Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  Three

  THE MARKET WAS OPEN FROM sunrise to sunset every day, and served both as a place for trappers and craftsmen to sell their wares, and an informal division between the Scraps and the nicer areas of town that surrounded the gated community called the Gardens. The tables and booths stretched for nearly a mile, though I’d never walked the full length of it. I had no need, since the last quarter-mile of the market was filled with expensive wares I would never be able to afford. Or so I’d always thought. Gabriel and Dorian, flanked by a handful of my uncle’s cronies and me, headed right into the heart of the market’s most exclusive traders.

  Bright fabrics, exotic spices, perfumes, exotic pets and vibrant jewelry dazzled my eyes. I wanted to ogle and touch everything, but Gabriel pushed me along so quickly I practically stumbled over my own two feet. It was all so overwhelming and beautiful, I wished Sterling and Briar had been invited along for this as well. I’d just have to describe it for them later. Dorian talked loudly about needing me to be prepared for my first semester, and for just a few minutes I slipped into the roleplay, pretending that I really was a mage heading to the Academy to learn magic. I imagined returning to the Scraps years later, so powerful that even my uncle couldn’t stop me. How wonderful would that be? I imagined carving out a space for myself in the Floats and living on a sprawling estate with Briar and Sterling, far from my uncle’s reach.

  Gabriel tapped a long, slender finger against a bolt of white fabric. “What do you think, Dorian?” he asked.

  It was beautiful material, but it seemed so impractical. People in the Scraps didn’t wear white. Most of us only had a few items of clothing. We dressed practically, and anything white would have been quickly ruined by the cloud of filth that seemed to cling to every surface. This seemed like such an expensive, absurd thing to even consider spending money on. But maybe Dorian’s plan was to buy all these nice things for me and then sell them once I’d stolen what he wanted. If so it would all even out for him.

  “Do you like it, Wynter?” Dorian asked, fixing me with an unnerving stare.

  “It doesn’t matter if she likes it,” Gabriel said. “I think it’s appropriate.”

  “And your opinion only matters if you’re going to wear it,” Dorian replied cheerily. “What do you think, Wynter?”

  I looked between Dorian and Gabriel. “If it’s appropriate, it’s fine,” I said, hoping the answer would be good enough for both of them.

  “But you must prefer some colors over others,” Dorian said. “I’ll buy you any color you like. Except for black. I’m half-sick of it.”

  And yet black was all Dorian seemed to wear.

  I looked uncertainly over the fabrics. “I like blue,” I said finally.

  He nodded and began comparing bolts of blue fabric. I hadn’t figured out how Dorian worked yet. He seemed too friendly to be engaged in this kind of business. What was he hiding? There had to be something. As I looked over the market, an idea began turning over in my head. Everything was so busy and bustling, if I ran now, could I manage to escape? My uncle, perhaps. I was younger and faster than him. That was assuming one of his goons didn’t catch me. But what about Dorian, the mage? What powers did he have?

  Without warning, my uncle grasped my bicep. “Come along,” he said, his command edged with warning.

  I stared wistfully towards a dark alley, and he dug his fingers in more harshly. Running wasn’t an option. Not right at the second. There was no way I was going along demurely with this scheme of his, though. The mages wouldn’t take kindly to being infiltrated, or sharing secrets with a mere human. They might even execute me if I was caught, while my uncle would probably manage to escape the whole mess unscathed. Who would protect Briar, then? Sterling would try, but how could he possibly be enough? My pulse raced, even as my uncle pulled me along behind him.

  Suddenly, everything in the market was too much. Too loud, too hot, too crowded, too colorful. My skin prickled uncomfortably as I bounced between the shoulders of a dozen strangers. I felt like I was being asked to choose my funeral shroud.

  “Dark blue or light blue?” Dorian asked, at a booth with more selection.

