“Make an example out of one of them,” Cat advised. “Then you can force the others to disarm.”
“Or unite against the king,” Jade countered. He rubbed his black eye. “It isn’t good, I’m afraid.”
“No,” Emily agreed. Were things worse than she’d thought in Zangaria? “It isn’t.”
She shook her head. Alassa wouldn’t leave, not when Zangaria was her kingdom. And Jade wouldn’t leave either. And yet, the prospect of civil war had been bubbling under the surface for longer than either Alassa or Jade had been alive. The power struggle between the king, the aristocrats and the commoners might be on the verge of exploding once again. Battle lines were already being drawn.
And Alassa was nearly killed on her wedding day, Emily reminded herself. That made any sort of compromise impossible.
Cat waved at the wardline. “Are you ready to face me?”
“With magic,” Emily said. Cat could keep one hand behind his back, if they faced each other in hand-to-hand combat, and still kick her ass. It hadn’t taken long for Emily to realize that most female martial artists in movies had the advantage of a friendly scriptwriter. Lady Barb was the only woman she’d met who could trade blows with men on even terms. “Shall we?”
“Magic,” Cat agreed. He stepped across the wardline. “Jade, spot for us?”
“Of course,” Jade said.
Cat grinned as Emily joined him in the circle. “I’ll vote for you if you win,” he said. “It will be ...”
Emily snapped off an overpowered hex. Cat caught it on his wards, but the force of the impact still knocked him back. Emily followed up with three more hexes and a ward-cracking curse, trying to break through his protections. Cat shoved his wards at her, jumping to one side as he cast a series of hasty spells. None of them were really dangerous, Emily noted as she dodged them, but they forced her to concentrate on defending herself. She pushed them aside and cast a second overpowered spell. This time, Cat dodged it. The spellchamber shook as the spell crashed into the circle’s wards.
“Impressive.” Cat leapt into the air, spinning as he rained hexes down on her from above. “Your power has expanded.”
“Thanks,” Emily grunted. The spell had cost her more than she cared to admit. “And you’re faster.”
She cast a cancellation spell, then a force punch. Cat fell out of the air, straight into the punch. The blow slammed him back, but he hastily recalibrated his wards to reduce the impact as he struck the outer edge of the circle. Emily allowed herself a second to admire his skill, then pressed her advantage. Cat ducked low, shoving his wards towards her. They crashed into her wards, magic making her hair try to stand on end as power crackled through the air. Emily barely had a second to realize that Cat was right behind his wards when both sets of wards flashed out of existence. She hurled herself to the side as he came at her, barely avoiding a blow that would probably have ended the fight.
“I thought we were just using magic,” she said, as she rolled over and jumped to her feet. Her dress was making it harder to move. She promised herself, silently, that next time she’d wear a pair of trousers. Cat had an unfair advantage. “Punching me is cheating.”
Cat smiled as he turned to face her. “All’s fair in love and war.”
Emily shrugged. “All right,” she said, as she hastily assembled a combination of complex spells. “Cheating is allowed.”
She cast the spells, wincing slightly from the recoil as half of them crashed uselessly into Cat’s shields. The noise was deafening, but not enough to do more than irritate him. And yet, he might just miss what the other spells were doing. Cat stuck out his tongue as the racket died away, then started to cast a spell of his own ... a second before creepers shot out of the ground and tackled his legs. He fell to the ground, hard. Emily hastily slammed another hex into him before he could react. His body went limp.
Adana had a point, she thought, as he struggled to rise. The creepers did catch an experienced magician off guard.
Magic flared around Cat. The creepers disintegrated. A second later, he struck her with something that flipped her over, then dropped her to the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of her. Emily gasped, trying to draw air into her lungs. And then Cat was on top of her ...
“Yield?”
Emily nearly panicked. The weight of his body, pressing down on her. His hands weren’t on her throat ... she was ruefully aware that he was actually resting on his palms, rather than forcing her to bear all his weight. And yet, she felt helpless to resist ...
