“Do it like we practiced and we should be fine.” Francis sounded edgy. “If not ...”
I met his eyes. “Let’s go.”
The air seemed to grow warmer as we started to make our way towards the castle. I reached out with my senses, time and time again, but sensed nothing beyond the faint haze of everyday magic. This didn’t seem to be a high-magic zone, yet ... something kept bothering me. It might not be a good idea to take the shortest path, I told myself, but we didn’t have a choice. Alana and the McDonalds had better teams, when it came to trading hexes and curses. We needed to get into a position we could defend before it was too late.
It might be too late already, I mused. As we get closer to the castle, the odds of encountering them go up sharply.
I peered from side to side, trying to see what lurked within the foliage. The path was growing narrower, forcing us to walk in single-file. The undergrowth was too thick to let us slip into the forest itself. I was sure we were being watched, I was sure we were being monitored ... I glanced at the armband, wondering just how many spells had been infused into the gemstone. The Castellan might be watching us ... I shook my head as I brushed sweat from my forehead. Of course he would be watching. They needed to see how we coped with the Challenge and ...
“We’re walking in circles,” Francis announced, suddenly. “We’ve passed that tree”- he jabbed a finger at an innocent-looking tree - “twice already.”
I blinked, then reached out with my senses once again. This time, I saw it. A simple misdirection charm, so low in power that it barely registered. And yet, it had twisted our minds ... how long had we been walking in circles? I glanced at the sky, but the sun didn’t seem to have changed position. Or was that part of the spell?
Francis glanced at me. “What now?”
“We burn our way through the foliage,” I said. “Unless you have a better idea ...”
“No,” Francis said. “Do it.”
I pointed my spellcaster at the foliage and muttered a spell. The foliage caught fire quickly, the flames spreading rapidly until we had a clear path into the forest. I led the way through, cursing under my breath as I felt the misdirection charm shatter into pieces. The smoke was likely to tell the other teams where we were, if they had a chance to look for it. I glanced up, but it was hard to tell how much of the sky they could actually see. We were lost beneath a canopy of leafy branches.
“This way,” I said. “And watch for further traps.”
It got hotter, somehow, as we kept advancing towards the castle. There was no path now, forcing us to pick our way through a complex network of tree roots, little streams and gullies that might - once upon a time - have channelled water to the distant ocean. I wondered, again, just where we were. One of the Royal Preserves? Or an estate that belonged to the school? Or ... I couldn’t think of anywhere that had matched what we’d seen. The entire area looked to have been untouched for hundreds of years.
“Watch out,” Francis snapped. “There’s something ahead!”
I followed his gaze. There was a hex, neatly concealed within the roots ... I swallowed, hard, as I carefully plotted a way around it. Whoever stood on the hex - whoever stood too close, perhaps - would be caught and then ... and then what? I had no idea. I glanced up, sharply, as I heard an explosion in the distance. One of the other teams? Or ... or what? There was no way to know.
The traps grew thicker, forcing us to slow down as we evaded or disarmed them. I felt tired, my arms and legs protesting bitterly at their mistreatment. Louise and Tobias looked as bad as I felt. They’d both taken off their jackets and slung them into their bags. I tried not to notice how Louise’s shirt clung to her skin. She was as sweaty as me. The others seemed to be taking everything in stride, even Saline. I supposed that five years playing sports had done wonders for their endurance. Who would have thought that that would come in handy?
Francis did, I thought. And he wasn’t exactly wrong.
I listened, carefully, as we crossed another path. It was tempting to just turn and walk down it, but that would probably lead us straight into another trap. It was harder to pick our way through the foliage, yet ... it did have the advantage of forcing us to be careful. I heard crashing sounds in the distance, suggesting that something very big and clumsy was moving within the trees. Some of my relatives hunted - they had entire forests set aside for hunting - but I’d never joined them. I’d never liked the idea of chasing foxes or hunting wild boar on horseback. And magic made the game much too easy.
Francis nudged me. “We’re going to have to take a break.”
I blinked in surprise, then nodded. We had to be much closer to the castle now. The ground was starting to slope down, as if the castle had been built at the bottom of a hollow. It struck me as odd, but ... how old was the castle? Most castles had been built after the Fall, when the warlords had been trying to secure their holdings; this one, perhaps, might predate even the Thousand-Year Empire itself. It might explain why it had been abandoned for so long. The building wouldn’t have protected its designers, not from the empire. They might have simply left it behind after they were conquered.
Tobias opened his bag and passed out a small selection of potion vials. I nodded my thanks and sipped the nutrient potion, silently admiring Tobias’s skill. Most nutrient potions tasted utterly foul, so foul that people had to be desperate beyond words to drink them. Tobias’s potion, however, was surprisingly nice. I was surprised other brewers didn’t use the same recipe. It would be a great deal easier to get people to drink the potion.
“The castle isn’t that far away now,” Francis said. “You want to take point with me?”
I nodded, stiffly. I’d let Francis and Harvard take the lead for too long, even though they were the best at spotting traps and navigating around them. I finished my potion, then stood, brushing down my uniform. It was probably ruined. Mother would make sarcastic remarks, when she found out. There were a lot of things I could have done, if I’d known what I was facing. I hadn’t, of course. That was the point.
