P RINCE J EREMY LOOKED STUNNED.
Emily was just a little surprised at herself, although she’d felt a certain sympathy – even kinship – with Marah from the moment she’d heard the girl’s story. The girl was very much like her: an abusive stepfather, an ineffectual mother, potential that had been allowed to go to waste until someone had taught her how to use it, but… she’d been tricked, betrayed and abandoned by her teacher. Emily had studied magic long enough to know that teaching someone to only use a wand was effectively stunting their growth, yet Marah had been too ignorant to know it. Her tutor had been very careful not to let her see anything that might contradict his teachings – and, when she had, he’d discarded her as casually as one might dispose of a piece of wastepaper. Marah had been considered expendable, Emily knew. Even if she’d succeeded in her mission, and escaped without being caught, her master might have covered his tracks by burying her.
And she’s the key to finding him , Emily thought. There was little point in forcing Marah to give up her master’s name and address. The former would be fake, unless he was incredibly stupid, and the latter would be useless by now. He would have been watching from a distance, perhaps through an onlooker’s eyes, and would know Marah had been caught before she’d even been taken to the cell. He’ll have abandoned anywhere she knew about by now .
She felt a hot flash of anger and fought to keep it from showing. Void had had his flaws, but he hadn’t stunted her magic. He’d saved her life and sent her to Whitehall… Marah’s master, on the other hand, had taught her only what she needed to know to help him and discarded her the moment she proved inconvenient. Emily had no idea what he’d intended to achieve by killing her – if he had sources within the castle, he probably knew who she was – but she doubted it was anything good. He might well have intended to start the civil war.
Marah coughed and cleared her throat. “I didn’t agree to this!”
Emily shrugged, recognizing a desperate attempt to pretend to some freedom of choice. She jerked a finger at the prince. “You would rather stay here? With him?”
“My Lady,” Prince Jeremy said. “My father…”
“I was the target of the assassination attempt,” Emily said, bluntly. She didn’t want an argument. “I have the legal right to punish as I see fit, do I not? Or do you want to accept responsibility for her?”
“Ah,” Prince Jeremy said. He was smart enough not to rise to the bait. His father would have been furious if the kingdom, through some strange diplomatic alchemy, wound up legally responsible for the attempt on her life. “You intend to work her to death. I see.”
Emily shrugged, trying to ignore Marah’s flinch. There would be time to reassure the girl later, when there were fewer listening ears. She’d cast a privacy ward when she’d entered the cell, but she knew better than to think that guaranteed their privacy. Charmsmiths and wardcrafters had been trying to outsmart each other for decades, the former finding new ways to spy through the haze while the latter tried to keep them out. It was quite possible their entire conversation had been overheard.
And perhaps reported back to Marah’s master , Emily thought, grimly. She really didn’t like the timing. The window of opportunity to take a shot at her had been very slim. It was possible someone had tipped them off, but who? Or… a demon? What are we really dealing with here?
“Have some clothes brought to the cell,” Emily ordered, without answering his question. The guards had stripped Marah completely, both to make sure she wasn’t carrying any concealed weapons or charms and to make it clear, absolutely clear, that she was at their mercy. “I’ll take her with me now.”
The prince eyed her for a long moment, his fists clenching and unclenching. Emily would have been more sympathetic if she hadn’t been sure the prince was more interested in inflicting pain than extracting information. She’d known, the moment she’d seen the look in his eyes when he’d been called from the cell, that he’d intended to make his victim suffer like no other. A necromancer would have been kinder. The prince would have probably gotten away with it too. His father would hardly have punished him for torturing a would-be assassin.
He turned and left. Emily looked at Marah, then started to undo the charmed manacles around the girl’s wrists. Her skin was already bruised… Emily wondered, suddenly, if she’d have to carry the girl out of the city. Marah might be unable to walk. She cast her eyes over the younger girl’s body, noting the signs of malnutrition were even worse, and shivered inwardly. Her master could have given her potions to help her recover, but he hadn’t. Another sign, she supposed, that he’d cared very little for his ward. It would have cost him nothing to find or make the potions, and Marah would have repaid him a thousand times over.
“I didn’t…”
Marah’s voice trailed off, the hopelessness of the situation finally dawning on her. She could let Emily take her away, or she could stay with a prince who intended to torture her. Emily felt her heart twist in sympathy, despite everything. The poor girl had no real choices… not at all. And she was probably afraid of what Emily would do to her.
“Stay with me, for the moment.” Emily undid the manacles around Marah’s feet and helped her stand upright. Her legs were weak, but she was clearly used to working through pain. “We’ll see how things go.”