A surge of anger shot through her. She detonated the force punch before she could think better of it. Cat was blasted off her, his body smashing straight into the wards, but the backlash crashed into her chest hard enough to make the world go dim. Lady Barb would have been horrified, she thought as her magic fluttered out of control. Doing that could easily have done serious injury.
“I think that was a draw,” Jade said. He was suddenly beside her, his hands prodding at her chest. She knew him well enough to hear the alarm in his voice. “Can you breathe?”
“Yeah,” Emily managed. She took a shuddering breath, then another. “Cat?”
“A little stunned,” Cat said. He was bleeding, again. One hand was rubbing his chest. “That was ...”
“Brave and stupid,” Jade said. He winked at Emily. “But at least you didn’t lose.”
Emily forced herself to sit upright. Her chest hurt, but it didn’t feel as though she’d cracked a rib. Jade was right. That had been stupid. But at least she hadn’t lost in front of the two men.
“Tell you what,” Cat said. His voice was light, making it clear he was teasing. “You agree to go on a date with me, I vote in your favor.”
Emily glowered at him. Spending time with someone who wasn’t a student had its attractions, but she wasn’t sure about a formal date. And yet ... she looked at Cat, studying him. He was attractive ...
She shook her head, irritated. Such feelings were dangerous. “How about an afternoon in Dragon’s Den, instead?”
“Done,” Cat said. He shot her an apologetic look. “I have to get something for my vote.”
Jade helped Emily to her feet. “Fulvia is the past,” he said, before Emily could think of a suitably cutting rejoinder. “Emily is the future.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
DESPITE LINGERING PAIN FROM HER CHEST - the bruises hadn’t faded much after a healing potion and a good night’s sleep - Emily almost enjoyed the following day. Classes were largely theoretical, ensuring her distraction didn’t trigger another accident. And while Frieda seemed to be veering between optimism and depression, she was well enough to spend most of lunchtime chatting about an essay Professor Lombardi had assigned her. If Jacqui hadn’t intercepted her before she could make her way to her bedroom, Monday would have been a perfect day.
“I have a job for you,” Jacqui said. “And yes, it is compulsory.”
Emily sighed, heavily. Good day or not, she was tired. And she wasn’t in the mood to help Jacqui. She wanted to have a shower, change into something a little more comfortable and go for dinner. Or maybe go walking up the mountains before the weather made evening walks impossible.
She turned to face Jacqui. The dark girl looked tired too, tired and stressed. Emily would have felt sorry for her if she hadn’t known that Jacqui was trying to stamp her rule on the school. The school was fighting back, too. Emily suspected it was only a matter of time before Gordian and the staff stepped in and put a stop to it, which would mean stripping Jacqui of her post. That would be bad ...
“Maybe,” Emily said. Half the Sixth Years seemed to have become very inventive when it came to devising excuses not to do the Head Girl’s bidding. Emily hadn’t realized how easy she’d had it until Jacqui had started to have trouble finding volunteers, although - to be fair - Jacqui had taken over as the students prepared for their exams. “What do you want?”
Jacqui looked oddly relieved. It took Emily a second to realize the other girl had expected a flat
refusal - or a fight. Either way, it wouldn’t have been pretty.
“Cirroc is unable to patrol the corridors tonight,” Jacqui said. “I want you to do it in his place.”
Emily opened her mouth to object, then stopped herself. Technically, even the older students weren’t supposed to be outside the dorms after Lights Out. No one, not even the guests, were meant to be prowling the corridors in darkness. A handful of locked doors, concealed wards and a number of other surprises provided a challenge to anyone sneaking out after hours, with a guarantee of becoming the butt of countless jokes if they were caught. But if she was on patrol, it would be a great opportunity to take a look at Fulvia’s room.
“Very well,” she said. She had patrolled the school after dark before, back when she’d been Head Girl. “I would be happy to do it.”
