The Rogue Knight

  “What are you doing here?” Cole asked.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing!” Her excited tone and posture didn’t match her aged features. “The slavers sold you first, before we got to Five Roads. The buyer took you somewhere in Sambria. Sky something, I think. Ansel made it sound really scary.”

  “That’s right,” Cole said, unsure how much he should reveal. She’d already said the other rooms were watched. How could she be sure this one wasn’t? “I went to Skyport and joined the Sky Raiders. But I earned my freedom.”

  “Really?” Jill replied. “So quickly? Did somebody buy you and free you?”

  “Sort of,” Cole said. “It’s a long story. What about you?”

  “I went to Junction City,” she said. “They took the kids with shaping talent. Nineteen of us. We all met the High King. He was . . . well, it was pretty scary. They gave us tests, then sent us off to different kingdoms based on our abilities. Your friend Dalton came with me to Elloweer.”

  “He’s here?” Cole asked, thunderstruck.

  “Not in Carthage,” Jill clarified. “They sent him to train at a confidence lounge in Merriston.”

  “The capital?”

  “I guess it’s a big deal for them to send someone there,” she said. “He’s really great at illusions.”

  Cole could hardly believe the precious information he was getting. Dalton was in the capital of Elloweer? He could make seemings? The task of finding his friends had started to seem hopeless. “What about Jenna?”

  “Jenna Hunt? I’m not sure where she went. She came to Junction City with us. Once they split us up based on our abilities, we never saw the kids in the other groups. She isn’t in Elloweer.”

  “Do you know the name of the confidence lounge where Dalton went?”

  Jill scrunched her brow. “I did. I’ve never been there. It’s been a while since I heard it. The Silver something. Deer, maybe? No. It was Silver something, though.”

  “That’s great,” Cole said. For the first time, he had a solid lead about Dalton!

  “Are you really free to go visit him?” Jill asked.

  “Yeah,” Cole said.

  She bit her lip. “You’re so lucky, being free. Dalton belongs to the High King now, just like I do. And the king is basically the emperor of this whole world. You should see his castle! He has zillions of soldiers, and some of them have shaping powers. You don’t want to get on his bad side. If you’d met him, you’d understand.”

  “I know how bad he is,” Cole said, thinking of Mira. “But there’s got to be a way to get you and Dalton free, like I got free.”

  Jill’s eyes filled with hope. “All I’ve thought about is someone getting me out of here.” Her expression wilted. “But, Cole, I don’t know if anyone’s told you . . . They say we can’t get back home, no matter what. That even if we find a way there, we won’t be able to stay—we’ll always get drawn back here. If I snuck off, I’d be a runaway slave with no place to go.”

  Resting his elbows on the table, Cole bowed his face into his hands. He knew the High King was powerful. And he’d also known there was no way for them to get home permanently. Even if that was true, did it mean they shouldn’t try to find each other? Did they have to accept slavery as a way of life? Who could say for sure there was no way of escaping the Outskirts?

  “I’m not trying to get you down,” Jill said. “You were really brave trying to help us back at the wagons. I wanted Tracy to die after what she did to you. But we’re stuck here, Cole. Dalton and I are marked slaves. If we rebel, it’ll just get worse. I saw someone try once, and . . . it was bad.” She shivered, clearly disturbed by the memory.

  Cole leaned toward Jill across the table and lowered his voice. “You don’t want me to bust you out of here?”

  Jill regarded him anxiously. “Are you kidding? Of course I do! You’re the first person from our world I’ve seen since coming here. But how can we do it without getting caught?”

  “Let me talk to my friends,” Cole said. “We can figure it out.”

  Jill’s wrinkled features contorted with worry. “Who are your friends? Are they powerful enough to keep us safe from the High King?”

  “We’ve made it this far,” Cole said, unsure how much he should share. He didn’t want to put Mira in danger, but he needed to give Jill some confidence. “They’re members of the resistance. Working in a place like this, you must have heard of them.”