  I awkwardly picked out colors, and after I’d chosen them, Dorian paid. He then placed the armful of wrapped packages into my arms. They felt cool against my cheek. Dyed fabric of this quality was very expensive. Could I sell these? My mind whirled with the possibility. Maybe this was the chance I’d been looking for. Let Dorian buy me these very expensive things. I could sell them, plan my escape with Briar, and start a new life somewhere far away. It wouldn’t be easy, but it sounded possible. It was worth a try.

  I followed Gabriel and Dorian, conscious of the way my uncle’s eyes kept drifting towards me. He would expect an escape, so it was in my best interest to act like I had given in and was going along with his plans. For now.

  Although Dorian looked like a wealthy man, he haggled cheerfully over every single item. Perhaps, he did it out of principle; he could get a better deal by haggling. And yet I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more it. Gabriel probably knew. He stood back and watched most of the bargains pass with a smirk on his lips.

  And the items added up. I tried to memorize how much each had cost, but soon, it became difficult to keep track. Dorian purchased things I hadn’t even known existed. Silken gloves, sweet-smelling perfume and heavy necklaces were bought and wrapped. Mercifully, these items were distributed to my uncle’s underlings, so I wasn’t left to carry them all. There were discussions of future trips to fittings for dresses and corsets, fittings that Dorian said someone named Francisca would handle.

  We arrived at the last section of the market, and it was the strangest of all. The alley was tight and tented canvas stretched between the rooftops, filling the space with a deep shadow. The table Dorian finally paused at looked like a junk booth, overflowing with devices made of shining metal, that I didn’t recognize and couldn’t fathom their use. I drifted closer, my fingertips hovering above them, as if I could sense their function. The objects were in a variety of sizes, and some emitted flickering lights or ghostly flames. A faint, blue sheen lingered over the whole table. Probably an enchantment of some sort.

  “Don’t touch anything,” my uncle whispered.

  I nodded. Something tugged at the edge of my consciousness as I looked over the mage tech. It was as if someone was speaking just out of earshot, so softly that I couldn’t make out the words. The result was a dull, consistent buzzing. Strange. I’d never had that reaction to mage tech before, but the tech I’d scavenged before had never looked this new or clean either. Selling enchanted objects below the Floats was probably illegal, but tinkering with cobbled-together junk and repurposed mage tech might not be. After all, they’d chosen to throw it out.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman tapping her long, slender fingers on the table. I glanced towards my uncle. His head was leaned in towards Dorian, and the men were speaking together softly. Seeing that Gabriel’s attention wasn’t on me, I reached forward with a finger and tipped a mirror towards me. The item caught my reflection along with the woman’s. She was tall with red, curly hair and wore a dark blue coat with silver star-like embroidery. She was as nicely dressed as my uncle but not Dorian, and the bright red lipstick didn’t seem appropriate for a real lady. An escort dressed above her means, probably. I wondered if her clients were wealthy humans or lower ranking mages.

  Her hazel eyes snapped towards me. I gave her a small smile.

  “Morning,” I murmured.

  “Good morning to you,” she said.

  I leaned forward, pretending to be engrossed in some of the wares. Really, I was trying to block the merchant’s view of his table. Maybe I’d be able to pocket something to sell later.

  “I’m Wynter,” I said conversationally.

  A small laugh. “What are the chances? I’m Autumn.”

  “That’s pretty,” I said.

  My uncle cle
ared his throat. I shot Autumn an apologetic smile.

  “Ain’t I told you not to talk to strangers?” Gabriel whispered in my ear.

  “I was wishing her a good morning,” I replied. “She spoke to me first.”

  “Focus on the task at hand,” Gabriel said lowly, “Or I’ll beat you within an inch of your life when we get back home.”

  I tilted my head towards him, my attention still half on Autumn beside me. The woman’s fingers were inching forward towards a small, metal box. She was clearly trying to steal something. The box looked vaguely familiar, and I realized it was a piece of something Sterling found last month in the Dregs. Anger filled my veins. We’d done all the work, Gabriel’s contacts had hacked the device into something useful, and this man was selling it for a huge markup. People like this, who dealt in mage tech, earned their money through threats and blood, depending on kids like us. Why should I care if someone swiped a few of their goods? Plus, I thought desperately, maybe if I helped her, she’d seek me out and share the profit. I didn’t even know her and she probably thought I was some servant girl, but people in the Scraps were resourceful, and most were familiar with debts and honor.

