“We certainly do,” Finley said. She seemed to be the only one with her head 100% in the game.
They entered the carriage house. The guards also stepped inside, closed the door behind them and took posts flanking the door.
Two other people, a man and a woman, were already in the room. They stood in front of one of the massive bookshelves Ashby and Perry used to climb when they were little.
Perry’s insides solidified into stone when the man turned around and faced them. He wore a pleasant smile that would have fooled a group of strangers. Perry knew better.
“Good evening,” Veridan said. He offered an arm to the woman who accompanied him and ambled closer. “I am the High Sorcerer, and this here is Fina Shardwald.”
He didn’t bother to explain who she was. His date? Veridan had never had a date. Not that Perry knew. And he would have never imagined such beautiful and self-assured woman to go for someone like Veridan.
They stopped a few paces away. Veridan’s eyes glided over them. The smile fell away from her lips, and his eyes narrowed. He examined everyone, taking extra interest in Ashby.
Abruptly, his attention turned to Perry. The High Sorcerer slipped a hand into his pocket. Perry itched to take a hold of his amulet, but that would give him away.
“Two council members and their Companions?” Veridan asked.
“Yes,” Finley stepped forward. “My name is Finley Malone. My apologies, I had no time to announce my arrival. It might have saved you the inconvenience.”
Veridan didn’t pay her any mind. Instead, he jerked a hand back. Perry’s shirt burst opened, his amulet snapping from its chain and flying straight into Veridan’s hand.
With a spell of his own, Perry tried to get his amulet back, but he couldn’t garner enough energy to go against the High Sorcerer’s surprise attack.
“Did you really think this would work?” Veridan asked.
Fina stood crouched by his side, eyes roving around wildly, alert to any attack.
“It’s alright, dear. They are harmless.”
Ashby had been right. It was impossible to get into Rothblade Castle without being detected.
Now, they were just where Ashby wanted them to be.
Chapter 54
Ashby
“I invoke my right to see the Regent,” Ashby said, his tone firm and confident. Not even the High Sorcerer could undo the magic the request carried. At Rothblade Castle and by some ancient magical force, the invocation was binding, even if many were not aware of it. But, Ashby had been taught this as soon as he had enough sense to understand.
Veridan laughed. “And you think that will help you? She’s ready to see your head roll, boy.”
“Then let’s waste no time.”
“As you wish.”
They left the carriage house through the back door and entered the castle likewise. After winding through a few corridors, Veridan left them in Danata’s office under the care of the guards. The ball had barely begun, but the Regent would have no trouble excusing herself.
They waited in silence, though Perry’s eyes expressed his discontent too clearly. He was obviously still fuming over what he’d been forced to do. Ashby had hated invoking the power of his oath against him, but it had been the only choice.
Ashby had known from the moment he’d made his decision that Perry would refuse to help and that, for the first time since his friend had sworn fealty, the oath would have to be invoked. Still, it hadn’t been easy. Perry was loyal by nature, and it seemed he’d grown fond of Greg and Sam.
If only he’d been able to leave Finley and Brooke behind. But refusing to bring them along would have raised even more suspicions. As it was, Greg had nearly figured it out. Ashby trusted the girls would be fine, however. Danata had no reason to bother with either of them, as long as she didn’t find out Finley was a Regent.
“We’re screwed,” Brooke said. “All that preparation and planning for nothing.”
It was never meant to work, Ashby thought, but said nothing.
The door to the office opened and Danata burst in. She stopped, one hand on the door knob, her eyes eagerly darting from face to face.
Her features soured. “What kind of joke is this? Where is Ashby?”
“Right there,” Veridan walked in and pointed at Ashby. Fina was nowhere in sight.
Danata frowned at Ashby. He felt his stomach roil with the same ill-content that had been brewing there since she cut their filial bond. He’d thought that seeing her might ease the hatred he’d developed toward her, but that was not the case. Instead, the emotion solidified and took root.
