by Lucia Ashta
But all we could do was wait... and hope a second wave of attack wouldn’t become necessary.
I twisted my hands, then reclaimed my feet, and started to pace. The day wasn’t even halfway over, and it had already been too long and far too dangerous.
Chapter 4
Nando had checked his pocket watch approximately one hundred times, I’d worn the ground beneath the trajectory I paced, and even Sir Lancelot had ceased talking due to the nerves of waiting, I presumed.
Nicholas was getting on my last nerve. He wasn’t doing anything, really, but he was still somehow annoying me. After wondering what it was, I decided it had to be the petulant scowl he wore, marring an otherwise pleasant face. But I couldn’t make up my mind if that was it, and I didn’t much care either. I just wanted the magicians and creatures to return in one piece, and to do it before I drove myself mad.
“Hasn’t it been too long?” Angelica asked no one in particular, and I felt sorry for the girl. If I was nervous, I didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like to have my parents in the castle.
I didn’t know whether my parents and two older brothers were in danger off in the Americas or not, but Angelica could be sure her parents were.
The cave we assembled in front of faced the back end of Maurisse’s castle, the one only used by servants and for deliveries. Which meant it was less likely that we’d be spotted, and harder for us to see what was going down with the attack.
Even Humbert had dropped from the sky on the other side of the castle, and all the firedrakes had followed. I’d thought the plan for Humbert was to keep him in the sky so he and his riders could attack from above, but he was completely gone from sight.
The entirety of the staff of the Magical Arts Academy, with the pointed exception of Sir Lancelot, had vanished. There wasn’t even a pig with ringlets in sight.
“It does seem like it’s been a long while,” Nando said to Angelica, fingering his pocket watch.
“They’re invading a magically fortified castle,” Nicholas said, somehow making the fact sound sour. “It’s obvious that’s going to take time.”
“Are you still upset about not going?” The question left my mouth before I could debate the wisdom of asking it. It’s just... there was so much going on, couldn’t he focus on anything other than himself, for goodness’ sake?
“Who said I was upset about not going?”
I just looked at him.
“Well, I’m not. I do think it’s a mistake that they didn’t take me though. I could have done plenty to help.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
Nicholas huffed. “All sorts of things. But if you don’t know what, then clearly you have even less training than I thought, and I’m not going to bother wasting my time explaining.”
I caught Brave smirking when Nicholas wasn’t looking. Time was the one thing we had an overabundant amount of just then.
Simon ignored his brother, and I wondered how much of Nicholas’ antics the brother had to put up with. Simon didn’t even look fazed by his brother’s behavior when he asked, “Have you heard anything from Elwin?”
I shook my head and looked at him before continuing to pace. “Not a peep.”
“Is that good or bad?”
I had no idea, so I looked to Brave and Sir Lancelot on his shoulder. They seemed to know the most about magic of those of us here.
“It doesn’t really tell us anything,” Brave said. “Neither does the length of time that’s passed. They could have encountered little resistance, and made their way through the castle quickly. They might be almost finished, and there’ll be no need of a second wave of attack.”
“Or they could have run across more resistance than they counted on,” Walt said. “They might be delayed because they’re fighting hordes of dark sorcerers off.”
“Walt,” Marie said. “That’s not helping things.”
“What? I’m not saying anything that’s not possible.”
“True, but it does no good to focus on what might go wrong. Pa always used to tell us that. To focus only on what we wish to go right.”
“Yeah, well Pa isn’t here now, is he?”
Marie pursed her lips shut. “No, he isn’t,” she said, and I realized there was much more the two of them would have probably said about their father if they hadn’t had an audience.
“Perhaps you could check in with Elwin, Lady Isa,” Sir Lancelot said, sounding as nervous as I felt. “I don’t think it will do any harm to speak with him, and it would give us information as to what’s going on.”
“That’s a great idea!” Angelica said.
Was it? “What if I distract Elwin when he’s in the middle of a fight or something?” I worried. “What if hearing me in his head or whatever causes him to stumble?”
Sir Lancelot flew down from Brave’s shoulder in a flutter and landed between the others and me. Once on the ground, he waved his wings in dismissal. “Elwin has been around for a long time. Not as long as I, but quite long. He doesn’t stumble easily, and he has a focus even I envy.”
I’d never thought Sir Lancelot to be particularly focused. It seemed plenty easy to derail him from whichever his current topic of conversation.
“You’re sure?”
“Completely,” the owl said with full conviction.
“Do it, Isa,” Angelica said. “Please.”
I’d hardly had time to interact with the girl whom I pegged at fifteen or sixteen. With her strawberry blonde hair, she looked very different from her brothers. Her round face was a hopeful mask that urged me not to deny her request.
“Fine,” I said and met eyes with Nando. He gave me a slight nod of agreement. “I’ll do it.”
“Oh, that’s great. Thank you.”
“Don’t go thanking me yet. I have no idea how this is going to go.”
