by T. H. Hunter
I breathed deeply, trying to follow their advice, and stepped forward. Clumsily, I twirled. But something happened that hadn’t before. A strange sensation permeated my body, but it was gone as fast as it had come.
“Hey, Beccs, I think you went a little blurry around the edges there,” Steve said.
“Yes, I saw it, too,” said Lynn.
“I think I should probably head back, though,” Steve said. “I’ve got a study group for that darned Haematology exam for the next couple of nights. Want to come along?”
“Just give me a little longer,” I said, anxious to push my luck as far as it would go. Lynn turned around, her face unusually serious.
“Beccs, remember what Yurasov told you? We’re not leaving you here alone.”
I had told Lynn and Steve all about my talk with Doctor Yurasov. They had been deeply concerned. But I was very glad to have them as friends. To the bewilderment of most of our fellow students, we were armed with silver weapons everywhere we went. Sarah had provided us with them, and apparently the staff had been inducted. Yurasov wasn’t taking any chances.
“Please, guys, I’ve never been this close in weeks. And the exam is in three days, I need to get this down or I’m going to fail. Just a few more minutes.”
Steve checked his watch.
“Sorry. Beccs, I’m running late already.”
“It’s ok, Steve, you go ahead,” I said.
He looked as if he’d start arguing but I interjected quickly.
“No really, Steve. We’re fine. Anyway, you’ll know where we are.”
He looked at Lynn, who shrugged.
“Ok, Beccs. Just… just be careful. This tower gives me the creeps, that’s all.”
I appreciated the sentiment, but I was starting to feel more and more nervous when people told me to be careful.
***
Lynn really was an excellent teacher, especially now that I was showing tiny signs of improvement. I wasn’t going to be getting any pats on the back anytime soon for my stealth skills, but for the first time I felt that I might actually pass if I kept at it. We practiced for next three days almost non-stop. On the very last days before the exams, I was finally getting somewhere.
It was completely dark outside when Lynn and I finished our last training session, and we only had the fading light of our oil lamps to guide us back to the Great Hall.
“Time to go, Beccs,” Lynn said firmly.
“Ok, you win. I suppose it’s almost dinner time anyway.”
We gathered our things together. The old silver rapier I had borrowed from the Knights’ armoury was safely sheathed but at the ready. For the last few days, we had chosen a classroom at the top of the Abandoned Tower, mainly because of the fantastic panorama of the Carpathian Mountains in the background. Swordfighting, especially, was a lot of fun up here.
Then, just as we were about to open the door of the classroom we had been practicing in, we heard several voices, the sounds drifting up to us through a broken window. They were obviously arguing, two men if I wasn’t mistaken. It was hard to make out what they were saying.
“Did you hear that?” Lynn asked in a hushed voice.
I nodded, putting my index fingers to my lips. I moved over to the window. I could make out some of the muffled words one of the men was saying.
“It wasn’t part of the deal, I tell you…No, it’s off…”
Then there was silence.
Lynn and I stared at each other.
“Better draw,” I whispered to Lynn. I wasn’t going to take any chances.
“What?”
“Draw your weapon,” I said.
We softly stepped down the spiral staircase, lamp held high to illuminate the way ahead. We moved down the dusty steps as fast and as silently as we could.
When we reached the bottom of the tower, its outer door stood wide open. Weapons still drawn, we slowly edged our way out. The voices had stopped, or at least we couldn’t hear anything anymore. The space in front of the Abandoned Tower was empty, though we could only see as far as our lamp would allow us. They never bothered lighting this part of the castle since nobody used it.
“I must be getting jittery,” I said, sheathing my rapier again. “From all that practice.”
“No, I definitely heard it, too. Perhaps just a couple of students, though.”
She was right. It was perfectly plausible that it had simply been an innocent argument, completely unrelated to Wiley’s death.
Walking back to the Great Hall for dinner, and just when I was contemplating whether I had become overly paranoid, Lynn pointed ahead, her voice quivering with excitement.
