for us to stage a rescue.”
Lieutenant Argentina made a theatrical yawn. “Wrong.”
“Actually, Astri, that’s partially what happened,” said the dark-haired witch.
My eyes narrowed. Why did the name Astri sound so familiar? The Witch General always addressed her staff by their last names, and I didn’t recall even learning Lieutenant Argentina’s name when I had met her the time we burned King Magnar’s artifact that had caused the riot.
“Are we under arrest?” I asked.
“That depends entirely on you,” replied the silver-haired witch.
I pointed at my chest. What wou
ld a Magical Militia lieutenant want with someone who had failed their academy?
“Yes, you. Come with us, and we’ll let your friends go.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Our underwater ship,” said Raven. “If you refuse us, we’ll freeze Evolene and smash her into pieces.”
I narrowed my eyes. A Militia witch would want to feed Evolene to the wards, not kill her and doom all her fellow witches. “Who are you really? Enemies of House Bluebeard?”
Stafford’s hand twitched toward his sword belt. Argentina pointed her staff at him and blasted him with white magic. He stiffened and fell onto his face.
“Does anyone else want to be a hero?” she snapped. “There’s plenty more where that came from.”
Raven shook her head. “I won the bet. You owe me a gold crown.”
“What are you talking about?” spat Lieutenant Argentina.
“Bluford guessed who we were.”
“No. You need to listen more carefully, Botti.”
I bit my lip. Astri. Botti. I hadn’t heard the second name before, but it also felt familiar. It reminded me of little Piper, King Magnar’s youngest sister. Didn’t she call him Maggi? The way the two witches bickered also reminded me of the awkward ride where I had to sit with King Magnar and his little sisters crammed into the driver’s seat with Evolene.
“Astri,” I said.
Lieutenant Argentina raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”
The word popped into my head. “Botilda.”
Raven witch grinned. “You remember us!”
“You know these witches?” asked Phoenix.
“They’re King Magnar’s sisters,” I said. “Not the little ones who visited Mount Fornax. The older two who deposited fairy artifacts in the capital, broke into the palace, and tried to cross the border with stolen dragons’ eggs.”
“I won. Pay up.” Botilda waved her staff in the air and released her glamor, revealing a beautiful blonde witch with wavy hair.
“Later.” Astri released her glamor. She was the same hard-faced witch with the chin-length hair I’d fought at the border.
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