Chapter 29
"You sure you're okay?" Mikhail asked Eleanor when she returned to the common room.
"Yeah, definitely. They've given me some nasty stuff to drink any time I start feeling sick again."
"How is three at stage four even possible?" he asked. "Did the higher stages really not take that much longer than the early ones?"
"They took longer, I just..." She hesitated, wondering whether she could afford to come clean. Would they take her victory away from her, just because she'd taken an opportunity when it presented itself? She took a deep breath. "I didn't do quite all of the earlier ones, that's all."
"You what?"
"You heard me. I skipped a couple of the earlier ones."
Sebastien and Daniel came in from dinner just as she finished speaking, and Daniel took a seat opposite her.
"I do not understand at all," he said, looking thoroughly perplexed. "You are not really good with apothecary, I do not understand why you would choose Poisons over Locks."
"I was lucky." She didn't want to mention the shape her luck had taken, afraid he might take it personally. "It just fell into place."
"She didn't do all the lower stages," Mikhail said, and she smiled a little at his incredulity. "I didn't think that was possible."
"It is not," Daniel said. "Certainly it was not possible in Poisons. What did you mean, Eleanor?"
She studied her dirt-encrusted fingernails for a moment, trying to think of a suitable way to phrase her answer.
"I might have happened to find the clue from Poisons stage three," she said, feeling a faint blush rising in her cheeks. "And I might have happened to be very, very lucky with the stage four task."
There was a long silence. Eleanor shuffled uncomfortably in her chair, wishing she'd managed to postpone this conversation for long enough to think of a good explanation, and wondering if her oblique words would be enough to satisfy their curiosity.
"I am the only person who had Poisons at stage three," Daniel said, very slowly. "And after I had got that token, I came straight back to the hall. Your story does not make sense."
"Okay." Eleanor sighed. There was clearly no escaping from the whole truth. "Okay, look, I read it over your shoulder. I'm sorry. But I saw the chance and I had to take it."
"You read the clue from stage three when I completed it?"
"Yes."
"Then you did not really win."
"What? How can you say that?"
"You have not played fairly."
"Who said anything about fair? What happened to 'we need to beat the evil Venncastle'?"
"If you act this way, you are no better. It is not a real victory."
"Four points." She held up her fingers to emphasise the point. "That's the only kind of victory there is!"
She looked to Sebastien for support but he shook his head. "If you're going to justify cheating, maybe you should go and play with your Venncastle friends," he said. "They seem to appreciate that kind of logic."
Mikhail said nothing but wouldn't meet her gaze, and she realised it would be a while before they forgave her for this, if they ever did. She could cope with Daniel being a bad loser, he'd been like that all year – but if the others also thought she'd done something wrong then she needed to think it over.
She got up and left without a word, and walked straight into Raf's room without sparing even a sideways glance for the other lads in his common room, who called out their congratulations as she passed.
He wasn't there so she lay on his bed with her arms tucked behind her head, staring up at the ceiling and wondering whether she'd really blown it this time.
She was dozing off by the time Raf came in and sat on the bed beside her.
"Are you okay, Ellie?"
"I need to know what you think," she said, looking up at him. "They're saying I cheated."
"Who's saying that?"
'It doesn't matter who. Daniel, Sebastien... everyone. But I need to know what you think – have I gone too far this time?"
"Okay, relax. Take a deep breath, and tell me what happened."
"Well, I'd done stage four in both Tracking and Projectiles, and it was getting quite late. I was about to go off in search of a stage five, and then I passed Daniel on his way to Poisons stage three, and I realised what he was doing and that he was going to beat me, so I..." She shook her head, fighting back tears that she couldn't explain. "I watched him, you see, and I read the clue from his stage three token, so I could do stage four Poisons. That's how I won. Do you think that's cheating?"
"You won, didn't you?" He squeezed her hand. "And the alternative was to lose. Faced with that choice, you just did what you needed to do."
"Is it really that simple?"
"Unless you want to make it more complicated. Come on, get up." He pulled her into a sitting position. "Let's go out and celebrate your victory."
"I'm not sure I want to go out."
"You're coming. You'll enjoy yourself once we're there, and you can't claim you need to work right now. Besides, it's spring carnival."
"We could go tomorrow," she suggested, but he shook his head.
"We're going now. Besides, you've got your banquet tomorrow – you won, remember? Come on."
"Do I have time to get changed?" she asked, but he shook his head and pulled her out of the room and down the stairs.
