They settled their dragons, undid all the straps and chains that held them to the beasts, and dismounted. C’Tan’s Drake rolled over on his side, one wing on the ground, and created a curved place for her to rest against his warmth. She thanked him quietly with a scratch to his belly and lay down gently on his wing. He covered her with the other and within moments she was asleep, not caring what Kardon did to keep warm in the hours it would take for the school to explode. She needed to regain what strength she could. She would rest now and eat when she awoke.
She fell asleep and dreamed of fire and smoke and running children. It was perfect.
Chapter Forty-One
For the second time, Ember was lost in dreams of C’Tan when she awoke with Lily’s hand on her shoulder. Thankfully, they didn’t repeat the painful head-butting they’d endured last time, but she still startled at the abrupt awakening. Ember rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, only a low-powered magelight illuminating the girl.
C’Tan’s daughter, she remembered then, and almost squirmed away. Ember let out a sigh and ran her hand over her face from forehead to chin. “What do you need, Lily? I’m exhausted,” she said, trying to be civil and not entirely sure she succeeded.
Lily rubbed at the side of her face as if it were tender, and Ember could tell she had been crying. “My father, who it turns out is not really my father, is in on C’Tan’s whole plan and he just laid it all out for me, fully expecting my cooperation. They are going to flood the school with lava, Ember. They plan to either flush us out or kill us all, but we can’t let it happen. I can’t be a part of killing any of the littles.” Lily choked on a sob, then sucked her emotion back down and ducked her chin, her voice shaking as she spoke. “We have to tell Ezeker.” Her glance at Ember held a lot more meaning than her voice expressed. “Everything,” she finished, her voice determined, but scared.
Ember called up a magelight and saw the hand-shaped bruise on Lily’s face “Your father did this to you?”
Lily’s eyes darkened. “He’s not my father. Evidently C’Tan just threw me on him as a babe.”
Ember tried to shake herself awake. Surely this was a dream, but no, Lily was still there, bruised and crying. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I admit I’m glad he’s not your father. You know I’ve never liked him.” The rest of what Lily had said sank in. “Wait, C’Tan is doing what? And you want to tell Ezeker about you?” She was fully awake now.
Lily nodded.
Ember’s brows shot up toward her hairline. “Aren’t you taking a big chance?”
“I don’t care!” Lily’s voice rose. “I won’t let them hurt the littles. They’ve got no one else to protect them.” Lily looked down and twisted Ember’s covers into little mountains of cloth. “Will you come with me?” she asked, almost shyly.
Ember didn’t even have to think about it. “Of course I will, Cousin.” She grinned.
Lily looked up, surprise registering on her face as once again she was reminded of their relationship. “Cousin.” She paused, then smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
Ember was grateful Lily didn’t ask about Ember’s absence. “Me too,” she said. She touched Lily’s hand briefly, then threw back the covers and got dressed in record time. When they stepped through the curtain, they found DeMunth sitting on a stool and leaning back against the wall, wide awake, as if he were expecting them. Lily didn’t say a word, just gave him a nod, turned right, and headed back toward Ezeker’s tower. Ember smiled as she passed him and let her fingers trail across his. DeMunth immediately stood and followed them, letting his own fingers brush hers every now and again.
Ember had almost figured out the path, though it was still a little vague. If she’d been more awake, she would have hooked into Ezeker’s tower and pulled them all there, but she was too caught up in what lay ahead of them, too nervous to think. DeMunth trailed behind them rather like a puppy, but Ember knew he was anything but. He was more lion than dog.
C’Tan was going to flood the school with lava. Ember shivered. Now that she knew what C’Tan was planning she realized why things seemed warmer. The halls were getting beyond warm to straight-out hot, and Ember hated the sweat that broke out, and not just on her brow. It was pouring off her like on the hottest summer days. She picked up the pace. If it was that hot already, C’Tan’s plan was much closer to fulfillment than any of them had realized.
Evidently Lily had the same thought, because she broke into a run as they neared the first portal. Ember and DeMunth both chased after her like there was a demon on their tail. Again, Ember thought of how much faster it would be to just throw out that magical hook and immediately be in Ezeker’s tower, but before she could say anything, she had doubts. She’d taken the shadow weaver through, yes—had even pulled three of them to and from the magestone sphere, so she knew she could, but what if she hit a patch of lava entering the mountain? Would she pass through it like she had the stone? Or would she burn to a crisp? She didn’t know and didn’t want to take the chance, so she followed Lily as they raced to Ezeker’s quarters.
When they stepped through the final portal and into the top floor of Ezeker’s tower, they could see that sunrise was fast approaching. The light coming through the windows was faint, but it was there. They raced, spiraling down the tower to find Aldarin standing at the bottom, his hand on his hilt, prepared to battle whoever clattered down the stairs. Lily pulled to a swift halt and put her hands up. Ember and DeMunth did the same, then DeMunth stepped past the girls and Aldarin recognized him, and now that he saw Ember in the dim light, he relaxed further, though he still put his hands on his hips and asked, “Now, what is so pressing it can’t wait a few more hours?”