“We’ll scout out ahead,” I muttered. If we were that close to the castle, we’d need time to recuperate before we tried to get inside. There was no shortage of ways to keep intruders from entering and ... I wondered, suddenly, if we’d been encouraged to sabotage our rivals so we’d develop the skills to break into the castle. “Saline, you’re in charge.”
Saline saluted, cheerfully. “Right you are, My Lord!”
I expected Francis to make a snide remark as we slipped into the undergrowth, but he said nothing. I had the oddest feeling his mind was elsewhere. We picked our way down a gully, careful not to take the obvious route. It was dangerous to scramble down, but neither of us wanted to risk triggering a concealed booby trap. If we were turned into stones here ... I shivered as I looked around, noting just how many stones there were in the area. Armbands or no armbands, we might never be found. Far too many horror stories I’d read had started with someone being transformed, and lost, and the spell wearing off hundreds of years later ... if indeed it wore off at all.
They’re just stories, I reminded myself.
“There,” Francis said. “Look!”
I followed his gaze. There were a handful of shattered ruins - they were so badly damaged and overgrown that it took me some time to realise they’d once been houses - and, beyond them, the castle itself. I hadn’t realised just how big it was until now. It loomed high over the canopy, so high that it reminded me of an iceberg, with most of its mass concealed below the treeline. I wondered, once again, where we were. I couldn’t believe that the castle had remained concealed for hundreds of years, not until now. It was impossible.
The sense of age grew stronger as we inched towards the wall. I spotted a dolman, somehow untouched by trees and lichen alike; I shivered, remembering what little I’d read about the locals before the Thousand-Year Empire had conquered them. Very little was known for certain, save for the fact they buried their senior magicians and rulers un
der dolmans. The invaders had done an excellent job of wiping out their culture and replacing it with their own. I wondered, deep inside, if I should feel a little guilty. My ancestors had done the wiping.
But that doesn’t mean they did the wrong thing, I reminded myself. For all we know, the culture deserved to be destroyed.
“We’ll have to bring the others here,” I muttered. I scanned the wall, but I couldn’t see any doorways. There had to be a doorway somewhere ... didn’t there? I wondered if the designers had flown in and out of the castle. It was possible, at least in theory. Levitation spells would suffice. “Francis ...”
I heard a scream, behind me. A feminine scream ... Louise? Or Saline. It didn’t matter. I turned and ran, drawing my spellcaster as I hurried back the way I’d come. They were under attack. I had to ...
A spell slammed into my back. The force of the impact picked me up and hurled me through the air. I barely had a second to realise I was going to hit the ground hard before I did, the force of the impact knocking the wind out of me. Someone was on top of me a second later, his magic slamming into mine. Strong hands gripped mine and yanked them behind my back. I could barely focus, could barely struggle, as I felt my hands being tightly bound. A moment later, my legs were bound too.
Francis’s voice was thick with heavy satisfaction. “Got you.”
I was stunned. “What ...”
“You always were slow on the uptake,” Francis jeered. I had to twist my head to see him. “I suppose you could call this a mutiny. Or a coup.”
“What ...” I tasted blood in my mouth and spat. “What are you doing?”
“Winning,” Francis said. “Getting what I want, for once.”
“Francis ...”
“I have been told, time and time again, that I have a duty to the family,” Francis said, as if I hadn’t spoken. “But what has the family given me in return? Tell me ... what?”
I stared. It was hard, almost impossible, to think. What was he doing? Betraying me ... why? Betraying the family ...?
“Everything,” I managed. I struggled against my bonds, but Francis had tied them tight. Very tight. The knots were already cutting off my circulation. I’d been frozen and transfigured more times than I cared to remember, but this ...? There was something humiliating beyond words about being tied up. “Francis, the family gave you ...”
“It showed me what I could have,” Francis said. “And then it took it away.”
“No,” I said. It hadn’t been like that. It hadn’t been anything like that. “I ...”
Francis ignored me. “They won’t be able to deny me, when I am crowned Wizard Regnant. Not that there was ever any chance of me forming a team, was there? Never mind - I’ll take yours. I already have taken yours. And I will be the winner and all the doors that were closed in my face, for an accident of birth, will open. And you will be my ace in the hole.”
I thought I understood, then. Francis had found a loophole in the rules. If he stunned me or froze me or turned me into something, I would be eliminated ... and, if the rest of the team was taken out too, he’d lose. But if Francis left me tied up, I would never - technically - be eliminated. He’d have plenty of time to escape his captors, if indeed he was captured, while they searched for me.
“Francis,” I began. I wanted to think of an argument that might convince him, but nothing came to mind. He’d already gone too far. He had to win, he had to be crowned Wizard Regnant, or he would lose everything. “Do you think anyone will let you get away with this ...?”
“Your father will soon fall,” Francis said. He stood, drawing his spellcaster and pointing it between my eyes. “And no one else will care.”
He cast a handful of charms over me, then turned and walked away.
Chapter Thirty-Five
How could it have gone so wrong?