They could hear the distant sounds of the carnival as soon as they got outside, even before they left the academy's grounds, and by the time they made their way to the Marble Quarter they were surrounded by a party in full swing, to the sound of numerous drummers pounding their overlapping rhythms, working together to fill the city with a lively beat. The streets were heaving, not just with visiting revellers but with brightly-dressed dancers gyrating, acrobats balancing in human towers, and jugglers exchanging fire-sticks above the heads of the crowd.
The kind of food stalls usually hidden away in the city's markets and poorer quarters now lined both sides of the road, tucked between the marble columns along with stalls selling all manner of toys and souvenirs. Apparently the city's fanatical cleaners were taking a break for a couple of days. Eleanor took a deep breath, savouring the rich variety of smells as smoke from steamed sausages and grilled fish intermingled with the sweet scents of candied nuts and boiled fruits.
"Wasn't this worth coming out for?" Raf asked.
She nodded, still soaking up the atmosphere, amazed by the transformation which had overtaken the city.
They allowed themselves to be swept along in the sea of people, and Raf disappeared from her sights as the crowds surged forwards. She was skirting up a nearby drainpipe to look for him when he reappeared balancing two overflowing flagons of ale and large bags of deep-fried chicken pieces, char-grilled shrimps, and roasted almonds.
"What are you doing up there?" he asked when he spotted her.
"Looking for you!" She jumped down and helped herself to a handful of nuts. They were still warm from the brazier, and sticky with half-melted sugar which clung to her fingers.
He passed her one of the flagons. "Sometimes I think you should've been an acrobat."
"It'd be fun for about a month," she said, looking up at the nearest human tower, a stack of six young men, each one sitting on the shoulders of the man below. "But I'd get bored of having to do the same thing over and over. At least we get plenty of variety in our training."
They wandered through the streets, allowing the crowds to steer their movement, and rounded the corner into the Grand Square – though they probably wouldn't have recognised it if they hadn't known where they were. The curved steps leading up to the palace gates had been turned into the seats of an amphitheatre, with a temporary stage set up around – and in the case of the highwire, above – the fountain. A large wooden frame built high above the stage supported ropes, rings, and a pair of swinging trapeze bars.
Eleanor and Raf squeezed through the crowd and found space to sit down just as the bells rang out to mark the start
of a new show.
The first performers to take to the stage were two young women on four-foot stilts, dressed in skimpy tasselled outfits, teetering along with spinning plates balanced along their arms.
"They must be cold," Eleanor whispered, shivering at the thought: for all that they were celebrating spring, it was barely past winter, and she wouldn't have wanted to be out without a thick jumper.
Then the music started, and a troupe of brightly-coloured entertainers streamed across the platform, shinning up ropes and posing on the high-wire, jumping from the trapeze and doing cartwheels along the beams, with others stamping or clapping in time to the beat.
Raf and Eleanor leaned forwards to watch, sipping at their drinks as the dancers and acrobats moved across the stage. When the show finished, they got to their feet and cheered along with the rest of the crowd.
As they made their way back into the streets, their attention was caught by a human pyramid.
"Ten dollars if you can get up here!" cried the young acrobat who stood atop nine of his colleagues. "Ten dollars if you can top the pyramid! Only one dollar to try!"
A young man in military dress stopped to take up the challenge, so the acrobat who'd been calling out somersaulted to the ground to take his dollar. The soldier didn't even manage to make it to the second layer of the pyramid, though, as the acrobats jogged and jostled to unsteady him.
"I could do that," Eleanor muttered. "Easy."
"Of course you could," Raf agreed.
"Have you got a dollar?"
"I might have, but you don't need to go up there. You've got nothing to prove."
"That guy's in the Specials – that's where I thought I'd end up." Eleanor tugged at Raf's arm, pulling him towards the acrobats. "I can't believe he fell off."
"Yeah, but he's drunk. And, now I think of it, so are you."
"I want to have a go. It'll be fun – carnivals are all about having some fun! And ten dollars would be nice, I'll buy you another drink when I win..." She slipped one hand into his pocket while she spoke, fishing for change, and came out with a dollar held proudly aloft. "Thank you!"
She heard him sigh, but he didn't try to stop her. She handed the coin to the acrobat, and started her ascent. The acrobats who made up the lower layers of the pyramid were clearly determined to make it as difficult as they could, moving to try and destabilize her, but she dug her fingers into their slippery skin and hauled herself up, finding toe-holds on reluctant hips and shoulders. Eventually, she managed to pull herself to kneel across the shoulders of the pair of acrobats at the top of the stack.
"You see!" she called down to Raf. It looked a very long way down. "I don't need a lousy uniform, do I? Look! I told you I could do it!"
Raf rolled his eyes at her, and beckoned her to come down.
