by Sever Bronny
“How dare you,” Katrina hissed. Behind her, the Black Eagle stared coldly at Leera. She turned to Augum. “You and I will duel to the death. I will avenge the king’s honor.”
The king’s honor, or the Von Edgeworth’s honor? Augum badly wanted to ask. But he held his tongue. Not yet. Not yet …
“Then you’ll be playing right into the Canterrans’ hands,” Bridget said. “Don’t you see that?”
Katrina gave Bridget a withering look. “You dare speak to me as if we were equals? You turned down my cousin. You are not even a princess anymore. You are nothing to me.”
Augum was about to say something vile when Bridget gave him and Leera a stern and silencing look. He swallowed his rage, trusting her instincts, and noticed Leera did too.
“Regardless, the Lord High Commander is right about one thing,” Jez said, glancing between them all. “If the Canterrans decide to invade, they will have an easy time of it.”
In the heavy silence that followed, Augum pondered. The Canterran threat had to be quite real for the coronation ceremony to have been rushed like that. The rumblings were ominous, that much was certain. Sure, there was plenty he did not know, but he didn’t have to be a fortuneteller to see where things were headed. Except the last thing any Solian wanted was another war. That’s likely why the king accepted The Path as the new faith—to appease Canterra.
Augum glanced at the dragon chandelier hanging from the center of the vast round room. But there was something he and the girls could do to help the kingdom, something only told in children’s tales, something no one believed possible …
The high councilors and inquisitors at last concluded their meeting and returned to the group.
“We have decided to take the matter to the king,” the Lady High Inquisitor said in icy tones. Augum suspected she would have preferred to deal with the issue herself, but one or more of the other high council members had won her over.
“We need time,” Augum told them, turning to the Lord High Commander. “All I ask is that you at least postpone the duel. There is no urgent need for it.”
“That is for the king to decide,” Katrina said. “And I will convince him otherwise, you mark my words.”
Because you’re a Von Edgeworth, Augum once more wanted to say. A Von Edgeworth bent on more than revenge. A Von Edgeworth eager to reclaim the ancestral family scion.
“Then there’s nothing more to say right now,” Augum said instead.
The Lady High Inquisitor gave a stiff nod. “No, there is not. We can see ourselves out.”
“Oh, I insist on seeing you out, Melinda,” Jez said, striding forth, a crooked smile curling one corner of her mouth.
The Lady High Inquisitor gave her a derisive look before she and her retinue strode off.
Before the group disappeared, however, Jez gave an uncharacteristically elegant curtsy toward The Grizzly. “Lord High Commander.”
One of The Grizzly’s brows rose. “Ms. Terse.”
Leera elbowed Augum, trying to keep her face straight. Augum had never seen Jez curtsy before, and although it had been gracefully done, she looked utterly ridiculous doing it.
“Don’t try to be clever,” Katrina said to the trio, snapping their attention back. “I know you’re hiding them.” Then she strode after the others, singing, “See you in the morning!”
“I’ve got some serious thinking to do,” Cry muttered. “Excuse me.” He departed with his father.
“Maybe try setting the record straight for a change—!” Leera called after him.
“Really, that was unnecessary, Lee,” Bridget said. “I am sure he is quite broken up about it as is.”
Leera snorted. “Don’t be naive, Bridge.”
The Lord High Commander remained behind. “The Whisper Blades have a traditional enemy, Stone. Do you know who that enemy is?”
“I do not, Lord High Commander.”
“Their traditional enemy is the Arcaner.”
Augum exchanged a look with the girls. That was most interesting news indeed.
“But why do they want to kill us?” Bridget asked.
“Could be any number of reasons, Burns. Though I suspect your brother-in-war has the right idea. To flush out the scions. To kill any true opposition. To gauge your strength. They are, after all, Canterran. Though I would be remiss not to add that it is possible a Solian hired Canterran assassins to obfuscate the source.” He frowned. “If I could, I’d put you under military guard night and day.”