  “What are these?” I asked, pointing to a group of objects on the far end of the table.

  Dorian picked up one of the square objects and turned it over in his hand. He flicked his thumb down on it, unleashing a burst of blue flame. The flames hissed and crackled above his outstretched hand. I stepped back quickly, and the fire evaporated.

  “Don’t worry,” Dorian said, a smile playing on his lips. “It’s just an illusion.”

  Dorian passed the item to me. I pretended to inspect it, sneaking a glance down into the mirror in time to see Autumn slip another piece beneath her hand. She turned nonchalantly away. For a few seconds, it seemed as though she’d get away with it. I held my breath as Gabriel and Dorian went to pay for my mage tech. Then, a shout split the air. “Stop her!” The merchant shouted, pointing in my direction. Autumn took off running, and the merchant’s security man charged straight towards me.

  He was at least a foot taller than me and his arms rippled with muscle. A long scar, likely from a knife wound, ran down the length of his cheek. He’d easily overtake Autumn, even if she was tearing her way through the crowd. He was going to run right past me. Maybe even shove me out of the way to get to Autumn. Unless I stopped him.

  My heart pounded so loudly that I heard it reverberating against my chest, but I stepped back at just the right moment, blocking his path. I let out a sharp scream as he practically threw me sideways, but I kept my feet planted long enough to slow him down. The man’s face twisted in fury as he stumbled.

  “My uncle is paying for this!” I snapped. “How dare you?”

  At my raised voice, one of uncle’s men wedged himself between us, inadvertently aiding Autumn’s escape. Perfect. I widened my eyes and rubbed my shoulder, the fabric nearly falling from my grasp. “He just came right at me!” I exclaimed.

  My uncle and Dorian both turned to look at me. The merchant’s face was bright red. “He wasn’t going after you, you idiot!” he snapped.

  The security guard scowled and stormed past us. I knew without looking that Autumn was already gone, lost in the crowd. It was too late to pursue her now. She probably had friends in the market, too, ones who would hide her.

  “Well, maybe you ought to give better orders!” my uncle snapped, sweeping an arm towards me. “Even if your man was going after another woman, he should’ve known better than to charge right at my niece!”

  The merchant glared at me. He might suspect that I’d helped the other woman flee, but he couldn’t prove it. If I was all alone, he might have punished anyway for aiding a thief. He could’ve had one of his followers grab me in place of Autumn. It wasn’t like there was anyone to intervene if a punishment for petty theft got out of hand. The mages didn’t care, and no one in the Market would be willing to risk getting involved. But I was with my uncle, and he needed me for this scheme of his. If I was branded as a thief, it would make it much harder to steal from the mages. He couldn’t have me losing my fingers.

  “She made me lose that,” the merchant told Gabriel. “I suggest you pay for it.”

  “Do you?” my uncle sneered.

  “Yeah,” the merchant said. “I think your girl did it on purpose. Pay up, or you’ll regret it.”

  Gabriel glanced at me, his face furious.

  “Wynter,” he said, “Do you know what this man’s first mistake is?”

  “I dunno,” I said.

  “Our merchant here only appears to have one man hired to protect him, and that one man has run off. And now, he has the nerve to ask me for money?”

  The merchant took a step back. “I only want what’s owed to me,” he said.

  “And you’re gonna get it,” Gabriel hissed, leaning forward with his teeth bared.

  “There’s no need for that today, Gabriel,” Dorian cut in. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding. This merchant’s man ran at your poor, terrified niece, who was obviously traumatized by the brute, and everyone is very sorry for the inconvenience.”

  Gabriel’s fingers pinched my skin as he steered me away from the merchant. “This will not happen again,” he hissed.

  “It won’t,” I said.