Jacqui looked too relieved to question Emily’s sudden willingness to follow orders. Emily wondered, suddenly, how easy it would be to accidentally fall asleep before Lights Out and not patrol the corridors at all. Gordian would be annoyed, if Jacqui tattled, but it would reflect badly on Jacqui as well as Emily. It was possible several other senior students were pushing the limits, gambling that Jacqui would not concede defeat. But Emily needed to be out after hours. She’d test the limits herself later.
“Just do a basic sweep,” Jacqui said, as Emily turned back to her bedroom door. “And go to bed yourself at midnight.”
Emily nodded. “Of course.” She already knew that. It wasn’t as if someone had rewritten the rules when Jacqui had taken her place. “I’ll start patrolling as soon as the lights go out.”
She headed into her bedroom, showered and went down to dinner, where she chatted with the Gorgon and Cabiria while eating. Caleb was nowhere to be seen, making Emily wonder if he was spending time with his mother and sister. Or maybe he’d just gone down to Dragon’s Den for the evening. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t. A couple of the other boys were missing too ... she considered it for a long moment, then shook her head. They were old enough to go drinking if they wished, although they’d be in deep trouble if they came back to the school drunk. Gordian would not be amused.
And he’d be even less happy if they were arrested by the City Guard, she thought, wryly. That would get them in worse trouble.
She pushed the thought aside as she went back to her bedroom and changed into a dark shirt and trousers. It wasn’t much, if she wanted to remain hidden, but she knew from Sergeant Miles that camouflage was often just a matter of blending into one’s surroundings. The human eye was lazy, he’d said repeatedly. It wouldn’t notice something out of place as long as it didn’t appear to be out of place. And most magicians were very dependent on magic, he’d added. They rarely bothered to use the Mark-I Eyeball when they were wrapped in protective and sensing wards.
And they can be surprised, if their opponent is capable of outwitting the wards, Emily thought. Someone with the right training could just walk up to them and cut their throat.
She smiled to herself as she stepped into the corridor. The lights were already dimming, warning students they had bare minutes to get into their dorms. Anyone caught outside after the lights went out for good would regret it. She passed a handful of older students heading to the common room - they could stay up for hours if they wished, although they’d regret it in the morning - and walked through the door into the outside corridors. Dozens of younger students were hurrying back to their dorms, hoping desperately that they wouldn’t be caught on the wrong side of the door. Jacqui didn’t care to turn a blind eye to someone who was only a minute or two late.
Which is stupid of her, Emily thought. No one expects her to be reasonable about anything.
The lights went out. Emily hastily cast a night-vision spell, quietly ignoring the couple of students who hadn’t quite reached the dorms. Silence fell rapidly, broken only by distant footsteps. The staff and their guests weren’t going back to their rooms in a hurry. Emily hoped Gordian had had the sense to keep Fulvia and her cronies from wandering the school after hours. God alone knew what she might be doing, alone in the dark.
And no one else wants to know, either, Emily told herself, firmly.
She started patrolling, walking through the corridors at random. A handful of sounds echoed out of the darkness, suggesting there was someone lurking in the shadows, but no one got close enough for her to take official notice of their presence. The school looked different in the darkness; the portraits and statues becoming sinister, the stairs becoming impassable pools of shadow ... Emily felt her heart starting to race, despite herself. Whitehall felt different. It no longer felt like home.
The kitchen staff had closed and bolted their doors for the night. Emily walked past, tapping her footsteps loud enough to scare anyone who’d had the bright idea of lurking in the area until everyone else had gone to sleep. She didn’t look too closely, after checking that the doors were indeed locked. Anyone who managed to make it down to the kitchens without being caught probably deserved to bring back enough food to have a midnight feast. And besides, thanks to Jacqui alienating everyone, there were fewer people on patrol. A student had an excellent chance of getting away with it, as long as he was careful.
It was nearly an hour before she started to inch up the stairs towards the guest suites. Fulvia had claimed the biggest for herself, of course: seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, three studies and a single large kitchen. Emily wondered, as she reached the top of the stairs, if Fulvia considered Whitehall to be little more than a hotel. By the standards of the Nameless World, she was living in luxury.
