by Lucia Ashta
“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 started 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.
Our horses were still saddled. We mounted them in no time and were ready to set off, all of our expressions settled into determination but the owl’s. He looked as if he wanted to hide and wait it out in the cave.
I’d been wrong about Gertrude. Sure, she got her way, but she skipped right over the final stages of pleading and pouting. Brave had done more of what I expected than she had.
When I looked at Gertrude, she didn’t meet my eyes. She was staring straight ahead, looking entirely like a witch I didn’t wish to mess with.
Marie caught my attention though, and she smiled encouragingly. But even she looked like someone I wouldn’t want to bother. Her doe-eyed expression had morphed into something else. What, I couldn’t put my finger on, but it did remind me of my original impressions of her, that she seemed far tougher than I expected based on what I knew of her life circumstances. She and Walt had experienced things that had toughened them up. Seeing them in their saddles now proved it. Neither of them was cowering. We were about to head into a castle that belonged to the most fearsome sorcerer in the land—that I’d heard of, at least—and they sat tall and ready in their mounts.
Sir Lancelot remained with Brave, who was positioning his horse in the lead.
“I don’t suppose I can convince any of you to rethink this?” Sir Lancelot asked.
“No,” Gertrude said as she pulled alongside Brave. I took comfort in the sword that hung at his waist.
Nando consulted his pocket watch one last time. “It has been too long,” he said to no one in particular, then tucked it in his pocket, climbed on his horse, and patted his sword at his side.
I took Trixie’s reins and nodded. “Then we shouldn’t wait any longer. Is everyone ready?” I turned to find Nicholas, Angelica, and Simon already in their saddles. Simon and Angelica seemed like they’d ridden horses as long as they could walk, but Nicholas was rigid. Maybe that was just the way he was all the time.
“We’re ready,” Nicholas said, but I didn’t think he’d checked in with his siblings before answering for them.
I looked to Angelica, as did Marie. She smiled back at both of us, clearly reading our minds. “We’re ready,” she affirmed.
“Before
we leave, everyone listen to me,” Brave said. Spread across all our horses, his voice carried with strength and clarity. “We stay together at all times. If I tell you to retreat, you do it without hesitation.”
“Who made you the boss of me?” Nicholas said.
“Natural selection.”
I bit the inside of my lip to keep myself from laughing. I didn’t want to make an enemy of Nicholas. No way.
“We take this as a scouting mission. We keep out of sight of the castle as much as possible.”
“That’s going to be impossible,” Walt said.
“We don’t do impossible around here. We bend rules and we break rules.”
“And we blast them away with magic,” Gertrude completed for him. They shared a private smile that told me they’d said this to each other many times before, like a slogan.
“Stick with me, no matter what. Is that clear?”
There were a lot of nods, including my own.
“If it comes down to hand-to-hand combat, Nando and Nicholas, you’ll join me in the front.”
Nando nodded; Nicholas didn’t bother, although I would have thought he’d like the role being assigned to him.
“If we get in some real trouble, do you think you can portal us away, Isa?”
“Me?”
Brave didn’t bother answering. I think he was waiting for me to step into the role that was clearly being carved out for me, whether I was keen on it or not.
I wanted to say something like, I’m not sure I’ll be able to, or last time was a fluke. But I didn’t. I reminded myself that I was finished being meek. “I’ll do my very best.” Because in the end, that’s all I could do, wasn’t it?
Brave nodded in appreciation at my response. “Good.” He scanned every one of us atop our horses. “Any questions before we go?”
Yes, lots and lots of them. We’d gone from waiting with nothing to do to suddenly about to charge into battle. It’d all happened too fast. I wasn’t emotionally ready.
I still didn’t ask Brave a question. But I did ask Simon. “What powers do you have, anyway?”
“Don’t tell them,” Nicholas said. “It’s supposed to be a family secret, you know that.”