  “I have,” she said, her face paling. “Cole, you’re in tons of danger! The High King does awful things to anyone he catches who’s a part of that.”

  Cole tried to hold his frustration in check. He had finally found someone from home, and she was clearly scared to leave. What if she was too scared to come with him? Was he supposed to just leave her here?

  He tried to recall everything he knew about Jill. His sparse memories of her mostly involved her chatting with friends. Since she was a grade higher, he’d never known her well. He seemed to remember her brother, Jeff, making fun of her because she never learned to swim. Jeff had claimed she was scared to put her head under the water. Cole guessed if she’d been a nervous person back home, she’d only be more anxious here. Still, he had to try to convince her.

  “So you’re just going to stay in this place?” Cole asked. “Seriously? With all these people you don’t even really know? Haven’t you thought about running away before?”

  “Of course I’ve thought about escaping,” Jill said, lowering her voice. She looked torn. “I don’t know, Cole. Sooner or later, runaways get caught, and then things get really ugly. I told you, I’ve seen it.”

  “Bad?” Cole asked.

  “The punishments are harsh,” Jill said. “Probably to scare the rest of us from trying the same thing. It kind of works.”

  “I can’t promise everything will be easy if you come with us,” Cole admitted, thinking of what he and his friends had already been through and the risks of traveling with Mira. “But it has to be better than staying here.”

  “Slaves who can shape don’t live so badly,” she argued. “Don’t get me wrong—all I want is to be back home. But if I’m stuck here, do I have to make it even harder? At least making seemings is kind of fun.”

  “Doesn’t being a slave kind of wreck the fun?”

  Jill flushed. “I guess I try not to think about it all the time.” She narrowed her gaze. “Tell the truth. Are you actually a runaway?”

  “No,” Cole assured her. “I really got free.”

  “Then wouldn’t having me around make everything more dangerous for you?”

  “What if we bought you?” Cole suggested. “We could do that with Dalton too. My friends have money.”

  Jill looked excited for a second, then her face dropped. “I don’t think I’m for sale—the High King seemed super interested in keeping the slaves he bought for himself.” She hesitated. “I can’t believe you’re free. That never happens.”

  “I had help,” Cole said. “Why did the High Shaper send you here? Does he run this place?”

  “The High King has people controlling all the legal confidence lounges,” she said. “It’s where a lot of the top enchanters find work. But if you’re mixed up with rebels, Shady Lane probably isn’t safe for you.”

  “Did the High King hurt any of you?” Cole asked. “Did he mess with your powers?”

  “Mess with our powers?”

  Cole looked around the room, then took another chance. “Have you heard of shapecraft?”

  “You mean shaping?”

  “No. Shapecraft is when people shape the shaping ability. The High King may just be training you so he can steal your shaping powers and do weird experiments on you.”

  “What?” Jill exclaimed.

  “He’s done it to others,” Cole said. “Reliable sources have told me his shapecraft experiments will only g
et worse.”

  “Thanks for telling me,” she said, her voice hushed. “I haven’t heard of shapecraft, but I’ll be extra careful.”

  “Do your bosses know we’re talking?” Cole asked.

  “Not officially,” Jill said. “I didn’t let on that I knew you. They tell us to enter the lounges in disguise if somebody seems interesting. The owners are as eager for secrets as anyone who comes here. My bosses always have a few regulars out there mingling. We also listen through the walls, ceilings, and floors as best we can. We learn all sorts of things. If somebody asks about us talking, I’ll say you made me curious because I’d never seen you here before. Most of our clients visit regularly. I’ll tell anyone who bothers me about it that you’re just some traveler looking for news.”

  “That’s true,” Cole said. “I really am traveling. I’m only here today because I’m tagging along with some people.”

  “Yeah . . . maybe you should dump those people, though. If you don’t, you could end up in jail. Or worse.”

