The Zero Equation

by Christopher Nuttall

  “I knew she was angry,” Akin mumbled, when I’d finished. “But to actually betray the family ...”

  “Great Aunt Stregheria betrayed my family too,” I reminded him. “I think they might not be the only ones, either.”

  “But it makes no sense,” a dark-skinned boy said. His skin was so like mine that I couldn't help wondering if we were related, even though I knew that was probably absurd. “If the Crown Prince takes Shallot ... what then? How does he capitalise on that to overthrow his father?”

  “He’s committed now,” another boy put in. “If he loses ... he won’t be smacked and told not to be naughty. He’ll be executed.”

  “Yeah,” the first boy said. “Even if he gets the entire city on his side, or what’s left of it after the war, he’s still going to be in trouble.”

  Akin took a long breath. “He must know that,” he said. “He’s been on campaign. How many of us have been on campaign?”

  There was no answer. I hadn’t expected one. It wasn't uncommon for young teens to join the army as drummer boys, but they were rarely aristocrats. I hadn't heard of anyone in my family joining the army at all. Cousins who wanted to fight were generally streamlined into the family’s armsmen. It was possible, I supposed, that someone who had been disowned would want a chance to forge a new life in the ranks, but if that had happened I probably wouldn't have heard of it.

  “So he has an answer,” the first boy said. “What is it?”

  Akin tapped his fingers against his cheek. “The Crown Prince has taken Shallot,” he said, slowly. “That gives him ... what? It doesn't give him automatic control of our armsmen, does it? But it does give him control of the harbours. He can bring in an army of mercenaries and strike north towards Tintagel before the king realises that the kingdom is being invaded.”

  I felt my heart sink. Akin was right. Normally, the harbours were heavily defended, but our armsmen had been called away to fight in the House War. And, with the Great Houses cut off from their leaders, resistance would be minimal. No one would even have a chance to send a message to Tintagel before it was too late. The king would be unable to mobilise his army in time to save his throne.

  Alana said a vile word, loudly enough to make the boys chuckle. “It’s worse than that,” she said, glaring at the nearest boys. “He’s bringing in an army from North Cairnbulg.”

  “That’s treason,” one of the boys objected.

  “He’s already crossed the line,” another boy snapped. “He can't be executed twice!”

  I looked at Alana and knew, with a sickening sensation deep in my chest, that she was almost certainly right. North Cairnbulg was only a couple of days away by sail, assuming good weather ... the Crown Prince could bring an entire army to Shallot and then strike north before his father even realised there was a problem. Tintagel might fall without a real fight, giving North Cairnbulg its first real foothold on Maxima. And then ...

  They can unite the two kingdoms under Henry and Saffron, I thought. Princess Saffron came from North Cairnbulg. I didn't think she was the firstborn heir, but it was quite possible that the legitimate heir would be put aside to allow Henry and Saffron to succeed the current ruler. And then, with Objects of Power, they can reunite the empire.

  “... Crap,” the first boy said. “He’s mad!”

  “We have to stop them,” I said. I pushed the box down to the floor and opened it. “Akin, take the sword.”

  Akin hesitated. “Are you sure?”

  “We’re going to need it,” I said. “Just don’t let Isabella touch it.”

  The sword glowed the moment Akin’s fingers wrapped around the hilt. It was huge, seemingly as tall as Akin himself, but he had no trouble lifting the blade and scabbard out of the box. The glow grew brighter - and brighter - as he drew the sword and lifted it in the air. Brilliant radiance flared in all directions. It looked almost as if the sword was made of light.

  I looked at him and almost jumped out of my skin. Akin looked ... different, somehow. He was taller and stronger and ... and something. The sword’s magic was slowly pervading him, preparing him ... I wished, not for the first time, that I’d been able to find a record that talked about the sword’s unique properties. It might have made it easier to guess what the sword was actually doing to him. I reached for my spectacles, then stopped myself. I had the feeling that looking into the sword’s light would blind me.

  The light faded, just slightly. Akin looked to be wearing armour, armour made of light. His entire body was glowing. It couldn't be solid, could it? I wondered just what would happen if someone threw something at him. Was the sword powerful enough to protect its user by producing a shield of solid magic?

  “A knight in shining armour,” Rose whispered. “Your knight in shining armour.”

  I felt my cheeks heat and looked away, even though no one would have noticed. It was embarrassing and yet ... I looked at Akin, feeling a faint thought nagging at the back of my mind. Perhaps there was a solution to the House War after all ...

  “We have a problem,” one of the boys said. “How many people will have sensed Akin draw the sword?”

  I kicked myself. The sword was a powerful Object of Power. I had no magical sensitivity at all, but Great Aunt Stregheria and the Crown Prince were very strong magicians. They - and many of their followers - would have known the moment the sword was drawn. The light was fading now as Akin got the sword firmly under control, but it was already too late. They knew what we’d done.

  Maybe Isabella didn’t dare tell them what happened, I thought, feeling a flash of vindictive glee. Great Aunt Stregheria was going to be furious. If she turned us into frogs merely for annoying her, what’s she going to do to Isabella?