“Then why don’t you?” Leera asked. “Err … sir.”
“Political reasons, Jones. Not everything is black and white.” But where there would usually be annoyance in his voice when addressing her, Augum heard compassion. Perhaps, somehow, the trio had won him over. Maybe it was him witnessing their humiliation at court. Or maybe it was the fact they had declared to become Arcaners. After all, The Grizzly was quite fond of talking about the old ways of training, which dovetailed nicely with the Arcaner path.
“The king is unsure if you have the scions, Stone. Hence the inquisitors. But he’s no fool either. He knows a war with Canterra would be an absolute calamity. That is why he is tolerating some of their … demands.”
Augum nodded, having suspected as much. “Like The Path Disciple on the high council.”
“Exactly. Unfortunately, as controlled as the king may have appeared, he was enraged by you not backing his family for the throne, and livid when you, a Hero of the Resistance, dared to commit a Black Slight against him at his coronation. Therefore, Stone, you should expect the duel to take place.”
Augum swallowed, nodding.
“It is an act of war to attack another kingdom’s heroes, Stone. An act of war. If I had the forces …” He clenched his massive fist.
This, more than anything, told Augum The Grizzly was on their side.
“Mind you, you made matters more difficult for yourself by making an enemy of the nobles.”
Augum was about to argue, but lowered his head, knowing the man was right. “I lied to you, sir,” he blurted.
The Grizzly stared at him.
“I … we … we do know illegal spells.” He quickly added, “But we had no choice. We needed to learn them during the war to—”
The Grizzly held up a hand. “You did what you had to do in the war. I do not fault you for it. The great Anna Stone was a wise woman.” He stared beyond them. “I remember her censures all too well, yes I do. She was … an expert teacher. Mrs. Stone no doubt saw the grand picture. She taught you spells well beyond your degree because she trusted you, believed you capable, and knew that, in war, rules sometimes needed to be bent for the greater good of all.” He placed his black eyes on Augum. “Mind, the knowledge that it is possible to learn advanced spells at lower degrees is dangerous, but I know you are responsible enough not to share it.”
“Of course, Lord High Commander.”
“Then let us speak no more of it.” He glanced to the doorway. “On the subject of Ms. Terse. Is she able to—”
“No—” Leera blurted. Then she cleared her throat. “Err. Excuse me, Lord High Commander, but Ms. Terse doesn’t have time to date anyone right now.”
“Does she have time to lay the appropriate arcane protections on the entrances?”
“Sorry—?”
“I was going to ask, Jones, whether or not Ms. Terse is planning on protecting the castle.”
Leera’s face went a deep shade of pink. “Oh. Right. Uh … she’s already, uh, done that kind of thing. Yeah.”
Augum and Bridget made brief eye contact and almost cracked up.
“As to the Canterrans,” The Grizzly went on, glancing to Augum and Bridget and ignoring a mortified Leera, “remember my lessons, especially the one about never underestimating your foe. Besides warlocks, they have … other means at their disposal.”
“What sort of means, Lord High Commander?” Augum pressed.
“Let us only say I hope we never have to see for ourselves.”
> The hairs on the back of Augum’s neck stood on end. Whatever frightened The Grizzly, an accomplished warlock and the commander of the army, must be truly terrifying indeed …
“As to the duel … there is perhaps one thing you could do.” He leaned forward. “Attempt the first Arcaner trial … today.”
“Today? Why?” Augum had been planning on doing just that, but he had to spend his study day training for the duel.
“What set Arcaners apart, Stone, and made them so dangerous … was trust. A true Arcaner could prove when he was telling the truth. That is an incredible power, if you think about it.” The Grizzly winked and strode off, booming, “If you can manage passing the first trial, that is!”
Runic Cavity
“Well, we’re sunk,” Leera muttered when the big man had left. She glanced up at the domed ceiling, meticulously painted with scenes of the castle in times of war and peace. “Gods, I really love this place. Can’t believe it’ll soon be in those filthy Southguard hands.”