  Cole didn’t want her to worry, and he definitely didn’t want her to know too much about his actual situation, in case someone forced the information out of her later. “The people I know aren’t super involved in the resistance,” he lied.

  “Just watch out,” Jill said. “They crack down hard on those people.” She wrung her hands. “I hope your friends are really careful. Cole, this is a dangerous place. We shouldn’t talk much longer. I just—I really don’t want you to go.”

  Cole wished he knew the right thing to do. He hated leaving her here, but he could tell she was too afraid to come. His top priority was to find Dalton and help Jenna. “Do you know anything else about anyone from our world?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I just know the other kids they sent to Elloweer. Melissa Scott went to a confidence lounge in Wenley, and Tom Eastman went to a lounge in Stowbarth. I’m always hoping I’ll hear more, but I never do. That’s why I was so excited to see you!”

  Cole suddenly remembered the other huge question that had brought him to the confidence lounge. “I heard something is making people disappear. Do you know anything about that?”

  “There was a creature called Carnag in Sambria,” she said. “Some kind of monster. People think this new problem might be related, but nobody really gets what’s happening. We still don’t understand where Carnag came from either. Some people think it was a shaper who went nova.”

  “You haven’t heard about any famous prisoners, have you?” Cole asked. “Secret ones? Maybe recent ones.”

  Jill clenched her hands tighter. “There are always prisoners,” she said. “It’s not the kind of thing you should get too interested in if you want to stay free.”

  It was obvious that the High King’s tactics had already worked perfectly on Jill—she was scared not only for herself, but for anyone who might cross him.

  “I’m most interested in visiting Dalton,” Cole said. “Not to rescue him,” he added hastily. “I don’t want to get him into trouble. But I miss him. He’s my best friend.”

  Her expression softened. “If you head to Merriston, watch out for the Rogue Knight. They say he’s been stealing from travelers.”

  “I don’t have much to steal,” Cole said. “But thanks for the warning. The lady I was just talking to told me about the Rogue Knight. Is she trustworthy?”

  “Vixen?” Jill asked. “Hard to say for sure. Her real name is Mavis Proffin. Have you heard of her?”

  Cole shook his head.

  “She’s a regular—the wife of a local official. Vixen is much older than she looks. It’s arranged so that she gets gorgeous disguises. She mostly cares about social gossip, but she’s no dummy, and she’s in a position to hear a lot.”

  “Got it,” Cole said.

  Jill glanced around furtively, even though they were still alone. “It’s so good to see you, Cole. You have no idea. I wish we could talk more, but if anyone notices this conversation going long, they might get suspicious, especially if I don’t have any info.”

  “The Grand Shaper Declan was hiding behind the Eastern Cloudwall,” Cole said. “Legionnaires chased him out. That’s the best info I have.”

  “You don’t mind if I share that?” she asked.

  “Not if it helps you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You won’t come with me?” Cole tried.

  Jill looked miserable. “I can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

  Cole sighed. “Okay, I get it.”

  “I wish we could meet up somewhere and hang out. I don’t have privileges to go out yet.” She paused. “If you figure out how to get us back home, you’ll come back for me, right?”

  “Of course!” Cole promised. “Are you sure you’re okay here?”

  “Okay enough,” Jill said. “I think it’s safer than trying to leave. At least for now.”

  “All right,” Cole said. “I won’t forget you. I’ll help you if I can.”

  “I won’t forget you, either,” she said, failing to hide the desperation behind her words. “You’re really brave, Cole. I know you’re trying to do the right thing. It’s lucky you got free. That doesn’t happen much. Don’t mess it up.”

  He stared at the face of the old woman, trying to visualize the real Jill. He doubted whether his mind’s eye was getting it quite right.

  “Bye, Jill,” Cole said, his voice a little husky.

  “See you, Cole.” There was no mistaking the deep emotion beneath her casual words.