Lily told him in the briefest of terms about C’Tan’s spies in their midst and that there was a plan about to be realized that would cost many lives. “I need to see Ezeker right now. This can’t wait any longer. Please, Aldarin,” Lily said, stepping forward and putting a hand on his arm. “Please wake him. There is much he needs to know.”
Aldarin looked over Lily’s head to Ember, who nodded slowly. He looked back at Lily, then seemed to come to a decision. “Sit. All of you. I’ll get Ezeker here as quickly as possible.” He had barely finished speaking when he stormed to the cellar and raced down the stairs, his armor and boots making quite a racket as he made his way down. Ember couldn’t help but wonder if there was another portal in the cellar. Aldarin seemed to retrieve Ezeker from there an awful lot and there just wasn’t much to do down there.
The three of them looked at each other and found seats around the giant stone table. Ember sat at the same place she had when Ezeker had given her the gifts from her father. She looked at them in the early morning light, the emerald eyes twinkling at her now and again.
“How did you do that?” Lily asked, touching Ember’s wrists.
Ember looked up at her. “What? The bracelets?” Lily nodded. “I didn’t. They did it all on their own. They were a gift, and when I first got them, they looked like normal bracelets and rings. When I put them on, they sank into my skin. I don’t know why, nor do I know why they keep winking at me, but I don’t mind.” She was quiet for a moment, then said softly, “I know I already told you, but they were a gift from my father—the only things of his I’ve ever seen, let alone owned, aside from this matching pendant he put on my neck when I was a babe. It sank into my skin at the same time as the bracelets. How strange is that?”
Lily looked as if she was trying not to be bitter. She glanced down at her hands gripping the table. “Well, at least you have a father. It turns out mine was just a babysitter and shares nothing but an occasional meal with me.”
Ember had already heard some of it, but the girl’s pain was so fresh and raw, Ember couldn’t help but hurt for her. She wasn’t even sure what to say, but she did manage to muster a sincere, “I’m sorry,” before Ezeker raced into the room, his hair in disarray, and still in his bedclothes.
“What? What’s going on?” He glanced from
Ember to Lily and threw himself into a chair, completely ignoring DeMunth. Lily started to stand, but he waved her down. “No need for that, child. Sit, sit, sit.”
Lily sat. She glanced once at Ember, took a deep breath, then began her story. “My mother is C’Tan.” Her first words shocked Ezeker white and sent him leaning back in his chair as if his bones had suddenly departed.
After, she told him of C’Tan’s secret meeting with her spies in the hills above Javak. She told him of the spy they planted with Ember’s class, and how they would either convert Ember to their side or destroy her. If Ember had heard that before, it hadn’t registered, and she went a bit green at the thought.
“She never told us she also planned on destroying the mage academy,” Lily continued. “My father,” she nearly spat, “Came to me looking for Ember, not once, but twice, and told me about the new plan. They are going to flood the caverns with lava. The process has already begun and the school is getting really hot. I don’t know what we can do to stop it, but we can at least evacuate everyone and seal off the most important rooms, like the library.” Lily chewed her lip, then leaned forward, her gaze boring into Ezeker’s. “If you want to be rid of the spies from inside your ranks, I will admit, I have been one, though unwilling. The man who called himself my father is another, and his partner Brendae. One of your teachers is also a spy, and one of the new students. I can give you their names, if you wish. In the meantime, I’m giving myself up into your custody.” Lily fought back tears, and Ember could tell she was trying to remain stoic.
Ezeker shook his head, completely serious. “No, Lily, I won’t arrest you.”
“But why? C’Tan is my mother.” The word seemed as appealing as vomit, and now the tears did fall. “How can you not want to put my head on a pole for that alone?”
Ezeker reached across the table and took her hand. “I will not punish you for your blood. The fact that you chose to come here speaks much of your character, and it is that of a person I would like to have on my side.” He shook his head. “No, I will not take you into custody. I intend to use you in this battle. For our side. The side of right.”
Lily’s face softened like Ember had never seen it, then her chin started to quiver and she burst into tears. Ezeker pulled her in with his long arms and let her sob on his shoulder. Ember could see his smile over the top of Lily’s head.
When she was finished, gained her composure, and turned a curious shade of red, Ezeker said, “Now, about those names . . . I most definitely need them.” Ember started chewing on her nails and bouncing her knee up and down, waiting to hear the names of the teacher and student who were involved. Lily spoke quietly and it was hard to hear, though she leaned forward.
DeMunth must have seen her distress and distracted Ember by taking her hand and speaking to her in his mind. “So, what are we going to do about this thing between you and me?”
Ember was surprised by the question. She didn’t even know what if they had a relationship yet, though it felt like they did. He had yet to tell her he loved her, though she felt he did. She didn’t know how to define it, let alone how to answer. She knew he wasn’t proposing to her, but she couldn’t help that marriage was already on her mind. She was too young to get married yet, but she already knew that if she was ever to marry, DeMunth was the man for her. “For right now, we save the school,” she said. “Once we do that, we save the world. Who knows what can happen after?”
He chuckled in his mind. What would happen after? It was something worth considering.