  Akin gritted his teeth, then returned the sword to the scabbard. I wasn't sure how it fitted into a scabbard that seemed to be smaller than the sword itself. The light blinked out, although the gemstone was still glowing faintly as he buckled the sword to his belt. I didn't blame him for wanting to keep the scabbard close by. It was quite possible that it had powers of its own, powers he’d need to use soon. I just wished we knew more about the sword. If his father had been with us, I would have demanded answers. But it was also possible that Carioca Rubén knew no more than his son.

  “I brought a handful of spellcasters and protective bracelets,” I said, quickly explaining what they did and how to use them. “But we can't stay here.”

  “Agreed,” Akin said. “Where are our parents?”

  “We don’t know,” Alana said.

  “They were dining in the Great Hall,” Bella added. “But they might have been moved.”

  “They’d practically have to be moved,” the first boy said. “They’re all powerful magicians, right? Keeping them prisoner isn't going to be easy. Their mental defences are tough.”

  I sucked in a breath. Great Aunt Stregheria had one of my dispellers. All she needed to do was use it to dispel every protective spell on my father, then cast a geas before he could recover. Perhaps she’d knock him out first, just to make sure he couldn’t resist. It was a sickening thought, a true betrayal of the family ... but Great Aunt Stregheria had already crossed that line once. I had no doubt she was prepared to cross it again. She had to come out ahead if she wanted to survive. There would be no mercy if the family survived her betrayal.

  “Maybe,” I said, unwilling to admit to everything. “We have to hurry.”

  “So where do we go?” Bella asked. “They’re going to becoming for us!”

  Akin looked at the first boy. “John? Suggestions?”

  John frowned. “Some of us need to go to the roof,” he said. “If we’re lucky, we can signal to the Great Houses ...”

  “Unless the Great Houses have already fallen,” Alana said. “They might already be under enemy control.”

  I feared the worst. I’d made wardcrackers for Fairuza, back when I’d been her prisoner. I had no doubt that Great Aunt Stregheria had kept the weapons, smuggling them back to Shallot while t
he Crown Prince ran an inquest designed to distract us from the real threat. In the wrong hands, those wardcrackers could bring down the school ... or Magus Court itself.

  “They might,” John agreed. “Do you have a better idea?”

  “Try and sneak out of the school,” Alana said. “If we can actually get to one of the Great Houses, we might be able to find allies.”

  “Unless the Great Houses have already fallen,” John said, dryly. I wondered, suddenly, just where he’d come from - and if he really was related to us. Boys who were prepared to argue with Alana were few and far between. “We’d be walking right into a trap.”

  “At least we’d have a better chance to realise that something’s wrong,” Alana said, sharply. “I don’t think we could tell who’s in charge from a distance.”

  “We can do both,” Akin said. “Some of us go to the roof, others to the ground floor and try to sneak out. And others go wake up the rest of the dorms.”

  “We can't let the girls have all the fun,” another boy piped up.

  “It isn’t going to be fun,” I said. My voice was sharp enough to make everyone jump. “This isn't a game of Freeze Tag or Pigpen. This is a battle for our lives, for our families, for our city ... for everything. And they’re playing for keeps! If they catch us, they won’t let us off with a warning!”

  “Yeah,” Akin agreed.

  “I need to go down to the workroom,” I said. “Akin, you come with me - with us. Everyone else, do as John says.”

  John gave me a wink. “Thank you.”

  “I hear footsteps,” Rose said, sharply. “We have to move!”

  “We’ll hold them off,” John said. He lifted his spellcaster. “You go.”

  I turned, just as the footsteps grew louder. A trio of armed men appeared, holding spellcasters in one hand and swords in the other. I lifted my spellcaster ...

  ... And Akin ran past me in a blaze of white light. The men barely had a second to realise what was coming at them before it was already too late. Akin moved so fast that it looked as though he was a blur, as though the men were standing still. They fell before him like ninepins, the flat of his sword knocking them to the ground. They never stood a chance.

  By the Ancients, I thought numbly. No wonder they wanted the sword back.

  Akin returned the blade to its scabbard. “That was ... weird,” he said, softly. “But I think we’d better go now.”

  I glanced at the bodies. Akin hadn't killed them, somehow ... I wasn't sure how he’d merely stunned them, but he had. It looked like it would be quite some time before they managed to wake up.

  Good, I thought, as I dumped the empty box on the ground. They won’t wake up until this is all over.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Cat,” Alana said. “As long as he keeps the blade sheathed, they shouldn't be able to sense it? Right?”

  I nodded, slowly. “I think so,” I said. “But they may well have control of the wards.”

  Akin snorted. “They couldn't track troublemakers in the halls,” he said. “How could they track us?”