Just then Trixie caught my eye. She stood next to a few other horses, and I was relieved to see that her breathing had finally settled. But what impressed me most was her calm eyes. She wasn’t nervous or skittish. Then again, the first time I’d met Trixie she’d been in a race for our lives, and she hadn’t seemed particularly nervous then either.
But something about the white mare soothed me. Without further thought, I stopped pacing, plopped down unceremoniously on the ground next to Sir Lancelot, and closed my eyes. The little owl had better be right about this.
I allowed myself to settle into my breathing, and called out, Elwin! Are you all right? How’s everything going?
I waited far longer than I usually did for a reply... and still, nothing.
My heart thumped wildly, and the rushing of my pulse muddled the silence of my mind.
Elwin? Are you there?
But neither Elwin—nor anyone else—answered.
Chapter 5
“Surely too much time has passed,” Angelica said. Her strawberry blonde hair had come loose from its braids. She’d done nothing but fret and mess with her hair since Nando’s watch had marked the two-hour point.
“I agree,” Walt said. “They’ve been gone too long. By now they should have some sort of resolution. And since Elwin can communicate through Isa, he should have sent word... of something.”
Of something hung in the air like a threat. There was one way in which no news was good news, and not a single one of us there had forgotten it. At least this way, we continued to believe everyone who was part of the first wave of attack was still alive and unhurt.
“It is a bit surprising that Elwin wouldn’t have any news for Lady Isa,” Sir Lancelot said. “Lady Arianne is so attentive. She will have surely realized that we’d all be worried and sent word.”
“So what do you think no word means?” Angelica asked, and I could tell she was frightened for her parents. When she met my eyes, I offered her a tremulous smile in sympathy. Both her parents were in the middle of some kind of battle in the castle, with nearly a guarantee that the sorcerer Maurisse was aware they were coming.
My palms st
arted to sweat just at the thought of it all. Suddenly pacing wasn’t sufficient. I needed another way to burn off my nervous energy.
“No word doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Sir Lancelot said to Angelica, looking as sympathetic as an owl could.
“But you think it means something, don’t you?”
“I won’t lie, even to spare your feelings. I have a well-earned reputation of integrity and knowledge to uphold. I think if everything were going well in there, we’d have either heard from Elwin, or they’d be back already. Even if they didn’t find Lord Albacus inside as we’ve hoped they would, at least some of them would have returned.”
“So something’s gone wrong.”
“You can’t be sure of that, Angie,” Simon said, and I took notice that it was the younger brother, and not the petulant older one, who sought to console his sister. “Mum and Da will always come back for us.”
“They’ll always come back for you, that’s for sure.”
I glared at Nicholas for his caustic comment, but he didn’t care. What was wrong with him?
Marie gave him a look of her own as she approached Angelica. “Why don’t we go for a walk to distract our worried minds? There’s nothing we can do but wait. Even if Elwin calls, we aren’t supposed to go anywhere.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think I can.”
Marie smiled and extended a hand in invitation. I was surprised when Angelica continued to turn her down. “I appreciate your kindness, really I do, but I need to be here. If there’s anything at all I can do for my parents, no matter how slight, I need to be here to do it.”
“All right.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“You didn’t in the least,” Marie said. “I completely understand. I wish there were something we could do to help too.”
“Maybe there is,” Gertrude said, earning everyone’s attention.
“No, there isn’t,” Brave said at the same time Walt asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, maybe they could use our help but can’t call out to us for some reason.”
“Isa would hear Elwin,” Brave said.
“Would she? Everything we’ve seen of her powers so far hasn’t been predictable or consistent. Maybe he’s calling out to her and she can’t hear him.”
They were discussing me, but neither Gertrude nor Brave looked at me. Gertrude was preparing to convince Brave and get her way, I could tell; I’d done something much like it thousands of times with Nando. Their dynamic might be very different from the one I shared with my brother, but I recognized the moves she was putting into motion.
First would come an innocent suggestion, then forceful argument of the merits of her suggestion, then pleading, pouting, and finally she’d have what she wanted. Now all that was left was to see whether she was as predictable as I was anticipating.
“She’s heard him every other time, right, Isa?” Brave asked.
“That I know of.” What? I wasn’t about to argue against Gertrude. For one, she might have a point here, and maybe it was time for us to see how we could help. And if not, well, Gertrude gave off one of those vibes that suggested it was better to work with her than against her. There was a part of her that seemed as instinctive and animalistic as the ginger cat she morphed into.
“See?” Gertrude said. “She isn’t sure that she would hear him.”
“But you think you would, don’t you?” Brave insisted.
“Yes, I think I would. But I haven’t, and I also think I should have heard from him by now.”
Gertrude was nodding her red-haired head when I added, “I also have never tried to communicate with him over a great distance before. That castle is, what? A few dozen miles away? And the walls are thick and fortified.”
“Exactly.” Gertrude flashed me an appreciative look and crossed her arms over her chest. “I think we should go in.”
