“All right,” I muttered. “There’s no point in reasoning with you.”
She tossed her head, walked back to the bench, and picked up her scroll. Then she read out the kind of romance stories the witches at the Magical Militia would order from the United Kingdom of Seven.
“What are you going to do?” asked Fyrian. “Do you need some power?”
“Actually, I’m going to need you to keep me warm.”
“What for?”
“Once I break out of this bubble, I’m swimming to the surface.”
“All right.”
I pushed flames through both palms and pressed them onto the barrier, making it crackle. Astri raised her head from the scroll. “It’s enchanted to shrink on contact with flames. Don’t try it unless you want to suffocate yourself.”
“Go on,” said Botilda. “Keep reading.”
Astri continued the tale, and I rolled my eyes. It was the Beauty and the Bandit, a saga about a highway man who fell for a woman with cursed scars. Apparently, it was based on a true story. I shoved both hands against the barrier, set their palms alight and pushed.
More crackles filled the air, and the barrier shrank to half its size.
“I told you,” said Astri. She continued reading from the scroll. “Any more of that, and you’ll pass out.”
“The spriggans told you not to hurt me,” I said.
She raised a shoulder. “You’re doing it to yourself.”
“Astri’s right,” said Fyrian. “You’ve got to try something else.”
I clenched my teeth and felt around my hip for something to use against this wretched bubble. My scimitar would be useless, and the Parched Sword would make the bubble shrink, and render me unconscious. My fingers brushed against pulsing wood, and my heart somersaulted with joy.
The Lightning Rod.
“Are you sure?” asked Fyrian. “What if the magic bounces back and hits you?”
“Then the spriggans won’t be able to use me to release the Forgotten King.”
“I don’t like this,” she muttered.
“Send me all the power you can to strengthen my body then. And tell Phoenix to look out for a burst of power.”
“All right.”
Warmth flooded the bond and seeped into my veins, radiating out to my skin. It seemed to thicken and harden, but when I glanced down, it looked the same as ever. I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “What’s that?”
“Something I learned while watching Duclair and Thornicroft’s advanced healing classes. It’s a magical barrier, but I don’t know if it works.”
I unhooked the Lightning Rod from my belt and aimed it at my feet.
Astri stood. “What are you doing?”
“Blasting free.”
“You’ll kill yourself.”
“Then release me from the penitentiary bubble.”
She glanced at Botilda as though asking her younger sister what to do. Botilda shrugged. “Put him back to sleep.”
“I can’t release the bubble with him pointing that rod at us,” Astri snapped.
Botilda turned around and stared into the window. “Then let him injure himself. The spriggans should have given us fairy iron or something stronger to restrain someone so powerful.”
I ignored their conversation and pushed a small amount of power into the Lightning Rod, angling it so that any rebounded magic would fly over my head. Silver light shot out, piercing the bubble and boring a hole through the hull.
Water spilled into the ship, and Botlida shrieked.
Astri jumped to her feet and shot magic out of her staff, plugging the hole. “What are you doing?”
“Bring the ship to the surface, or I’ll drown us all.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I shot another stream of magic through my bubble and created another hole next to where I’d made the first. Water streamed into the ship, this time hitting Botilda on the shoulder. She screamed and jumped out of her seat. Astri snarled, plugged that hole, and dried her sister’s clothes.
“I’m moving the ship closer to the surface.” Botilda tilted the staff downward, and the vessel careened up.
“Don’t.” She shot yellow light into my bubble, sealing the two holes. “That’s what he wants.”
She shook her head. “He can probably swim. We can’t.”
“Phoenix says he can’t see the magic,” said Fyrian. “Can you aim for the surface of the water?”
I adjusted my grip and pressed the pointed end of the Lightning Rod as close to the ceiling as I could manage and pushed out twice the amount of power. A fist-sized hole appeared in the penitentiary bubble, piercing the hull. Ice-cold water spilled from the top of the boat into my bubble, making me shudder.
“You idiot!” screeched Astri. She whirled around and repaired the hole, leaving me sodden. “Stop that, or you’ll kill us all.”
“Did he see that?” I asked.
“No. Try again with more magic.”
Botilda tilted the ship at a steeper angle, not listening to her sister’s snarling instructions to stop ascending. I clenched my teeth and blasted twice the amount of power this time, letting it stream out for several seconds. Freezing water cascaded into the interior and through my bubble. Fyrian pushed more power through our bond, warming my insides to the point of fever.
I exhaled my relief. Between my magically toughened skin and the infusion of heat, she’d protected me from the brunt of the seawater. “Thanks. Did he see that?”
“Try again.”
“You lunatic!” Astri shot red magic into the hole I’d made in the penitentiary bubble.
My stomach tightened, and I braced myself for pain, but the spell dissipated across my skin like a cloud of dust. She tried again, this time, aiming for my Lightning rod. It shifted out of my grip, and I held on tighter with both hands. A gauge appeared on its side, indicating that it had less than a quarter of its power left.
“He’d better see this one!” I pushed as much of my magic as I could into the wooden staff, blasting through the penitentiary bubble and reducing the top of the ship to torn leather and broken planks.