“I tried to explain, but . . .” Veridan said when the Regent continued to gape at them in confusion. “They have used a transformation spell.”
The High Sorcerer took out his amulet and whispered under his breath.
Gasps of pain echoed through the room as Ashby, Perry and Brooke grabbed their faces and bent over in pain. Ashby’s bones creaked like old doors as they went back to normal. It took a long minute to recover his wits and straighten to finally face the hateful woman who had once been his mother.
“It is you,” Danata said, a strange fascination filling her violet eyes. She cocked her head to one side and looked him over as if he were an attraction at the zoo.
“It is me, Mother.”
She flinched at the word. Clearly, it disgusted her as much as it did him.
Danata finally let go of the door and walked further into the office. “And what sort of misconception brings you here?”
“I came to bargain,” Ashby said, keeping a close eye on Veridan. The Sorcerer was intent on him too, watching the proceedings with care.
Ashby bided his time. He’d counted on Veridan’s presence and watchful eye, after all.
“Bargain? I don’t bargain with traitors.”
Ashby did his best to look contrite.
“You betrayed me!” Danata shouted.
“I made a mistake. I was mad after you tore me from my Companion. I didn’t understand that I would be better off without her. I see it now, though.”
“What?! You bastard!” Brooke exclaimed, leaning in his direction, but Perry held her before she got her claws into Ashby.
Danata threw her head back and laughed. “You expect me to believe this little act?”
Surreptitiously, he slipped a hand into his pocket, hoping Brooke’s outburst had provided some distraction.
“Samantha won’t weave our broken vinculum,” Ashby continued. “She cares nothing for me. You showed me that. Now, her mother wants the Regency, and there’ll be no place for me in that scheme.”
“Nah ah ah.” Veridan shook his finger. “Take your hand out your pocket.”
Damn! He clenched his teeth.
Slowly, Ashby pulled out his hand, fingers wrapped around a glass sphere.
In one swift motion, Veridan cast a spell that tore the sphere from Ashby’s hand and caused it to levitate close to the ceiling. The Sorcerer moved back, increasing the distance between them.
“What is that?!” Danata demanded.
“Nothing to panic about,” Ashby said in a reassuring tone. “It’s just my bargaining chip. A transfer void.”
Veridan lifted a brow, eyes fixed on the floating orb. It glowed purple and white, a current twirling inside like a tiny galaxy.
“Well?” Danata probed her High Sorcerer.
Slowly, the sphere descended and landed on Veridan’s hand. He examined it closely, turning it in every direction, then probing it with a bit of magic.
Satisfied with his inspection, he asked, “Who’s inside?”
“What is he talking about?” Brooke asked Perry in an urgent whisper.
Perry looked away, shame bright on his cheeks.
“Greg,” Finley answered for Perry.
Veridan’s features lit up like those of a kid in front of a Christmas tree. “Is that so?”
Ashby nodded. “A token to prove where my loyalties lie.”
; “How could you?!” Brooke exclaimed. “We trusted you.”
Danata stepped from behind her Sorcerer and faced Ashby. “Prove it.”
“Veridan, would you oblige?” Ashby asked. “You took Perry’s amulet.”
The High Sorcerer’s distrustful gaze lowered to the sphere. He considered it for a moment, then put it on the floor and kicked it. The sphere rolled across the floor and came to a stop close to the opposite wall.
Veridan began on a spell while everyone stared at the sphere, transfixed. Ashby slipped a hand into his pocket once more.
A burst of energy sprang from Veridan’s fingers and crashed against the sphere. The purple haze inside it darkened for a moment. Brooke pressed a hand to her chest and took a step toward the sphere. Perry held her back.
Smoke billowed from the top of the orb as it dissolved. The smoke took a vaguely human shape and gradually solidified into a bewildered Greg, features unaltered. He blinked, swaying on his feet. It took him a long moment to regain his wits and focus on the gaping audience.
Chapter 55
Veridan
Veridan had nearly given up on exacting revenge against Greg Papilio, and now the boy had been delivered on a silver platter.