  Cole didn’t want to leave her, but he knew the time had come. He walked through the illusory wall and back into the lounge with the xylophone. Vixen glanced his way, as did Stumbler. Deciding that his disappearance through the wall had drawn too much attention, Cole strode across the room and into a new one. People milled about as a guy patted tall bongos. Mind brimming with new knowledge, Cole crossed to another door. Each new room meant a new physical appearance. He hoped his hasty tour would make it hard for onlookers to keep track of him, then wondered if Jill was still watching.

  The next room contained people at gaming tables. Some played cards. Others rolled dice. At one table they appeared to be racing caterpillars. Cole didn’t linger.

  After the next door, Cole ended up back where he had started. Most of the same faces were present, including Hannibal and the guy who looked like a statue. In the mirror, Cole found that he looked like a skinny teen with lots of freckles and really big ears.

  A gentleman with white curly hair cornered Cole and struck up a conversation, but the man was boring. Cole shared his routine information and learned nothing of interest.

  After the gentleman ambled away, Cole claimed a solitary chair. He couldn’t keep his mind off Jill. She was the first person he had met from back home since leaving the slave caravan. And now he was leaving her behind because she was too scared to join him.

  What if Dalton felt the same way? What if Jenna didn’t want to be rescued? What if trying to save them made everything worse?

  No. He couldn’t think that way. Not everyone would be as wary as Jill. Cole knew that wherever he had ended up as a slave, he would have fought to get free. He felt certain that Dalton would leap at the chance to escape as well. And now he had a real chance of finding him! What about Jenna? Maybe Dalton would know something. In his gut, Cole believed that Jenna would want to run away too, whatever the risks.

  But first he had to get away from Shady Lane. As he sat alone in the chair, Cole realized he wasn’t sure how to find Mira or Joe to learn whether they were ready to leave. How would he recognize them? Were they still here? If he left too early, would he end up alone on the streets of East Carthage?

  Cole decided they would have worked very quickly if they were already gone, and he figured they probably wouldn’t take off without him. His best option was probably to stay put and watch for people exiting.


  A new person came into the lounge from outside, talked to Hannibal, and moved on. A freakishly thin woman entered from a neighboring room and briskly exited. Cole continued to wait, feeling edgier as the minutes passed.

  A man and a woman came into the room from the gaming lounge. The handsome man had black hair slicked back and a small mustache. The woman had green skin and snakes for hair. She pointed at the ceiling, softly said, “Away,” then scanned the room.

  Hair squirming, the woman watched as Cole approached. “I know a guy named Twitch,” Cole said quietly.

  “I know Jace,” she replied. It had to be Mira, which meant the guy was Joe.

  “We should go,” Joe murmured.

  “What about a permanent illusion?” Cole asked.

  “Not here,” Joe whispered tersely.

  They exited together. In the furry hall, a previously unseen door appeared ahead of them. They went through, then through another, and found themselves back in the room with the gangly bespectacled man.

  “May I see your keys?” the man inquired.

  After a look at Cole’s key, the man escorted him to the trident door.

  “Once you retrieve your things, put on your mask and return to this room,” the man instructed. “Please leave the key behind.”

  Cole did as requested, leaving his key in the lock of the trunk. He met up with masked Mira and Joe, and they left the room together through a different door from the one they had originally entered. Cole desperately wanted to share what he had learned from Jill, but decided he had better wait until they were alone. Two large men escorted them down a staircase, along a plain hall, then up some stairs to a door. They walked out to find themselves in an alley with their coach waiting.

  Joe, Mira, and Cole climbed into the coach, and the large men shut the door. Once they were rolling, Joe took off his mask. Mira and Cole followed his example.

  “I saw someone from home!” Cole announced, barely able to contain his excitement.

  “Really?” Mira asked.

  “A girl named Jill, from my school,” Cole explained. “She’s a slave—some kind of apprentice in training. She told me where I can find my friend Dalton!”