A serving girl entered, carrying a simple dress. Emily took the dress, checked for tracking charms or other surprises, then helped Marah to pull it over her shoulders. It made her look like the lowest of the low, but… Emily didn’t care. Better that than being naked. It was going to be hard enough to leave the castle without the prince yammering in her ear about something, or his father icily questioning her right to take Marah… even though she had been the younger girl’s intended victim. She hoped the prince had the sense to realize Marah simply didn’t know much else, certainly not where her master might have gone after she’d been caught.
“Water,” Marah managed. She sagged, stumbling against Emily. “Please…”
The serving girl nodded, her eyes dull and lifeless, and hurried off, returning moments later with a glass of water. Emily took it from her, cast a purification spell, and then allowed Marah to drink it. She had the sense to sip slowly, rather than make herself sick by drinking too much too quickly. Emily let Marah lean against her as she finished the glass, then helped her to walk out of the cell. The wards felt heavier now… Emily guessed the castle’s sorcerers had been hastily improving them after they’d realized what Marah had almost done to her. It wasn’t enough. She’d seen necromancers tear though wards that would have deterred Void, their magic ripping entire castles to pieces.
And now someone can do it without the necromancy , she thought, numbly. The world has changed. Again .
Marah coughed. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I do.” Emily had no doubt of it. “You can’t stay here.”
She tapped her lips, warning Marah to be quiet, then half-carried her up the stairs to the courtyard. Marah was trying to walk, but her ankles were clearly damaged… Emily felt sick at yet more evidence of the prince’s sadism. Marah would have trouble walking for quite some time, at least without magical healing, even if the prince didn’t do anything else to her. He could just leave her chained up for a few days and then toss her out of the castle, secure in the knowledge she wouldn’t last long on the streets. Or ...
Prince Jeremy greeted her as they reached the courtyard. “I do trust you will keep us informed, Lady Emily?”
“Yes,” Emily said. A new coach was already waiting for them, as armored as the first. “And I advise you to come to terms with the dissidents before it is too late.”
The prince smirked. Emily sighed inwardly, wondering if anyone would care if she put a fireball through the man’s head. He was hoping for war, working for war… she wondered, suddenly, if he’d been the one to arrange for Marah to try to kill her. It would suit him quite nicely, whatever happened. It struck her as odd, but if Nazi Germany and the USSR could work together for a few years – all the while planning to backstab each other – why couldn’t royalists and revolutionaries work together? Or… perhaps Marah’s master had been a royalist all along. If the whole thing had been a false flag operation…
She shrugged, then helped Marah into the coach. It would take too long to convince the king to take down the anti-teleport wards, and tearing through them would be incredibly dangerous. She’d done that once, and she’d been lucky to survive. The driver cracked the whip and set off through the gate, and down the street, at a surprising clip. Emily guessed the king and the prince were eager to get rid of her. She reached out with her mind, tightening the wards and readying herself for trouble, but… there was nothing. Emily hoped that was a good sign. If Marah’s master was busy relocating himself before she gave up his location, he might not have time to get into position to take another shot at her.
And I want to grab him , Emily thought. It wasn’t just what he’d done to Marah that bothered her. He had set out to trigger a civil war, and he might have succeeded. And if he was connected to the Hierarchy… she gritted her teeth, feeling her magic surge. I need to take him alive .
The carriage rattled on, passing through the gates and heading up the road. Emily frowned inwardly as she spotted the line of traffic waiting to pass through the gatehouse, even though it was late afternoon. The farmers were supposed to bring their produce to market every morning, but now it was far too late… she could practically sense the anger burning in the air. The farmers wanted – needed – a profit, and they weren’t going to get it. They’d be lucky if they got anything. And it wouldn’t be long before they just stopped trying.
And then the city will starve , she thought, as she rapped on the panel. Unrest will be inevitable .
The driver brought the carriage to a halt. Emily opened the door and jumped to the ground – the driver gaped at her, as if he’d never seen a young woman leave without waiting for the steps – and helped Marah get down too. She passed the driver a tip, feeling a pang of sympathy. He’d have to wait in the line… no, he was a royal coachman. The odds were good he could just drive up to the gates and be admitted, without having to wait. Emily doubted that would go down very well. The riot outside the gates might easily spread into the city itself.
Marah leaned against her. “Why…?”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Emily said. Declaring Marah her apprentice had ensured she had a claim on the younger woman, but it also meant a great deal of responsibility. Void had done a lot for her, when she’d been his apprentice… compared to some horror stories, he’d been a perfect master. “Right now, we have to leave the kingdom.”
Her mind raced. She didn’t want to go to the tower, not yet. Or Heart’s Eye or Zangaria… she didn’t want to answer questions from Caleb or Alassa. She shaped the teleport spell in her mind, then took Marah’s arm and warned her to close her eyes. The world heaved around her as she cast the spell, closing her eyes for a long second before opening them. The city was gone, replaced by Dragon’s Den.