“You think he’s secretly an Arcaner?” Augum asked, staring at the empty doorway The Grizzly had walked through. He didn’t want to think about losing the castle.
“I don’t care what he is as long as he and Jez don’t, you know—” Her hands awkwardly attacked each other much like two birds fighting. “Ugh, even the thought of it. Gross.”
“He’s not so bad,” Augum said.
Leera stared at him, face frozen in a look of deep revulsion.
Bridget wagged a finger at Augum. “You made a connection back there. I saw you. Back when Katrina was pawing at the door.”
“That’s right, I did.” He strolled to the tall doors of the armory. “And I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before. The truth was right there before our eyes the entire time.” He mimicked the way her hand had moved across the doors. “She said ‘it.’ ‘It!’ ”
“I don’t understand,” Bridget said.
“Katrina said, ‘It’s in there,’ instead of, ‘They’re in there.’ Singular instead of plural.” Wow, an actual application of Written Word class. “Think about it. One of the original possessing owners of a scion was …” He splayed his hands at the girls.
Leera smacked her forehead. “Gods … a Von Edgeworth!”
“Of course!” Bridget said and began pacing. “Rebecca Von Edgeworth was one of the original seven warlocks granted a scion by the Leyans to defeat Occulus! So not only does Katrina want revenge for her bloodline—”
“—she also wants the original Von Edgeworth scion for herself,” Augum concluded, nodding. Though he thought she cared more about the scion than anything else. “She refuses to believe we don’t have the scions because she’s blinded by ambition. By the temptation of reclaiming the Von Edgeworth family scion. It’s too captivating a thought … and legendary.”
Leera idly rubbed a thumb across her cheek. “Like you said when you confronted her—good job, by the way—there’s nothing more to her than ambition. Holy Unnameables, it all makes sense now …”
“What do you want to do?” Bridget asked in a quiet voice.
He knew what she was asking. He could prepare for the duel … or they could attempt the first Arcaner trial and hope The Grizzly’s advice was sound.
“Whatever The Grizzly was hinting at must be more important than spending the day training,” Augum said. “He knows what it is … and wants us to find out for ourselves.”
Leera’s dark eyes glinted in the torchlight. “Then the answer’s obvious …”
* * *
The trio and Jez appeared at the Steps of the Crescent Moon at the academy with a mighty thwomp and were instantly greeted by a fierce, whistling wind that penetrated down to their bones. Snow attacked their faces and eyes. It was dark, as if night had come early. The trio’s satchels swayed in the wind. The storm they had been watching on the western horizon had already hit this part of Solia.
“Guess I know what to tell them to expect!” Jez yelled above the roaring wind.
“Gods, this sucks,” Leera said. She held herself while jumping from foot to foot.
“Should have brought your overcoats like I told you to,” Jez said. “Anyway, use your rings to get back. I’ll speak with Haroun and the bailiff, see if there’s anything else we can come up with to make money.”
“Wait, before you go,” Leera began, pausing to choose her words.
“Spit it out already, you mischievous rascal. I’m freezing over here and could seriously use a glass of wine.”
“Why are you and that nasty inquisitor such bitter enemies?”
“That eager to know, huh?”
“You said you’d tell us later.”
“I didn’t mean in this weather! And I said I might tell you. But fine, let’s just say it involved a boy she did not think I deserved, all because he once complimented her. She, of course, assumed he was head over heels in love with her. She turned into one of those nasty stalker types and has had it out for me ever since. Mind, I may have made things a wee bit worse by being the fantastic rebel I used to be.”
“Like calling her Malignant Melinda?”
“Let’s just say it involved a rare truth-telling potion and Malignant Mel suddenly feeling like everyone she had ever met needed to know the harsh truth about themselves.”
“You really were a rebel.”