Who would have thought Ashby had it in him to do something like this? Though Veridan had no reason to be surprised. He was Danata’s son, after all, raised in comfort and spoiled since the day he was born. Of course the idea of not becoming the next Regent, of being no one, had scared him enough to stab the lame Keeper in the back—not that Ashby lacked reasons to want Greg out of the way. He’d taken the insipid girl away, too.
Greg’s mouth moved up and down in a silent babble. Judging by his stupefied expression, Ashby had done a magnificent job of pulling the wool over the Keeper’s eyes.
“Quite unexpected,” Danata said with a raised eyebrow and an amused tone. “I appreciate the sentiment, but this boy is useless to me. I would have much preferred Samantha’s mother over her pathetic boyfriend.”
“That shouldn’t be hard to arrange,” Ashby said.
“He’ll be quite useful to me.” Veridan gave Greg a satisfied smile.
“What the hell did you do, Ashby?” Greg demanded.
“He betrayed us,” one of the girls said. “Perry, too.” She stepped away from the Perry, black tears streaking her face.
“I had no choice, Brooke. I’m sorry,” Perry whined like a coward.
Greg’s fists clenched. He crouched, his chin dipping while his gaze smoldered in Ashby’s direction. He was losing his composure. Veridan licked his lips, already savoring what was to come.
Greg charged forward like a bull blinded by rage.
With an almost imperceptible flick of his hand, Veridan released an attack toward Greg’s chest. As the magic traveled through the air, Veridan’s memory flashed back to that awful day when Greg had nearly strangled him, even as he’d employed his entire magical arsenal against the Keeper. For a panicked instant, he feared the same might happen now, but then the magic reached Greg and his spine arched as he convulsed and then dropped to the floor.
“Stop!” The loud girl, Brooke, shouted.
Veridan turned slightly, ready to blast her into silence, but Perry got a hold of her and kept her from interfering.
“Let me go, you traitorous bastard.”
Turning his attention back to Greg, Veridan enjoyed the sight of the boy’s twitching body. He had a hand on his chest, fingers curled into a claw over the hole in his burnt shirt. His eyes rolled white into the back of his head, and a groan rumbled in his throat.
“You will not embarrass me again.” Veridan reached a hand in Greg’s direction, smiling. “I told you there—”
“Catch this!” Ashby snapped.
A shrill scream followed.
Veridan whirled, throwing a protective shield around himself. But it wasn’t his neck he should have been worried about. It was the Regents’. Literally.
Ashby stood behind his mother, pressing a sharp dagger to her neck. For a frozen instant, Veridan thought it an empty threat, a useless stunt he could easily diffuse with a disarming spell. That was until a trickle of blood slid down the Regent’s neck, staining the silken material of her evening gown.
Danata’s eyes were beacons of confusion and terror. A gurgling sound escaped her lips as she tried to say something. Her legs went limp. Ashby eased her to the floor, never letting go of the dagger, as if to guarantee the wound would remain and do its job.
Veridan’s heart pounded with the shock of it. Ashby had killed his mother. He would have never thought the princeling had it in him, but he’d been so mistaken. In his shock, Veridan didn’t notice Perry was holding an amulet until the young Sorcerer issued a quick incantation and disappeared from view.
Veridan whirled around, looking for him, expecting an attack from the back. None came.
Brooke and the other girl stared at Ashby in horror. They hadn’t known his plan.
Ashby knelt by Danata’s side, peering into her face as she choked on her own blood. He held one of her hands, and stayed there until the Regent exhaled her last breath.
The traitorous son closed his mother’s eyes with a thumb and forefinger, then slowly stood. His dark gaze swiveled to Veridan’s who was still surrounded by the shimmering sphere of his protective spell.
“It’s over,” Ashby said.
“Over? Over?!” Veridan laughed. “It hasn’t even begun.”
“You are no longer the High Sorcerer.”
Such fool to think this was what Veridan cared about.