Marah gasped, one hand darting to her head. Emily frowned. Teleporting tended to be disconcerting, all the more so if you were a powerful magician. It spoke well of Marah’s potential that she’d reacted badly to the hop, although it also said worrying things about Marah’s first tutor. Why had he tried to stunt her magic? To keep her under control? Or… was he jealous?
“This way,” Emily said. She offered her hand, but Marah refused it. “We’ll be there shortly.”
She looked around as they walked up the street. The wealthy part of the city hadn’t been too badly damaged by the fighting, and the wave of refugees from Alluvia, but there were still a handful of burnt-out houses and destroyed shops. The town council hadn’t done anything about them, if only because it wasn’t clear who owned the ruined buildings. She sighed inwardly as she reached her home and opened the wards, inviting Marah through the gate. She’d wondered if Marah would try to give her the slip, as hobbled as she was, but the girl had chosen to stay with her. Emily wondered, idly, what was going through her head.
“I’m sorry I don’t have much food or drink,” Emily said, as she opened the wards to allow them to enter the house itself. “I wasn’t expecting to come back in a hurry.”
Marah let out a noise that could have been a sob or a giggle. Emily could understand her bewilderment. Her entire world had turned upside down, and then turned upside down again … Emily remembered, all too clearly, the moment she’d discovered Void had been planning to take over the world. It had shocked her, so deeply she hadn’t wanted to believe it. It would have been all too easy, she thought, to close her eyes and pretend it wasn’t happening, rather than force herself to accept that it was .
She led the way into the kitchen, tasting the musty air. She’d packed a handful of powdered drinks and preserved foods – salt beef and hard biscuits, mainly – but she hadn’t thought to bring in anything else. The drinks would have to do, at least until they could go shopping. She motioned for Marah to sit at the table, then poured powder into two mugs and added water, heating the latter with magic. Marah watched her, green eyes unreadable. Emily could sense her confusion. After everything she’d done, the last thing she’d expected was mercy.
“Here,” Emily said. The powdered drink wasn’t very flavorful, but it would suffice. It would give her a little more energy, enough to see her through the day. “Let me know if you need more.”
Marah stared, then took a sip. Emily smiled inwardly as she sipped her own drink, allowing them to sit in awkward silence. It had been a great deal easier for Void, she thought, when she’d become his apprentice. He’d given her a good meal, a short talk on the philosophy of magic, and a promise that she’d be kicked out if she took her lessons lightly. But she hadn’t even expected to take an apprentice, certainly not yet .
“I…” Marah swallowed and started again. “I… why?”
Emily took a moment to consider her answer. Marah knew better than to refrain from looking a gift horse in the mouth. If there were any unpleasant surprises, or obligations, it was better to know about them now, rather than wait to be bitten. Emily could understand, after everything that had happened. Marah had to be feeling wary of everyone, even her. And who could blame her?
“You remind me of myself,” she said, honestly. “Our backgrounds are very similar in many ways. My master… betrayed me too, in a very different way. And I see no reason why you shouldn’t get the second chance I did.”
“I tried to kill you,” Marah protested. “I did!”
Emily smiled, openly. “Join the club,” she said. “You’re not the first person who tried to kill me.”
Although you did come alarmingly close , her thoughts added, silently. You were incredibly lucky you didn’t kill the driver, or any innocent bystanders, or…
Marah stared. “How can you take it so lightly?”
“You were tricked into trying to kill me,” Emily reminded her. “You’re not the first person to be tricked, either.”
She met the younger girl’s eyes. “He tried to stunt your magic,” she said, “and you didn’t know enough to realize what he was doing. You can stay here, with me, and I can teach you enough to put you on a sound footing, so you can go to Whitehall or another school as a proper student.”
Marah’s face showed, just for a second, a moment of yearning. “If… would I earn a scholarship?”
“If you work hard, of course,” Emily said. Marah had a great deal to unlearn, but she was clearly intelligent and driven. She could do it. Hell, Emily could pay for her schooling if she met the basic requirements. Void had paid her school fees, after all. She could never repay him, but she could pass the favor on. “You have the potential.”
“And in return?” Marah looked down. “What do you want from me?”
“You can help me track down your old master, if he shows himself again,” Emily said. “And you can prove me right about you, by studying hard.”
“I…” Marah looked torn. Emily understood, all too well. The offer was irresistible, and yet there might be a nasty sting in the tail, just waiting to bite her. “If I say no…?”
Emily pointed at the door. “You can leave,” she said. “I won’t stop you. You’re intelligent and capable and you might make a living for yourself here, if you want to try. But you can be so much more, if you work at it. All you have to do is try.”
Marah hesitated, visibly.