  I kept my thoughts to myself as we slowly made our way down the hidden staircase. I had no idea if Great Aunt Stregheria and her allies knew it existed or not, but it was our best chance to remain out of sight. I didn't think the Crown Prince’s troopers would have studied at Jude’s. Isabella or Great Aunt Stregheria would have to show them the secret entrance to the passageways, if they wanted them to find us. And I wasn't sure Great Aunt Stregheria would want to show them everything.

  But she would have sensed the sword, I thought. It had been a mistake to let Akin draw it, even though the blade had saved our lives. She knows we have a deadly weapon now.

  I forced myself to think as we reached the bottom of the stairs. Great Aunt Stregheria was smart, smart enough to be very dangerous. And the Crown Prince was known to be clever himself. He’d earned his battlefield prestige. What would they do, now they knew we'd escaped? On one hand, we were firsties; on the other, we had Objects of Power. The sword alone made us a deadly threat. I didn't think Akin was a swordmaster, but the sword would practically do the fighting for him. A child with such a blade could stand up to a small army.

  “I can't hear anything outside,” Alana whispered, as we reached the entrance into the lower corridor. “Bella?”

  “Nothing,” Bella said. “The coast is clear.”

  “Keep your spellcaster ready,” I warned, as Alana pushed the entrance open. “There aren’t many places we could go.”

  The corridor was deserted - and dim. I glanced up at the sole surviving light crystal, then led the way down to the workroom, my feet crunching over pieces of glass and crystal. Alana hissed a warning as something bumped up ahead; I froze, then ran forward. An upperclassman - his face utterly blank - turned to face us. I jabbed my spellcaster at him, then pushed into the workroom. Four other upperclassmen were working at their benches, their faces grim. I didn't think they were enchanted, but I kept the spellcaster at the ready. If Rolf had been prepared to throw away his future prospects for Great Aunt Stregheria, others might be willing to do the same.

  “Cat?” I blinked in surprise as I recognised Jeannine D’Arcy. She was still wearing the amulet I’d made her a few months ago. “Are you alright?”

  “Yeah,” I said, warily. “What are you doing here?”

  Jeannine looked relieved. “They forced us in here and told us to start forging weapons,” she said. “There’s another group of us brewing potions.”

  I glanced at Alana, who looked as worried as I felt. It would be useful to have a bunch of upperclassmen on our side, but could they be trusted? If they were working for Great Aunt Stregheria, we were doomed. I seriously considered freezing them anyway. We could sort the guilty from the innocent afterwards, if there was an afterwards.

  “What’s going on?” Jeannine asked. “This isn't what we expected!”

  Alana grunted. “What did you expect?”

  I thought fast, trying to think of a solution. There were plenty of Objects of Power - and Devices of Power - that would react badly to a lie, but I didn’t have time to forge one. I’d certainly never imagined needing a lie detector while I’d been forging the spellcasters and dispellers. Perhaps we should freeze them all. Jeannine would be understandably furious, afterwards, but it wouldn't matter. My fingers tightened on the spellcaster. It would have to be quick. The last thing I needed was raw magic flying randomly through the workroom.

  Akin stepped forward. “We don’t know who to trust,” he said. He held up his spellcaster, warningly. “Either you give us your oath you’re on our side or you spend the rest of the conflict frozen.”

  An upperclassman looked up, sharply. “Why you little ...”

  “There’s no choice,” Akin said. He pointed the spellcaster at the upperclassman. “Swear or remain frozen ...”

  The upperclassman purpled. “I don’t give my oath to anyone ...”

  Akin froze him, then turned to the others. “Swear or join him.”

  Jeannine gave me a look that promised trouble in the future, then gave her oath. The other two followed suit. I listened carefully to their words, testing each line for potential loopholes, then relaxed slightly. Great Aunt Stregheria might have anticipated us forcing the upperclassmen to swear oaths - she was willing to break all the other taboos - but I didn't think there was anything she could do to prevent it. A geas powerful enough to keep them from offering their word would be instantly noticeable. And yet ...

  I frowned, discomforted. Isabella had panicked ... although I didn't really blame her. No one really knew if I could offer a sworn oath or not. Isabella might have been able to talk her way out of trouble if she’d kept calm. I sighed to myself. It would have to be tested, somehow, before I really needed to know. And yet, I had no idea how. It wasn't easy, even for a skilled magician, to devise a limited oath with limited consequences. An oath, sworn with the proper rituals, would kill an oathbreaker.

  Alana and Bella fil
led the upperclassmen in as I checked the worktables. Great Aunt Stregheria apparently wanted more spellcasters ... and spellcollars. I shuddered when I saw them, realising just how far Great Aunt Stregheria was prepared to go. A spellcollar would hold a spell in place indefinitely, even when placed on a skilled magician. Great Aunt Stregheria wanted to turn us all into slaves. I remembered the other hostages - our parents amongst them - and shivered. Great Aunt Stregheria would have the finest minds in the city under her control.

  I wonder if the Crown Prince knows what she has in mind, I thought, as I checked the design carefully. It was elementary, surprisingly simple for such a dangerous device. She’s definitely planning to betray him once he delivers the kingdom to her.