“No, Lady Gertrude!” Sir Lancelot said. He hastily flew upward to perch on Brave’s shoulder, inserting himself between the two opposing views of the argument. “That would be dangerous. I have no idea what you might be heading into if you do that.”
“I can’t let you do it, Gertie,” Brave said. “Arianne and Gustave would kill me if something happened to you. And I don’t even want to think about what Clara and Marcelo might do to me.”
“You know it’s the right thing to do.”
“I know no such thing.”
“You heard Sir Lancelot. He’s surprised they haven’t reported in by now. And you heard Isa say she isn’t sure she’d be able to hear Elwin if he were calling.”
“Granted, I still can’t allow you to march on in there.”
“I’ll tell my family it was my fault and that I insisted and wouldn’t let you stop me.”
“They’d still believe I should have stopped you, by whatever means necessary.”
“Any means?” She raised a single eyebrow and yet somehow managed to make herself seem like a formidable force.
“Almost any means.” Brave, bless him, looked conflicted. I was pretty sure he ordinarily let Gertrude have her way, but in this case, he couldn’t.
“Including magic?” She scowled.
“I think Marcelo at the very least would suggest that I have magic for a reason.”
“Well, I’m going, whether you like it or not.” She whirled and Brave whipped out and caught her arm. “Let go of me.”
He dropped her arm but held her in place with his blazing blue eyes. “You can’t go. Please.”
“My entire family is in there.”
“What about me?”
“What about you?” she snapped, but I sensed that she regretted saying it the way she did.
“Never mind. I can’t let you go.”
“I’m not asking for permission. I’m a widow, which means for once in my life I get to do whatever I dang well please.”
Marie and Sir Lancelot took in a sharp breath of air. “Lady Gertrude!” the owl said in his dismay.
She didn’t look at him. “I no longer have parents telling me what to do every step of the way. I don’t have them picking out my husband and not caring when he’s a monster. I have a grandmother and great uncle, and I have a sister and a brother-in-law. If they need me, I’m coming.”
“And I’m, what? Nothing to you?”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Gertrude started.
“It sounds like you meant exactly what you said. You’ve never been one to do much of anything but speak your mind, Gertie. I know that quite well.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Have you decided whether you’re going or not?”
“I... Yes, I’m going.”
“And I can’t talk you out of it?”
“No.” But her tone was softer.
“Then I guess I’d better get saddled up.”
“No! You don’t need to come.”
“If you’re going, you’d better believe I’m coming too.” He frowned and stalked toward the horses. “No matter what you think of me, I know my duty.”
“Brave.”
He ignored her. “Everyone else, you stay here. We’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“Like hell we will,” Nicholas said. “If you’re going, I’m going. I can do plenty to help.”
Brave assessed him with one unemotional look. “Fine.” I couldn’t decide whether he thought Nicholas could contribute, or if he just wasn’t that attached to him. Brave nodded at Nicholas, and Nicholas nodded his understanding back, whatever it was.
“Now wait a minute, Lord Brave,” Sir Lancelot started.
“I don’t have a minute. From the looks of things, Gertie is ready to take off right now, and I apparently always jump at her command.”
“Brave.”
Again, he ignored Gertrude. “You might want to find somewhere else to perch, Sir Lancelot. I’ll be riding hard and fast.”
“Very well.” The owl nodded his resignation, not looking for a second as if
he thought this was a good idea.
“I think we should all go,” Angelica said before Sir Lancelot could choose another perch.
“No, no, no,” Brave said right away.
Angelica surprised me. She tilted her face upward in response and simply said, “Simon can help more than any of you probably. If we’re to save our parents, he should go too. And if he goes, I go.”
She didn’t wait for any arguments, but rather stalked in front of Nando and me, then Walt and Marie, and headed for Trixie.
“Not her,” I said. “She’s my horse.” She wasn’t, not really, but she kind of felt like she was.
“You won’t be needing her.”
“If they’re going, and you’re going, then I should go too. What if Elwin does talk with me? You’ll never receive his message unless I’m right there with you. I’m coming.”
I reached a hand to Nando. I read surprise in his eyes. “I’m not considering going anywhere without you.”
He smiled. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Was I sure this was a good idea? Uh... no. But that hadn’t done much to stop me in the past. If they were going, I was going too. If there was any chance I could help, and the staff magicians seemed to think there was, then I needed to go.
“You realize it’s not a good idea,” Nando said, knowing me too well.
“We’ll be extremely careful, won’t we?” I asked Brave.
“Absolutely. At the first sign of danger, we’re pulling back. Even you, Gertie. No matter what you say, I’m taking you out of there. And I’ll use magic if I have to. Agreed?’
I was sure Gertrude would fight him on this, but she’d softened once he became upset with her. “Agreed.”
“Well then, let’s get this over with.”
Nando moved in front of me and started leading me to Trixie. Walt and Marie fell into step with me, Simon right behind them.
“You guys too?” I asked the brother and sister.
Walt just smiled. “Obviously.” Marie shook her head and rolled her eyes. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it made me chuckle in the most inappropriate of moments.