I asked myself that, as I lay on the ground. I knew a dozen spells that should have untied me in a jiffy, but none of them worked. Francis had charmed the air around me, casting a ward that fed on my magic and dispelled my spellforms. I was morbidly impressed, even though I was in a fix. He’d spent a lot of time figuring out how best to hold me prisoner ... he must have been thinking about it for months. I couldn’t even draw the sword.
I felt ... I felt helpless. I knew now, deep inside, how Cat must have felt all those long lonely years. Even now ... Isabella had been right. Take away her Objects of Power and Cat was helpless, vulnerable to even the merest spell. I was vulnerable too, now. If someone wanted to take me out of the game - or, worse, kill me - they could simply hex me in passing. And even if I somehow managed to escape ...
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, I told myself, sharply. Francis has to be stopped.
I forced myself to think. Francis couldn’t get away with this, could he? I doubted it. I might be embarrassed - I might be effectively disinherited - but that didn’t mean Francis would get away with it. His treachery would be known, even if he was crowned Wizard Regnant. Or would it? I’d never known my father had taken part in the Challenge. If we were all sworn to secrecy ... Francis might just get away with it. And then ... what? I burned with anger and helplessness. It was bad enough to lose, although I wasn’t stupid enough to think I had to win all the time. I could cope with losing fairly. But treachery ...
A thought crossed my mind. But is that really the point of the Challenge?
Gritting my teeth, I twisted until I managed to roll over and press my fingers into my utility belt. Francis hadn’t thought to take the spellbreaker. He hadn’t even known it was there. I winced in pain as I cut myself on one of the discs, then pushed them into motion. It struck me, an instant too late, that it might be a bad idea to trigger an Object of Power that had my blood on it, but I couldn’t think of any other way to escape. My magic flickered and failed, leaving me feeling weak and drained. It was hard, so hard, to move. I couldn’t understand how Cat coped. I muttered a spell, but nothing happened. The spellbreaker was stealing magic ...
I realised my mistake, too late. The spellbreaker had destroyed Francis’s spells, but ... it was also preventing mine from working. As long as I remained within the field, I wouldn’t be able to use magic ... and the wretched Object of Power was attached to my belt. I couldn’t roll out of the field, not without taking it with me. And it wasn’t stopping. I hesitated, just for a second, then forced myself to roll over, crushing the Object of Power under my weight. Isabella was not going to be pleased. The spellbreaker was irreplaceable. I silently promised myself that I’d ask Cat to make her a replacement, if she could. Of course she could. But would she do it for Isabella?
Later, I told myself.
The magic came back, slowly. Very slowly. It felt like hours before I could focus enough magic to make my bonds untie themselves. My hands and feet ached as I pulled them free and forced myself to stand up. I rubbed them frantically, trying to rid myself of the uncomfortable pins-and-needles sensation. My uniform was a muddy mess. Mother would be furious, if she saw me. I laughed at myself a second later. That was hardly my major problem, not now. I had to stop Francis, even if it cost me my chance to be crowned Wizard Regnant myself. I was not going to let him get away with it. If he’d do it to me, he’d do it to anyone.
I looked around, carefully. The trees loomed as close as ever. It was impossible to see what might be hiding in the foliage. I could hear birds and insects in the trees, but ... but nothing that might be human. I wondered if Francis had already gained entry to the castle. It was possible. I hadn’t seen any doors, but that was meaningless. There had to be a door somewhere, unless we were meant to climb the walls. Francis probably could. He’d been a sporting enthusiast for years. There was nothing fake about the trophies he’d earned. I gritted my teeth as I turned and started to make my way back towards where I’d left the rest of the team. Francis might have told them that I’d been eliminated. Or ...
My blood ran cold. Francis had found both Harvard and Tobias for me. Or had he found them for him? Francis could
offer them both sizable rewards, particularly Harvard. What if they had turned on me? Or ... I couldn’t believe that either Saline or Louise would have turned on me - neither had anything to gain through treachery - but it might not matter. If Francis had lied to them, they might have gone with him quite willingly. Or ... I could easily see Francis and Harvard beating Louise and Saline. They were both experienced duellists and they would have the advantage of surprise.
I picked my way through the trees, watching carefully for traps. It would be ironic as hell to escape my bonds, only to fall prey to a hidden spell. A flash of magic rushed through the trees, making me duck before I realised it wasn’t aimed at me. I stayed low, watching and listening for threats, but there was nothing. Whatever was happening, it was outside the range of my senses. Had two teams gone to war? Or ... or what?
My fingers grasped the sword’s hilt as I reached the clearing, but I didn’t draw it. The moment I did, everyone with any sensitivity to magic would know where I was ... and Francis would know I’d escaped. Instead, I slipped forward and into the clearing. It was empty ... no, a body was lying on the ground. My blood ran cold as I inched forward, raw terror clutching at my heart. Someone was injured? Someone was dead? I felt a flicker of relief - and then a surge of guilt - as I realised it was a man. Louise and Saline had been wearing skirts ... it was Tobias. He was lying on the ground, held frozen by a spell. And, in his hand, he held his armband.
(The Zero Enigma Book 6) The Family Pride Page 35