The three of us floated up from the remains of the underground ship. I held my breath and propelled myself up to the surface with my free hand, wishing I had put on the breathing parasol before making that final blast.
Fyrian filled our bond with a roar of triumph. “He’s found it. Swim to the surface!”
I raised my head, spotted the sunlight streaming in through the water and sent Botilda a silent word of thanks for bringing the ship so close to the surface. In less than half a minute, my head broke through the water. Up in the sky, too far for me to discern his color, a dragon glided down.
“Can he see me?”
“Yes!”
I blinked, and huge claws wrapped around my middle. A pulse beat later, I lay on warm scrubland with Phoenix standing over me. The setting sun shone over his shoulders within a cloudless sky, and I had to squint to see his features.
“Cadet Bluford.” He crouched down and placed a warm hand on my brow. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” I said in a gasp. “But we have to go back. Those witches can’t swim, and I’m not sure they kept hold of their staffs when I exploded their ship.”
His face hardened, but he gave me a grim nod. “Stay on my back. I don’t want you exposed to any more of that freezing water.”
“I’m fine. Fyrian—”
“That’s my condition for transporting you back. Do you agree, or will I have to carry you through Mount Fornax’s wards?”
“Fine.”
He transformed into a purple dragon and knelt. I swept my sodden hair out of my face and scrambled up his leg onto his back. Unlike Fyrian, he didn’t have so many useful spines and footholds.
“They don’t exist for your benefit,” she snapped.
“I know… Sorry, I’m a bit tired. Thanks for helping me escape.”
“That’s what bondmates are for,” sh
e said, her voice warm.
The air around us twisted, and we appeared above the Cursed Sea. Sunlight streamed in through the triple peaks of the Glacier Islands, making them look like diamonds floating in the water.
I leaned down and peered into the sea. The upturned underground ship’s hull bobbed up and down the indigo sea, surrounded by broken planks. My heart sank. I couldn’t find a single blonde head.
“Why are you helping them after what they did?” Fyrian asked.
“I can’t let them die. King Magnar will be devastated.”
“Do you like him, now?”
I wrinkled my nose. “No, but that doesn’t mean I want his sisters to drown or freeze to death.”
Phoenix swooped down with the grace of a preying eagle and then up again.
“He’s found them,” said Fyrian. “They were under the broken ship.”
Leaning to the side, I spotted two blonde heads floating above the surface of the water. Each witch clung to a giant bladder. Phoenix glided in a circle, repeated the downward movement, and then transported us back to the spot outside the wards of Mount Fornax.
I slid off his back, down his leg and landed on dry land. Astri and Botilda lay on their backs, panting and gasping for air. For a pair of witches who couldn’t swim, they were in surprisingly good shape.
“Y-you s-saved us.” Botilda’s voice shook with the chattering of her teeth. “W-why?”
“We’re going to work together against the spriggans,” I said.
“B-but—”
“They’ll continue to hold your little sisters until they’ve freed their master. By then, it won’t matter if they’re released because a giant war will break out across the realms. No one will be safe.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
“Can you walk?”
She shook her head.
A hand landed on my shoulder. “I’ll ask Roseate to come and help them.”
I jumped to my feet. “Which way?”
He pointed at a giant clump of dried tumbleweed that looked like it should have detached from the ground years ago. “That’s the entrance.”
I took a few steps and faltered. Despite her chattering, a gleam of interest shone in Botilda’s eyes. Even though she had sounded surprised we had come back for her, she could easily tell the spriggans about this secret entrance.
“Don’t worry,” said Fyrian. “Phoenix won’t let them leave until he’s sure they won’t tell. Besides, any gaps in the wards don’t apply to fairies.”
I jumped through the tumbleweed and landed in the cool tunnel. My boots sank into the damp sand, and I straightened. The alpha glacier wolf lay ahead with Evolene sitting at his side, clad in a witch cadet’s leather uniform, stroking his fur.
“Albert!” She leaped to her feet and wrapped thin arms around my middle. “You’re safe.”
I hugged back. “Are you all right?”
“Roseate performed a few diagnostic spells on me. I’m fine, but exhausted.” She chewed her lip. “What will happen now? If anyone finds me, I’ll go back to prison.”
“You won’t,” I said.
Her brows drew together. “Is there somewhere I can hide?”
“I know someone who can offer you protection.” I wrapped my hands around hers and turned to the glacier wolf. “Could you take us somewhere within the grounds, please?”
The wolf sat up and inclined his head. I told him my destination, and the horse-sized creature allowed us to climb onto his back.
Chapter 23
Several minutes later, the wolf stopped outside the replacement for the hut that had burned down during my fight with Mr. Bacon. The faint scent of dung emanated from its walls, indicating that it hadn’t yet completely dried. I rapped on the charred door. After not getting a response, I knocked harder.
“Who is it?” said a weary voice from inside.
“Open the door before I kick it off its hinges.”
The door swung open, revealing a red-eyed King Magnar. “What do you want?”
“A favor.”
He reared back, turquoise eyes blazing. “You have the audacity to ask after not raising a word in my defense during my trial?”