"Now, where's my ten dollars?" she demanded of the acrobat to her left. He pointed down to the young man who'd taken her dollar in the first place. "Where's my ten dollars?" she yelled down, cupping her hands to make sure he heard her.
"You have to stand up, miss," he shouted back. "No money if you can't stand up."
Annoyed that the rules seemed to be changing in front of her eyes, she struggled to her feet, not sure whether the unsteadiness she felt was more a consequence of the alcohol or the constantly-moving tower she was trying to balance on.
"Done! You can pay him." She pointed down at Raf, but the acrobat shook his head.
"You'll have to let go first. You're not standing up properly."
"If you don't give me my money," she said, "I'm going to stand here all night and yell about how it's all a fraud, and you don't want anyone to win."
Her fingers clasped around the hilt of her dagger, but Raf saw her and began to scramble up the pyramid, to the indignant cries of the acrobats.
"Hey! You haven't paid! You need to pay your dollar if you want a turn, mister!"
"I don't want a turn," he said, pulling himself up until his face was level with Eleanor's feet. "I'm just taking my friend home. Come on, Ellie."
"I want my ten dollars!"
"Forget the money. It's time we got you home."
He reached up and took her hand, pulling her downwards until she eventually realised it would be easier to keep her balance if she climbed down by herself. Once her feet were safely back on solid ground, however, she was determined to claim her prize. She marched up to the acrobat who'd taken her dollar, who was still trying to drum up further business.
"I want my ten dollars. You can't say I didn't win."
"Too late now, isn't it? You can't prove you did it."
She lunged forwards but Raf caught her round the waist before she could reach for her knife, and pulled her out of the way.
"Come on, Ellie. It's not worth it."
"I want my money." She struggled against his arms. "I won."
"On the scale of things you've won today, ten dollars is nothing. Come on, let's go home."
"No."
He sighed. "If I let go of you, will you promise to stay still?"
"Why?"
"Just don't go attacking anyone, okay? And I'll get your money."
"Okay."
"Promise?" he asked, still holding her tightly.
"I promise."
"Good." He let go of her waist, turned to the acrobat – who was watching in some amazement – and picked him up by the collar. "Now, are you going to give this young lady her winnings, or am I going to have to report you? I know the city guards really didn't want any trouble tonight, they're busy enough worrying about rebels."
The acrobat paled and reached inside his coat, producing two five-dollar coins. "Didn't mean any offence, sir," he mumbled as he handed them to Eleanor. "Don't want any trouble."
"If you want us to go away quietly, you'd best make it fifteen," Raf said. "Otherwise I'm sure the girl can make good on her promise to drive all your custom away."
The acrobat handed across another five dollars, and Raf let go of his collar before turning back to Eleanor. "Are you ready to go home now?"
"I promised to buy you something."
"Another time." He put his arm around her shoulder and steered her back towards the academy, and she leaned into him for support.
"Are we coming back tomorrow? I think I like the carnival."
"You've got your banquet tomorrow. You won, remember?"
"Oh, that's not going to be fun." She stumbled on a wonky cobblestone, and grabbed hold of him to steady herself. "Dinner with a load of old men who wish I wasn't even here."
"Most people don't feel like that."
"Most of them do."
"If that's true, it's even more important for you to go. Force it home to them how well you're doing."
"But I'd much rather come out with you."
"You'll be fine. Wish I could come, but I'll get Ivan to look after you."
"I don't need looking after!" She pouted her lips in an exaggerated sulk. "I just don't think it's going to be much fun."
"If you think like that, it won't be. Much better to decide to enjoy yourself in spite of anyone who's not on your side – then they'll know they can't touch you."
The celebratory dinner was to be held in the Association's main banquet hall, and Eleanor was determined not to be late. She pulled her favourite emerald gown out of her closet, slipped her stilettos into the bodice sheathes, and stepped into the skirt. She'd just finished tightening the laces of the corset when a knock at the door disturbed her.
"Who is it?" she called, reaching for her comb. "I'm a bit busy!"
"Your escort for the evening," came the reply. "Don't hurry yourself, I'll make myself comfortable out here."
By the time she opened the door, he'd already settled himself in one of the common room chairs.
"Ivan! What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to escort you to your banquet, when you're ready."
"Did Raf send you? Because I'm going to kill him, I told him I didn't need any kind of special treatment, I'm fine.
I'm just doing my hair."
"No special treatment," Ivan said. "I'm just going to walk you across. And no, Raf didn't 'send' me, I don't know where you've got that from."
"Okay, never mind. I won't be long."