“Stand down, and we’ll be lenient.”
Veridan scoffed. “Such pretentiousness.”
Abruptly, Perry materialized behind Veridan with the familiar pop of a transferring spell.
Veridan moved aside, strengthening his shield against an impending attack from the young Sorcerer, but Perry was tending to Greg instead, healing the wound on his chest, his own protective barrier surrounding them both.
No matter. Veridan would enjoy riddling all of them with holes when it was all said and done. He glanced at Ashby. He and the girls were also under Perry’s shield, a strong protection that would take time to pierce.
“For once you’ve been good for something.” Veridan told Ashby, casting a disdainful glance at Danata’s lifeless body. “Good riddance. She served her purpose, and she served it well.”
Ashby frowned, confused. He could not begin to imagine Veridan’s true aim, his lifetime dream that was, at last, only moments from coming to fruition. He and Fina had planned it all in the last couple of days, for what better time than now, when the entire Council was within the castle walls.
But this princeling boy could only see what was right in front of his nose.
“The Regent is dead, long live the Regent,” Veridan mocked. “Is that what you think? Such narrow views.”
He began to back out of the room. He’d wasted enough time here. There would be plenty of chances to hunt all of his enemies later.
“I don’t want the Regency,” Ashby said, inching toward the door as if to block his exit. “It’s the last thing on my mind.”
“How honorable!”
“Roanna is the rightful Regent. Or perhaps there’s even another.”
For some reason, Ashby cast a glance in the direction of the unknown girl. But Veridan couldn’t care less about any of it. Soon, there would be a new Morphid order, and it wouldn’t involve any of these people.
By now, Ashby was fully blocking the door, as if a good-for-nothing would be able to stop a Sorcerer. How ludicrous!
“You have to pay for what you’ve done,” Ashby said. “For your many years of complicity to Danata.”
Veridan laughed. “If you only knew! Now, get out of my way and quit wasting my time.”
Ashby looked over Veridan’s shoulder, hesitating. After a moment, he shrugged and stepped aside, ushering him with an exaggerated hand sweep.
He walked forward, but a tingling in the back of
his neck made him stop. Slowly, he turned and found Greg on his feet. A sword was in his hands, held at a cross-body angle and reflecting the overhead light. There was a murderous look in his eyes and undeniable purpose shaping his brow.
Fear, like poison fumes, rose in Veridan’s chest. Rage quickly mixed with it. How could he still be scared of this boy? He had no powers. The sword meant nothing. It took years to learn how to properly wield any sword, much less a magical one.
Untrained or not, the boy launched at Veridan in his typical reckless fashion. The sword led the charge, accompanied by a battle cry that savagely ripped from Greg’s throat.
Chapter 56
Greg
They had betrayed him and now he was dying.
His chest was an inferno that would boil his heart to nothing, but maybe not before Veridan hit him again. The Sorcerer was standing over Greg, a smile twisting his mouth.
“You will not embarrass me again. I told you there—”
“Catch this!” Ashby’s voice rang in his ears.
Veridan turned away. Something was happening, but Greg’s head was swimming, and all he knew was that he was sinking. His eyelids fluttered closed. Something popped next to him. His eyes snapped open again.
Perry was kneeling by his side, lips moving in a fast blur.
Greg tried to push him away, but his hand swatted at empty air. He was seeing double from the pain.
“Calm down,” Perry whispered in his ear. “I’m healing you.”
Yes, you do that so I can kill you.
The pain started to ease. Perry pushed something solid and cold under his arm, then rattled a string of sentences that sent Greg’s head spinning even faster.
“Here’s the sword. I fetched it for you. This was all part of Ashby’s plan. It’s going well so don’t ruin it. Just do as I say.”
Ashby’s plan?
“When you are able to get up, squeeze my hand, and I’ll lead the charge.”
When he felt normal once more, it took all Greg had not to strangle Perry but, for once, he managed to keep his impulses in check long enough to understand the situation.
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