I shoved him aside and stepped into the hut. Narrow streams of sunlight lit its interior, providing just enough light for someone to dress at dawn. A platform on the far wall formed a bed, complete with two sheets and an under-stuffed pillow. At the other end of the room stood another platform of dung with a bowl and spigot for washing.
“I need you to adopt Evolene.”
He raised his nose in the air. “Why would I do such a thing?”
“Because you need a friend, and Evolene needs to belong to a powerful house with diplomatic immunity.”
King Magnar gulped. “What will you give me in return?”
“Astri and Botilda. They can be with you by sunset if you agree.”
“And if I refuse?”
“We shove them back over the border and let the spriggans punish them for failing to abduct me.”
His mouth opened and closed as though he wanted to ask what had happened but thought best of it. I wasn’t interested in sharing anecdotes about his sisters’ convoluted plan to hand me over to the spriggans, and I think he could tell that from my impatient glare.
Evolene stood next to me, staring at the pencil-sized staff she twiddled between her fingers. I suppressed a pang of guilt. She was going from one terrible guardian to another, but this was the only way I knew to keep her safe. As King Magnar’s ward, she would gain citizenship of the Savannah Empire and as a member of his Royal House, she would not be punished for any crimes committed in Steppe or Mount Fornax. Neither would she be transported or coerced into the Magical Militia.
“And our betrothal?”
“I’m not marrying you.”
“Then why not make it a condition of reuniting me with my sisters?”
My throat closed, and my stomach churned. “I need you to agree to take on Evolene.”
“I will,” he said. “But you must agree to help me regain my throne.”
My mouth dropped open. The audacity of the man! I was offering him two sisters in exchange for Evolene’s protection, yet he wanted more.
“What a scale worm,” snarled Fyrian.
“No,” said Evolene. “I won’t have you fight spriggans for me.”
King Magnar raised a hand. “Let me finish. In exchange for my waiving the damsel denial, you will fight at my side when it’s time to regain my throne.”
“Agreed.” I held out my hand.
King Magnar closed his fingers around my hand. Instead of shaking, he brought my knuckles to his lips.
I rolled my eyes and sent Fyrian a silent word of thanks for magically reinforcing my skin so I couldn’t feel his lips.
King Magnar beamed. “Very well. I will perform the adoption vows right away. With her magic, we can create another room for you and the girls!”
“Remind me to find Evolene somewhere else to stay tonight,” I said.
“No problem.”
I left Evolene with a beaming King Magnar, who recited some vows that pledged to protect her like a father. My stomach twisted at the thought of her being alone with the man who threatened her and Stafford a few days ago, but the alternative of letting her get caught by a passing witch had far worse consequences.
Later, the alpha wolf took me close to the Healer’s Academy building, where I ducked my head and raced down to the laboratory. Stafford lay on the bed fast asleep, while Master Jesper frowned over a bubbling cauldron.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Cadet Bluford!” The troll raised a privacy spell and threw an invisibility cloak over my head. “You must hurry.”
“Why? Where are we going?”
“The Prince Regent is worried about Cadet Griffon’s responses to their scolding. They are suspicious and came here asking questions.”
I shrugged on the cloak. “Why is Stafford slee
ping?”
“It’s his alibi. Sometime before midnight and dawn, the wards will begin to devour Madam Evolene’s power. In the morning, a witch will enter her cell to remove her body. They’ll find it empty and another structure underneath containing a shriveled snowman squash.”
“Right.” I grabbed the gravestone from the table and stuffed it in my knapsack. “Phoenix will update you on the situation with King Magnar’s sisters. By now, Fyrian will have told him about King Magnar and Evolene.”
“King Magnar?” asked Master Jesper.
“See you in the morning.” I dashed to the door.
The troll inclined its head. “Good luck.”
I jogged out of the Healer’s Academy building and headed toward the Great Lake. To my far left, a procession of people strolled down the path, looking like they had come from the direction of the Warrior Queen. Father walked among them, accompanied by Master Fosco and the Witch General. My heart exploded in my chest. Had they worked out Niger was an impostor? I picked up my pace, sprinting so hard, my thigh muscles ached, and my lungs burned.
It took longer than I’d wanted to reach the reception area, and I ran under the archway and darted left toward the jailhouse. As usual, it was unguarded, but three bluebirds perched at the window, staring inside. My stomach plummeted. I couldn’t shoo them away. They would only transform into fairies and make an even bigger nuisance of themselves.
Letting out a shuddering breath, I flung open the door. Mother might spill my secret, but she wouldn’t do it in front of the Witch General or Master Fosco.
Niger sat on the cot at the other end of the room, staring at his hands. His enchanted blond hair hung over his face like a curtain.
“Niger?” I whispered.
His head snapped up, revealing his disguised features. “Is that you?”
I threw off my cloak, rifled through my backpack and produced a huge lump of gravestone. After placing it on the ground, I pushed my flames onto the stone, opened up a hole, and crawled through.
Mother let out a squawk of surprise and chirped, “What is the meaning of this?”
“I’ll explain everything later. Please, don’t tell Father yet.”
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