“Look, Beccs, over there!”
Straight ahead of us, a tall, thin figure was swiftly moving towards the entrance to the Great Hall, illuminated by the torches within.
“It’s Vox,” I said in astonishment. “Do you think it was him back at the tower?”
“It could have been. There aren’t many people about at this time. Dinner should be well underway.”
Lynn was right. We entered the Great Hall as most students were finishing their meals. I scanned the galleries and tables for any sign of Vox, but he was nowhere to be seen. We found Steve, who had taken a break from his study group and was sitting alone at one of the Initiates’ tables. We quickly filled him in on what had happened.
“Well, I didn’t see him, but you don’t have to walk through the Hall to get to the staff quarters. It’s off the staircase to the right when you come in. I know because I had to return some equipment to Doctor Hasenberg the other day. Anyway, d’you think it means something? I mean, even if it was him, it doesn’t really prove anything.”
“He said something about a deal being off,” I said slowly. “I wonder what he was talking about.”
“Could be anything,” Lynn said. “Though, yeah, he sounded angry, almost desperate.”
“I don’t really see him as the emotional type. If it was Vox, it could have something to do with what he did during the war.” Steve said.
“Maybe someone is blackmailing him,” Lynn said.
“We need proof, though,” I said. “Perhaps we should take a closer look at that tower during daytime.”
“Good idea, but it’ll have to wait until after the exams,” Steve said.
18
The next day was absolute chaos, at least initially. More students and several teachers were reportedly sick, including Mr. Vox – a fact that raised eyebrows with Steve, Lynn, and me. The bout was turning into a castle-wide epidemic, and the hospital staff were having trouble dealing with so many patients. All sorts of rumours were spreading like wildfire, ranging from airborne toxins to Slayer agents planting poison in the Elixir supply system.
The exams went ahead all the same, not that many of us had very high hopes for cancellation, even under these circumstances. At breakfast, First Warden Stephanopoulos, once again reminding me of a minister addressing his flock of sheep, spoke to the assembled students and staff. Everything was to continue as scheduled. Rumours were not to be believed. All was perfectly fine. And then, the exams began.
I thought that Vampiric Law and Ethics went reasonably well, considering I hadn’t paid very much attention during classes. Mme Dampierre, of noble descent as she frequently reminded us, was apparently above such petty concerns as monitoring the class. Instead, she had ostentatiously opened a large newspaper in front of her to show her disapproval of such menial tasks. Of course, cheating and a great deal of whispering ensued.
History, which was next, went well enough. Doctor Yurasov, who would only be returning with Raphael the following day, was replaced by his assistant, Miss Petrescu. In contrast to Mme Dampierre, she was watching us like a hawk. Steve was one of the first to finish, looking rather pleased with himself. He always had had an aptitude for the subject.
During the lunch break in the Great Hall, the inevitable post-exam talk commenced. But my mind was spinning with potential answers to entirely different question
s. Had it been pure chance that Vox was ill, today of all days? Admittedly, my case had been purely coincidental so far, and I wasn’t prepared to talk to Yurasov about it yet. I wanted some hard facts first before I’d do that. Vox was a teacher, after all, and judging from my previous encounters with Mrs. Prill, the word of a student counted little at Cranvin Castle.
My detective efforts in the Abandoned Tower would have to wait, however. We were shuttled by teachers from exam to exam with no possibility of escape. Even visits to the bathroom had to be authorised. Scarlet Knights were patrolling every corridor. I didn’t know whether this was normal castle policy during exam time, but Stephanopoulos’s mantra of ‘keep calm and carry on’ seemed even less believable with security this tight. They were evidently worried.
The Alchemy test was conspicuous only because of Mr. Vox’s continued absence. A bored secondary assistant surveyed us during the exam with an unenthusiastic diligence. Some of the questions were quite tricky, much more difficult than I had anticipated. Most concerned themselves with the production and maintenance of the Elixir, naturally the most important subject in the field.