She closed the door again and leaned against the wall, trying to decide whether she believed him. What were the chances he'd come of his own volition, only a day after Raf had threatened to make him look after her? It didn't seem all that likely. Still, there was nothing she could do about it now.
She ran the comb through her hair, stained her lips, and straightened her skirt. Once she was sure she looked presentable, she went out to where Ivan was waiting.
"Ready?" he checked.
"Ready."
It was over a mile to the banquet hall from the student accommodation block where Eleanor had her room, and she had to hitch up her skirt to stop it trailing in the mud as they walked.
"So who's going to be there tonight?" she asked.
"Everyone who's in town," Ivan said. "Well, apart from the other students, of course. But all the academy's instructors, most of the council, and everyone else in the Association who isn't working on something away from Almont."
"And yet you really expect me to believe, out of all those people, you just came to fetch me because you felt like it?"
He hesitated for a moment. "Do you want me to be honest with you?"
"Always."
"You mustn't blame Raf, though – this has nothing to do with him."
"Okay." She'd reserve judgement on whether she believed him until after she'd heard his story.
"The thing is, this is going to be an uncomfortable evening for some people, and I'd prefer it not to be uncomfortable for you when you should be celebrating. Some of my colleagues don't appreciate that a woman might be doing as well as you've done. I hope I can insulate you from a part of that."
"Well, that's sweet of you, but I really don't need insulating. They're all going to have to get used to me sooner or later. I do intend to win, you know."
"And of course everyone will come round, given time, but these things are slow to change. I can do small things that may help, even if it's just to make sure you sit with people who'll be friendly, this one evening. Let the dissenters see you from a distance this time. You'll have plenty of chances to get to know them later."
"And you're sure Raf didn't put you up to this?"
"He didn't have to. Besides, I know the lay of the land in these parts better than he does, and I know you shouldn't be worrying about it tonight. This one's for you to enjoy. The politics can wait."
They walked on in silence for a little longer before Eleanor asked, "Did you hear anything about what happened in the contest?"
"Aside from your impressive score, you mean?"
"Did you hear how I got that score?" She wasn't sure if Daniel had made any official complaints.
"Three themes at stage four, wasn't it? Which is very good going, Eleanor. Very good indeed. I helped set up the Projectiles tasks, of course, and I did wonder if you'd go right to the end – you would've loved the seventh challenge, it was beautiful."
"You said something to me once about making our own rules," she said. "I think I might have redefined the contest rules, just a little."
"How so?"
"You're not supposed to be able to do the higher levels without completing the the level below, right?"
"That's right."
She wondered if she was making a mistake to trust him, but Raf had almost convinced her it was fine. She just wanted a second opinion before sitting down to celebrate her victory.
"But that's not actually what's enforced. What you actually need is to read the clue from the lower level."
"It's the same thing. Getting the token – the clue – is completing the task. There's no other definition. If you find an easy way to get one of them, that's just skill."
"Even if you read the clue over someone else's shoulder?"
He paused in the middle of the path, silent. She stood a few feet away and watched him, waiting for the words that could exonerate or condemn her, hoping she'd judged him correctly.
"I saw the chance and I took it," she said when the silence had gone on too long.
"How many people know this?" he asked, quietly.
"That's partly what I wanted to find out. Not many, it seems. Daniel, Mikhail, Sebastien, Raf... and now you."
"I'd keep it that way, if you can. Speaking personally, I'm nothing but impressed, but there are some who'd take it less well."
"Albert will know there's something wrong, though. There was no way I could've done four Poisons tasks, it would've taken me months."
"But you did stage four?"
"Yes."
"That's not a trivial achievement – especially since it's your least favourite subject. You've every right to feel proud of yourself. And I doubt it would even occur to Albert to wonder whether you really did all the tasks. You had the token, therefore you did it."
"Do you think I'll be in trouble, then? If word gets round?"
"In trouble? No. I just think you'll be unpopular in some circles."
"I already am."
"Different circles. Trust me, the same people think very poorly of me. I'm probably being silly, though – these things always get out. It would just be better for you if it didn't get out until later." He put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's put the whole thing out of our minds – we've got some serious celebrating to do."
The banqueting hall was as vast as she'd remembered it, but it was laid out differently tonight. Unlike at Jon and Victor's graduation dinner, there was no student table this evening, and no separate table for the council. Instead, the tables were arranged in one huge rectangular formation around the room. Ivan steered Eleanor to her designated seat next to Ragal, and took the chair to her left for himself.
"Congratulations," he said, pouring a generous amount of wine into her tumbler. "You've earned it."
"Have I?"
"Even more than you could imagine."