Ezeker turned to Ember and DeMunth. “Would you two go back to the school and let the elders and guards know to get everyone out? Then go to the library and tell Master Earl to seal it up against fire and heat. Get anything you need from your rooms, then come back. I need Lily here. I’m sure you understand why.” Ember most certainly did. Lily had all the information they needed. Ezeker continued. “Ember, I’m assuming you know who the traitors are?” She nodded, not bothering to tell him she only knew half of the traitors. She was too worried about the children to care about her own safety. She would do whatever she could to help them, even if it meant putting her life in danger. She felt an urgency like she never had before. “Stay away from them,” he said, referring back to the traitors. “I’ll send Aldarin and his guard to find them. You just get those children out of the school.”
Ember stood and nodded, DeMunth at her side. She didn’t bother to speak. What more was there to say? Together they raced up the stairs toward the portal.
Chapter Forty-Two
The magelight woke Kayla before the door to her room even opened. She turned over and watched as the door swung open and the servant Elayna crept in with the magelight floating overhead and her arms full of clothing. She set the clothes on the end of the bed and put her hand out to wake Kayla, but before she could touch her, Kayla said, “I’m awake.”
The girl jumped and squeaked, then put her hand on her chest. “Oh, Miss Kayla, you scared the Helar out of me. If I’d known you’d roused already, I would have knocked.”
Kayla sat up. “It’s all right, Elayna. I appreciate you coming to get me up. It’s the light that does it. I’ve always been that way.”
“I’ll remember that,” the serving girl said, then changed the subject. “Mistress Shiona asked me to fetch you. She says you need to be ready to leave within half an hour. I’ve got rations packed and breakfast set aside so you can eat on your way.” The girl paused, then pursed her mouth before saying, “Do you mind my asking—where are you going without your horses? There’s nothing around here, Miss. Nothing worth walking to, anyway.”
Kayla chuckled. “Mistress Shiona is a master of the mage council. She is going to open a portal for us and it would scare the horses. We’ll be several weeks’ distance within a day or two. It should be interesting.”
Elayna’s eyes got big. “I would imagine so. I’ve heard of portal travel. I’m not sure I’d have the courage to do that. I’ll just say I’m glad it’s you, if you’ll pardon the expression, Mistress.”
Kayla threw back the covers and got out of bed. “Yes, well, one does what one must. Thank you for your help, Elayna. You may tell Mistress Shiona I’ll be down momentarily.”
The girl nodded and backed her way out of the room as if Kayla were royalty. It was odd, but Kayla ignored her to get dressed. She pulled off the night gown and put on the blue Ketahean outfit, braiding up the sleeves and pants to fit her before tying on the sash, then pulled on her freshly cleaned boots. That done, she went downstairs and met T’Kato and Shiona by the front door. T’Kato had thrown a large bag over his shoulder, and there were smaller packs for each of them set along the wall. “Does it matter which one I take?” she asked. T’Kato shook his head, so Kayla grabbed the nearest one and put it on, Shiona quickly following suit. Once the packs were donned, Elayna brought them each a paper-wrapped bundle that smelled delicious. Kayla was thankful to note that her parcel was as big as T’Kato’s. Evidently her large appetite had been noticed.
She opened the package and took a bite. Two sandwiches made with the bread from the night before, and an omelet with vegetables, bacon, and cheese in the middle. Kayla had one completely gone before they even opened the door to leave. She wiped her mouth with the paper wrapping and thanked Elayna, then walked out the door behind Shiona.
They didn’t go far, just outside and around the southern side of the castle. The sun was beginning to peek over the eastern mountains as Shiona started to chant, holding her arms out to her sides. Her voice rose in intensity, then with a sharp clap, a large oval opened before them.
Shiona spoke over the hum of the portal. “I’m not sure how many of you have traveled the portals before, but the best suggestion I have is to hold your breath and calm your heart. You will eventually come out on the other side. Are you ready?”
T’Kato nodded. Kayla followed his example, though her heart raced and her hands shook with anticipation and nervousness.
Shiona stepped into
the darkness and disappeared, and T’Kato went next. Kayla took a deep breath, settled her bag more steadily over her shoulder, and stepped into the portal.
She couldn’t help the hammering of her heart as she streaked like light through the portal. She tried to breathe, but found she could not. Her gills did not work, either. It was as if she were stuck in perpetual sunlight with all the air sucked from the room. She began to panic and would have thrashed about, but her body was either frozen or missing. She could feel nothing but the pounding of her heart and the pressure in her chest as it begged for air.
She was screaming when she stumbled out the other side. She stopped quickly when she realized air was entering her lungs again. She felt weak, as if someone had pierced her with a straw and sucked out all the energy. Her knees wobbled as she stepped forward, though whether it was from the energy drain or the adrenaline rushing through her body, she wasn’t sure.
Once she stumbled through the portal, it closed with a whoosh behind her. They stood in pitch black for several seconds before a magelight burst into life above Shiona. Kayla had never been so glad to see light in her life. She wished she could create a magelight, then wondered if she could. She dug in her satchel and pulled out the Sapphire Flute, just touching it, not playing, then creating the thought of what she wanted in her head, she hummed softly.
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