Fulvia isn’t taking her meals with the staff, either, Emily thought. Lady Barb had told her that Fulvia had brought a dozen retainers, including a pair of maids and a cook. Doesn’t she trust the school’s cooking?
She reached out with her senses as she walked down the corridor, reminding herself that she had a perfect right to be there. She was on patrol, after all. And it was possible someone would try to break into Fulvia’s room. Gordian might not believe that excuse, but ... she had a feeling he’d let it pass. The darkness seemed to part around her as she moved, revealing a layer of focused sensory wards that weren’t part of the school’s defenses. Fulvia - or one of her cronies - had been busy.
Clever, Emily thought, as she studied them. The wards weren’t smart enough to identify her, or anyone else, but that was actually a point in their favor. Tricking them would be harder than it looked. Whoever is in the suite knows I’m here.
She forced herself to walk forward as she linked her mind to the school and studied the wards inside the suite. Fulvia had blanketed the guest suite in wards, so many that Emily suspected it wouldn’t be easy to cast spells or hold a conversation. Just being in the room must be stifling. Emily wasn’t sure if it was paranoia taken to an absurd degree or a sign that Fulvia was a far more skilful magician than she’d feared. Getting so many wards to work together - if they did work together - was a remarkable feat.
The door itself looked identical to every other door in the corridor, but it was practically crawling with defensive wards. Emily felt the hair on the back of her neck start to prickle as she looked at it, even though she kept her distance. There was an aversion ward worked into the protections, as well as a number of nastier tricks. A person passing the room would feel the urge to hurry away, even though there would be no obvious cause. The rune between her breasts began to warm, very gently, as she peered closer. There was subtle magic woven into the mix.
Very clever, Emily thought, darkly.
She kept walking, feeling the aversion ward pushing her onwards. It was strange, an odd mixture of blatant pressure and subtle manipulation. Emily wished she had more time to analyze it, even though that would be a red flag to anyone monitoring the wards from the inside. Instead, she made her way to the next guest suite and checked the door. It was unoccupied. Fulvia had probably requested an overflow, just in case she wanted to kick her cronies out of her suite. Emily’s lips twitched, humorlessly. Alass
a - and her father - had done the same. There were times when someone just wanted to be alone.
The suite was as dark and silent as the grave. Emily checked the interior rooms anyway, just to be sure, then sat against the far wall and reached out with her mind. Fulvia’s wards pulsed, pressing against the school’s protections. Emily allowed herself a moment of respect for whoever had created them, even though they were in her way. Even looking at the wards made her feel as though she were touching something utterly repulsive. It was all she could do to keep from drawing back.
If I drew on the nexus point, I could break down the wards, she thought. That was a given. It would be like stabbing a needle into a balloon. But it would be impossible to keep her from noticing that the wards were gone.
She gritted her teeth in frustration. Fulvia had neatly blinded most of the school’s wards, even though it was supposed to be impossible. And Gordian wouldn’t be able to call her on it without calling public attention to just how closely Whitehall watched its students. No one would care - much - if students were monitored, but guests? That was a serious breach of etiquette. It did suggest that Fulvia had something to hide, but ... it didn’t say what?
The wards seemed to grow stronger as she studied their outer edge. They weren’t solid - she couldn’t help thinking of waves washing gently against the shore - but they were strong. An unwary thief might find himself entangled before realizing something was badly wrong. And then ... Emily shook her head, running her hands through her long hair. If Fulvia caught her trying to break into her suite, she’d have all the excuse she needed to press for immediate judgement ...
Assuming I survive, Emily thought. No one would bat an eyelid if she killed me, either.
A thought occurred to her. Carefully, very carefully, she reached out and reprogrammed one of the school’s sub-wards. The spellware was revamped all the time, she knew from her time in Old Whitehall. It was ... unlikely that it would set off any alarms. And while it wouldn’t let her peer into the room, it might let her gather data ...
Graduation Day (Schooled in Magic Book 14) Page 24