“It was so effective I don’t even need to bring it up with her.” She painted the sky with a sweep of her hand. “A prank for the ages. Made the heralds even.” She eyed the three of them, bundled in their robes, and sighed. “A sorry-looking lot of monkeys you three are. Don’t worry so much. We’ll figure this out. Chin up. And good luck.”
She teleported off with another thwomp. The trio then hurried up the snow-laden steps and into the empty courtyard.
It was a relief walking through the portal to the Lecture Wing, for the other side was whisper quiet and warm. The dim ambience coming from up high seemed gray and gloomy, as if subtly mirroring the blizzard that held the city of Blackhaven in its icy grip.
The Hall of Rapture was nearly empty, as it was a study day and the blizzard kept students in their dorms or at home. The remainder would be in the library in the Student Wing or training in the Elements Wing.
The trio strode down the hall, conversing in hushed voices about their troubles and how to overcome them. For Augum, talking usually kept the harsh realities at bay.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Augum said as they came to the right door a long way down the empty corridor. “I won’t miss people calling me ‘Your Highness.’ ”
Leera shrugged. “There’s one part to it I liked.”
“Which part?”
“The being a princess part.”
Bridget gave her a funny look. “That’s … the whole thing to being a princess.”
“Oh, come on, you know what I mean. The whole, uh, you know, sweet princess thing.” She wobbled her head whimsically. “Then again, I was never a very good princess.”
“You make no sense.”
“I don’t always have to.” And Leera jumped onto Bridget’s back.
“Gah! What are you doing?”
“Making no sense! Giddy-up!”
Bridget burst with a laugh. “Fine!” And she started running around.
Leera clung on, one arm wrapped around Bridget’s neck, the other waving about wildly, shouting in a commoner twang, “I done made her go wild!” But then Bridget weaved as if going through an obstacle course. “Whoa! Whoa there, horsey. We don’t want to—” Bridget suddenly tripped over her own feet and the pair of them tumbled.
They lay on the ground, chests heaving from laughter, while Augum leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
“You two,” he said, shaking his head. But he was grinning. It was so good seeing them relax for a change. Especially Bridget. He painted a picture of them like that in his mind, saving it for a fond fireside retelling in some distant future he had yet to earn.
Leera’s hand shot up.
“Mmm,” she moaned needily, her hand flopping about. “Mmm—!”
Augum strolled over, hoisted her up, and stole a peck on the lips. Then he hoisted Bridget and glanced between the two of them. “Got it out of your system?”
Both girls nodded, cheeks aglow.
“Then let’s perform a miracle.” Augum led them to the nearby door, opened it, and stepped into the dimly lit Arcaner Studies room.
“I expect we’ll be spending a lot of time in here,” Bridget said, eyes taking in the vast battlement walls with their monuments, pennants and war trophies.
“Only if the academy isn’t closed,” Leera muttered. “But if we lose our castle, maybe we can move in here. Oh, wait, we won’t be able to afford tuition either! And don’t let me get started on the fact there’s no course material for Arcaners. But if that course material does exist, I bet you they’ll be conveniently unable to find it, or they’ll say there’s no one to teach it, or you name it.”
Bridget walked over to the black stone block that contained the first Arcaner quest. “Let’s just focus on one thing at a time. All this talk of our troubles is … troubling. What was that phrase again, Aug?”
“Glad you asked. I want you to learn it in case I get killed tomorr—ouch!”
Leera had punched him on the shoulder—hard—and was glaring at him. She prodded his chest as she made her point. “Don’t you talk that way.”
Augum sighed. He gently cupped her cheek. “Still, it’s best you learn it.” Then he took her hand and guided her to the block. “The phrase is ‘ato questa Arcana,’ Bridget.”
Bridget gave the two of them a long, rather sorrowful look. Augum got the impression she was thinking of Brandon. She turned to the block. “Shyneo,” she said and her hand lit up with glowing green ivy that wound around her fingers. She placed her palm against the black stone. “Ato questa Arcana.” The block glowed and ground forward.
“Just a reminder,” Augum said while the block moved along. “Arcaners did stuff in the old way—”