It was already dark when the tired troop of a hundred or so first-year students crossed the courtyard towards the West Tower, where Master Gorgos was surely waiting with a nasty test on engineering techniques and Vampiric architecture of the 14th century. To my delight, I noticed that Sarah had taken the rearguard. I dropped back to the last row in order to talk to here.
“Hey, Beccs, how’re exams going for you?” she asked me as soon as she saw me.
“Not too bad, worst still to come, though,” I said. “So, what’s up with all the security?”
She looked at me, her face changing quickly from a broad smile to a look of concern.
“Trouble’s ahead. Best keep your weapon with you even during exams, Beccs. You never know,” she said. “Stephanopoulos is nervous. The King’s health is deteriorating fast. He’s expected to die any day now. And they think something big might happen when it does.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, lowering my voice.
She leaned in, trying not to arouse too much suspicion as she did so.
“Nobody knows. But they’ve ramped up security everywhere. I’ve just done a double shift down at the spring.”
“The spring?”
“Yeah, below the Great Hall, where they pump the Elixir into the system. That’s how it gets to the fountain every day.”
“So they think someone might try to sabotage it?” I asked.
“Well, it’s our most vulnerable spot. I don’t see how they can, though. It’s being guarded day and night. They’ve brought in retired Knights to help us out. The gargoyles are also on full alert. They don’t miss anything, excellent vision.”
That, at least, was a relief. We had reached the West Tower by now, and most of the students had already made their way inside. I said a hasty goodbye to Sarah and followed.
No Scarlet Knights were within the tower. Instead, dozens of gargoyles had perched themselves all through the West Tower, right up until the roof. Usually, I would have felt disconcerted at their hideous faces following my every move, but today it gave me an odd sense of security. Sarah was right. The Slayer’s agent would have to contend with the might of the gargoyles first.
Master Gorgos’s exam passed without any incidences. Nothing further about King Rurik’s status had emerged, so I assumed that no news meant good news, at least for the time being. After dinner, we went up to the common room to practice a little more for the upcoming exam with Doctor Linton. But quite a number of other people seemed to have had the same idea, so we decided to get an early night’s sleep instead.
***
The second and final day of exams started off with a blast. After the theoretical part, we were to demonstrate our swordfighting abilities against Doctor Matei herself, in the Great Hall. When it was my turn, we had an energetic exchange of several minutes before Doctor Matei, who usually liked to end the practical exam of her students by landing a clever hit to their torso, called it off.
“Sorry, Miss Flynn, but we’d be here all day otherwise,” she said, smiling proudly at me. “You did an excellent job during the tournament, by the way. Well done indeed.”
Steve also put up a good fight and was only hit after a very narrow miss on his counter-riposte. But Lynn had made the greatest gains in the past days. She lacked confidence but the talent was certainly there.
Something I felt I was lacking entirely in Doctor Linton’s area of expertise. To my great annoyance, however, his exam was to be the final one.
“Why did they schedule his exam at night when we’re taking it in the courtyard?” I asked Steve.
“Don’t know. Should be easier to disappear though, right?” he said, tongue in cheek.
The haematology and surgery exams were perhaps the most difficult so far, save perhaps for what Master Gorgos had prepared for us. Haematology was mostly written work, whereas Dr. Hasenberg watched us closely as we performed minor medical procedures on dummies.
Finally, we were greeted by the cold but crisp December air as we walked out into the inner courtyard. The snow had thickened considerably during the night, so that we had to plow through it, sinking in right up to our knees. Torches had been lit all around, and Mr. Harrow, the janitor, was clearing away the last vestiges of snow from the test area. We formed a line in front of it.
Doctor Linton, whose wispy figure was hardly recognisable from afar, called us forth one by one. He would award us points depending on the quality of our work. Then, we were to proceed to one of his assistants, positioned on the sides, who would test us on various theoretical concepts that lay behind the Vampiric art of Stealth.
