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Ella’s heart pounded so hard she thought it would burst out of her chest as two troopers led her into the security tower. The great steel building reached toward the heavens, joined by much taller towers. A few months ago, when she’d arrived in the city to start her scholarship, she’d been in awe of them. This place had been a new world to her compared to the tiny village she’d grown up in. Antaria was in the middle of nowhere, and they had little in the way of tech there.
Ella had loved coming to live here. She’d felt so stifled back home, and no one there understood her passionate fascination with the past. Once she met Griffin and Sara and found they shared her passion, she’d felt at home at the university.
She was about to be asked questions about Griffin’s death. A lump formed in her throat. Griffin had welcomed her, told her stories about her missing father, but he had also opened the gate and let out the enemy she’d been fated to stop.
Part of her couldn’t understand why he’d do it.
I guess I didn’t know him at all. He must have known I had magic or suspected it, she thought. He admitted as much before he died.
One of the troopers, a man with dark hair and watery blue eyes, ran a scanner over her.
Fidget, who still sat perched on her shoulder, hissed and the scanner wailed in warning.
“What is that thing?” the trooper demanded.
“It’s a dust bunny.” She stared at the man, surprised by the fear in his eyes. It’s just Fidget, for goodness’ sake. He looks like a ball of fluff.
“You can’t bring that thing in here,” he snapped, making a grab for Fidget.
Fidget’s white fur slicked back, and his blue eyes flashed as he let out a low growl.
“He’s not a thing.” Ella gritted her teeth. “I wouldn’t touch him if I were you. Dust bunnies have very sharp teeth.” She ran a hand through her hair. She just wanted to get these questions over with and then talk to Luc. They needed to discuss what to do next.
“Whatever. You can’t have a rat in here.”
Fidget flashed his teeth this time. “No rat,” he growled.
“It talks!” the other trooper gasped, pulling his stunner out.
Ella felt heat flare between her fingers, but caught herself. No, not now! She couldn’t risk her magic coming to life here. Still, why couldn’t these idiots learn about indigenous animals that came from across the border?
Ella rolled her eyes. “Why? He won’t hurt anyone.” The lie tasted bitter in her mouth as her mind flashed back to how Fidget had fought when Griffin tried to break the seal on the second gate.
Fidget had tried to protect her and would again. His weight felt comforting on her shoulder. She didn’t want him to leave her, but knew they wouldn’t let him stay. They didn’t understand him the way she did.
Ella’s eyes widened when the first trooper raised his stunner. “Put your weapons down,” she hissed. “All of this fuss over a dust bunny, honestly. And they call you the city’s finest.” She rolled her eyes and stroked Fidget’s soft head, ruffling his ears. “It’s okay, Fidge. Go outside.”
Fidget gave his best imitation of a glare, which under other circumstances would have made her laugh. “No,” he squeaked.
“Go, I’ll be alright. They just want to ask me some questions.”
“Bad.” Dust bunnies only had a limited vocabulary. So bad could mean a lot of things, but Ella knew he could sense her fear. He’d seen what had happened to Griffin.
“Maybe we should question the rat too,” the second trooper suggested.
“He can barely speak more than five words. I won’t have you upsetting him,” she said. “It’s not like he could have hurt Master Griffin.” Ella put her hands on her hips. “Fidget was out hunting, like all dust bunnies do during the night.” She picked Fidget up and set him on the floor. “Go, Fidge. It’s okay.”
“Bad, bad, bad,” Fidget repeated.
“Go!” She made a shooing motion, and to her relief, he scurried away.
The troopers took her into a droning lift that went up several floors. Ella’s stomach twisted as the doors pinged open. She prayed her emotions wouldn’t get the best of her or give her away.
Keep cool, you did nothing wrong. Griffin opened the gate, and you tried to stop him. An image of Esme feeding on Griffin flashed through her mind, and she shuddered. Why couldn’t I have been quicker? If I could have sealed the gate again...
“What’s wrong with you?” The first trooper gave her a shove, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“I’m...It’s been a long night,” she said. “My mentor just died.”
A tear dripped down her cheek, and this time she let it fall.
The second trooper shoved her with his stunner. “Keep moving.”
Ella felt a flash of anger at his callous response. Hadn’t they heard of the whole innocent until proven guilty thing?