  The merchant didn’t pursue us as we moved quickly away from the stall and back into the crowded street of the main market.

  “It had better not,” Gabriel whispered. “Dorian paid good money for you, and I expect him to get everything I promised.”

  Dorian cleared his throat. “There’s no need to be cruel to her, Gabriel. She didn’t do anything wrong, other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “It ain’t your place to tell me how to handle my niece!” Gabriel snapped.

  “Isn’t it? I’m paying for her services, aren’t I?” Dorian asked.

  “You’re welcome to find someone else’s kid if you can afford it,” Gabriel said.

  Dorian smiled, but with an edge to it. “Be careful how many insults you send my way,” Dorian said. “I may not be the most powerful of mages, but I’m still quite confident I could destroy you if the need arose.”

  I frowned and wondered if Dorian’s faith in me was misplaced. Was he really so easy to fool? If so, I could play to Dorian’s sympathy. Unless he knew the truth, and was just trying to endear me to him. Maybe that was how he got people to do things for him. I wondered which was better, my uncle’s brute force and threats, or Dorian’s smooth manipulation? I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.

  Four

  I crossed my legs and sat on the bed, practicing. With a flick of my thumb, blue flames burst from the piece of mage tech. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to focus on the hisses just at the edge of my hearing.

  For the merest of moments, it almost sounded like whispers in a language I couldn’t understand. But that was silly. Maybe mage tech always made noises like that. I opened my eyes and looked over the device again, passing my fingers through the rippling blue light. Then with a flick of my wrist, I put the flames out. It was a pity they weren’t real. I would be dangerous if I could actually summon fire.

  Briar peeked into our room and smiled wryly. “Time for work,” he said.

  I held my hand out. “Don’t freak out,” I said.

  I flicked the flames back on. Briar jumped back and swore. A small, sharp laugh escaped me. “Don’t worry. They aren’t real,” I said.

  He stepped closer, considering the fire. Then, he stuck his hand right in it, watching as the blue flames flickered harmlessly over his hand. “That’s cool,” he said, his voice awed.

  “Kind of,” I said.

  Briar furrowed his brow. “Is this how you’re gonna convince people you’re a mage?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I replied. “At least, that’s the plan.”

  Briar nodded knowingly. “Are you gonna tell Sterling?” he
asked.

  “I have to,” I said, grabbing my pack off the floor.

  If Briar and I ran away, Gabriel would likely go to Sterling first, and I couldn’t let Sterling face Gabriel without at least a warning that the man might be coming.

  “He won’t take it well,” Briar said.

  No, probably not.

  “Well, that’s for me to worry about. Not you.”

  Sterling was waiting at the subway entrance, like usual. For him, it was just another night. But when I got closer, Gabriel stepped out of the shadows next to him. My first instinct was to freeze in horror at the sight of them together, but I forced myself to keep walking. Beside me, Briar clenched his hands so tightly around his backpack straps that his knuckles were white like moonlight.

  “Wynter,” Gabriel said. “Heading out?”

  Obviously. Why was he asking?

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Wonderful,” Gabriel said. “I think Briar should stay here with me, though.”

  “With you?” I repeated slowly. This was a trap somehow.

  Gabriel swept around me and roughly grabbed Briar’s arm. “Yeah,” Gabriel said. “You and Sterling have a good night. I need Briar here to help me with some things.”

  Warmth flooded my face. I hadn’t planned on escaping during this scavenging trip, but I still felt a hot flash of anger. How dare Gabriel make my brother a pawn in this scheme of his? I clenched my jaw. “Sure,” I said.

  As if I could stop him.

  I trudged out after Sterling. Once we were out of earshot, Sterling whistled between his teeth. “Old man Gabriel’s being a real jerk today,” he asked.

  “What did he tell you?”

  Sterling shrugged. “Nothing. He paid me for the last trip and asked how my mom was doing. The usual.”

  At least, Gabriel hadn’t told Sterling what he had planned for me. I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves until we were a few blocks away.