Lynn, who was first to go, performed an excellent camouflage on herself, which was the main task, as well as several feats of lesser difficulty with impressive skill. Doctor Linton’s face lit up in a broad smile, and the tick on his clipboard could only mean that she had earned the top grade.
When it was my turn, however, I felt the most nervous I had of all the exams put together. I knew I could do it, at least in an acceptable manner, but that was without hundreds of people watching. He greeted me in his pleasant manner, nonetheless, and asked me to position myself within a chalk circle he had drawn on the stone. I stepped inside, now facing the central keep and the Great Hall. Just as I was about to perform my own camouflage, I saw a tall, gangly figure emerge from its entrance. I opened my eyes wide like a cat so that I could take in additional light. It was unmistakably Mr. Vox. And he was hurrying in the direction of the Abandoned Tower.
“The demonstration, Miss Flynn?” Doctor Linton’s soft voice had a note of impatience to it.
“Oh, sorry, Doctor, of course.”
The faster I got this over with, the sooner I could find out what Vox was up to. I screwed up my face in determination, remembering Lynn’s advice. Inward focus, a step forward, a twirl on the spot.
I felt a buzz around my body’s edges, like a tiny current of electricity.
“Mmh, yes. Thank you, Miss Flynn. That will have to do, I suppose. Make sure you make an effort with the follow-up questions.”
I quickly walked over to a shy-looking guy who was one of Doctor Linton’s assistants.
“H-hello, your name is?”
“Flynn, Rebecca.”
He shuffled his papers until he had the correct page.
“Ah, yes. You participated in the tournament, didn’t you?”
“Yep, that’s right.”
I was trying to keep the smalltalk to a minimum. Every second spent here was time lost in the pursuit of Vox.
“G-great match against the Prince, I must say. That took great c-courage.”
“Thanks. Pity I wasn’t able to replicate that skill so easily here.”
“Oh, d-don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I’ll just ask you a few questions.”
Thankfully, they were much easier than the practical part of the test, and I felt that I had
provided reasonable answers on the whole. I thanked the nervous assistant, and then walked as fast as I could over to Lynn.
“Vox. Did you see him, Lynn?”
She looked startled.
“What? No, I didn’t. Where is he?”
“Came out of the Great Hall, just when I started my exam. I wanted to find out what he’s doing.”
I had expected some sort of protestation but she was just as curious as I was.
“We should wait for Steve, he’s almost done.”
She was right. I spent the next two minutes impatiently walking up and down the side of the grass like a caged tiger. Finally, Steve had finished the question section and came over.
I quickly explained the situation to him.
“Blasted, I’ve forgotten my sword upstairs in the dorm. Sorry Beccs, I’ll get it fast and follow you.”
“Ok, Steve. Oh, and bring lamp with you, alright?”
“Will do.”
Sneaking away was much easier under the cover of darkness, something Vox had taken advantage a few minutes earlier. Lynn and I stayed within the shadows of the massive outer walls that stood between us and the rocky valley below. That way, we wouldn’t be able to be seen so easily in the snow. We didn’t stop until we had reached the entrance to the Abandoned Tower.
“Weapons drawn, d’you reckon?” Lynn asked me, who was nervously rubbing her rapier’s handle in a back-and-forth motion.
“Yeah,” I said, unsheathing my own rapier.
Despite the clouds covering most of the moon, it gleamed quite beautifully due to the snow surrounding us. We entered the tower quietly. It felt both familiar and strange at the same time.
Unlike the floors above, where the classrooms we had used were located, the ground floor only had a single entrance to the adjacent corridor. We made sure that no sound came from inside before we opened it. Perhaps Vox had already left again. I pushed at the door with my left hand, and it swung open with an overly noisy creaking sound. Beyond, there was complete darkness.
“Wait, I’ve still got some matches here somewhere,” I said, fumbling awkwardly with my left hand in both of my pockets, making sure my rapier was steady all the while.