She reluctantly kept on walking as they led her into another room. She barely noticed the green walls and shiny oak floor, and for a moment she wished Luc, Fidget, or any of her team members were with her. She felt stronger with them by her side. As she thought about her team and how they had been endangered, she was surprised to find that pain gave way to anger at Griffin for his actions. One way or another, she would find a way to reverse what he’d done and stop Esme and the Esrac.
“Hello, Ella,” said a female voice.
Ella looked up to see a redheaded woman sitting on the other side of the desk and gasped. It was Ezmeralda Aren, the Chancellor and leader of the Senate.
Ella felt her throat go dry. She expected to be questioned by the troopers, not by the Chancellor herself. Why would she be here? They’d already scanned her for magic, and she’d passed. Her father, who she had recently discovered had been one of the Valan, had taught her how to control it so it wouldn’t be detected. It was all a matter of keeping her breathing under control and staying calm.
“Madam Chancellor.” Ella blinked, surprised by how calm her voice sounded. “I...Master Griffin is gone.” She slumped into a chair and buried her head in her hands in an honest show of devastation. Better to be grief-stricken than afraid. Fear would imply a guilty conscience.
“Yes, I know.” The chancellor reached across the table to squeeze Ella’s hand. “You poor dear. I can’t imagine what you and your team must have gone through.”
Ella sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” she whispered, looking down at her lap.
“Ella, I know you’ve been through a terrible ordeal, but you must tell me what happened.”
Ella looked into the other woman’s eyes. There was a coldness there despite the concern in her voice. Ella knew she couldn’t trust her.
“I-I woke up when I heard the screams. When I got to the office, someone—something came out. A woman with green skin.” She shuddered. “The woman ran when I screamed. I ran over, but Master Griffin was already dead.” She wrapped her arms around herself.
“Did Master Griffin tell you he was investigating a potential artefact?”
She shook her head. “No. Everything seemed fine when I went to bed.”
Aside from seeing my dad in my room when I woke up. Good thing she’d seen through Esme’s mind tricks.
“Have you seen Griffin do anything strange before now?” the chancellor prompted.
“Strange how?” Ella frowned. Griffin had never done anything to make her suspect him before they’d gone to the old city.
“Any unusual things that defied explanation?”
“No, Master Griffin is—was like a father to me. He knew my father Caspian and helped me get the scholarship here.” She gave a weak half smile at the memory of how happy she’d been then. “I don’t know what Griffin did, but he let a monster out and she’s running free. You have to do something. The monster has to be stopped.”
“Tell me, Ella, how much do you know about your father’s disappearance?”
Ella’s frown returned at the question. Why would the chancellor bring that up? Her father had vanished over ten years ago. That had nothing to do with Griffin being killed by the Esrac Queen.
“Not much, it’s all classified,” she admitted. “He went on a mission near the old city, and no one ever saw him again. Why? Do you know what happened?” She leaned back and crossed her arms, watching for a reaction, but the chancellor’s face remained impassive.
One of her main reasons for coming to Celestus in the first place had been to get answers about what had happened to her dad. Everyone always said Caspian was dead, but Ella continued to hope he might still be out there somewhere.
Ezmeralda nodded, her eyes now hard as flint. “Yes. He tried to help a rebel across the border, but our troopers stopped them. He was caught using magic. A battle ensued, and he got killed in the crossfire.”
All the blood drained from Ella’s face. “You killed him,” she whispered.
Of all the things she’d imagined, being killed by the very people he worked for hadn’t crossed her mind.
“I know your father had magic, Ella, and that you do too.”
Ella gripped the edge of the desk. Part of her wanted nothing more than to throw her starfire at the woman responsible for killing her father, but it wouldn’t bring him back.
“Listen to me, chancellor. Master Griffin used magic to release a creature that almost destroyed our world,” she snapped. “Magic shouldn’t be your concern. That monster will kill millions and destroy the Republic unless you find a way to stop her.”
“The only threat to the Republic is people like you.”
The Chancellor snapped her fingers, and two troopers grabbed Ella’s arms and pulled her to her feet.
“You’re to be placed under house arrest until I decide what to do with you. Judging by the magic we found you using on Griffin’s keyno, you must be something special indeed.” The chancellor’s lips curved into a malevolent smile.
Ella’s heart sank. Griffin had recorded her when she opened the gate?
She struggled as one of the troopers slapped a metal cuff onto her wrist. “You can’t do this!” she cried. “I’m the only one who can help you!”
The chancellor waved her hand and motioned for them to take Ella away, her cries for help fading as they dragged her behind them.
