The Test

  “Well, on your own head be it,” Ceres snarled, folding her arms. “If our uncle decides to make a surprise visit, you’ll be royally screwed, and I won’t dig you out of the mess you’ve made this time. He’s already freaking out about not having enough, and you go giving it away, willy-nilly.”

  “These young people are the b-best chance our race has, Ceres. I won’t waste that opportunity by being cautious—p-prudence never gets anyone anywhere,” Hadrian replied, making Alex feel warmer toward the white-haired man, especially as he looked like he might pass out at any moment.

  Ceres snorted. “I thought you were Captain Cautious? You telling me you’ve finally grown a pair? I’ll believe it if you can say Julius’s name without shaking in your boots.”

  Hadrian gave his sister a withering look. “Julius! See, no problem,” he said, though his knuckles had gone white with the strain.

  With that, Hadrian plucked two large drawstring bags from one of the shelves and began to fill them with bottles. Ceres watched with a look of deep displeasure on her face.

  Alex picked up one of the nearby bottles, and let the memories come to him. Instead of bursting into his mind, as they usually did, the remembrances of the person these belonged to trickled into his head, the visions fragmented and missing whole sections. It made sense, given that they contained only half a person’s energy, but Alex found it more troubling than any other bottle he had previously picked up. These bottles were desperately sad.

  “I think you’re making a mistake,” she remarked as Hadrian shoved the last of the bottles into the second bag.

  “You’ll see that I’m not,” Hadrian replied, his stutter all but gone.

  “Where do the Falleaf students come from?” Aamir asked, evidently trying to break the tension between brother and sister.

  “Why do you care? You’re taking their essence without so much as a second thought,” Ceres sniped.

  Aamir shook his head. “I assure you, I care deeply about the origins and fates of these individuals. I have been close to being where they are myself. You don’t forget something like that,” he said softly.

  This seemed to stun Ceres for a moment. “You were at a haven?”

  “We were students at Spellshadow Manor,” Aamir explained.

  “You broke out?”

  Aamir nodded. “We did, and now we mean to put an end to all of this.”

  “Well… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you,” she said, relenting. “The students come from the non-magical world, and from the ordinary magical folk who still reside in the magical realm. Anyone not lucky enough to be a noble, basically.”

  “They come from the non-magical world too?” Ellabell cut in, her face showing her keen interest.

  “Those who were hunted down and put onto a register—yes, their children come here, though they are picked through a set-out system. It’s usually the first-born of the family,” Ceres explained. “It’s the same with the ordinary mages in the magical world too. Whoever is unlucky enough to be born first gets a death sentence.”

  “I thought you said they didn’t die?” Alex remarked.

  Ceres gave a wry smile. “For some, it might be kinder. Recovery from splitting your soul in half is not an easy road, and the result differs from person to person. Some can be as fine as they were before it happened, with the odd pang from time to time, while others never properly heal. They become walking ghosts, always in pain, barely saying a word, a listless look in their eyes. Again, luck of the draw.”

  Alex was horrified. Even the alternative was no better than death, if recovery failed. He wondered where these people were being held—a safe place had been mentioned, but its location had yet to be disclosed. Alex supposed he could understand that, considering what might happen if anyone found out where the safe place was. He couldn’t imagine it would end well for Hadrian and his sister if Julius found out they’d been smuggling mages out for years, taking only half their essence each time.

  “Haven’t they noticed the essence here is so much weaker?” he enquired, glancing up into the white eye of Ceres.

  She scoffed. “They’re too arrogant for their own good, especially my uncle. He thinks this is just the potency of underlings. I don’t think he’s questioned it once—odd, considering he prides himself on his vast intellect.” A nasty look passed over her features, as if she’d sniffed something bad. Alex had a feeling Julius garnered that reaction from a lot of people.

  “Two bags of essence—will that be enough?” Hadrian asked, holding up the weighty-looking sacks.

  Alex nodded. “That should be plenty for what we have in mind. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Well, now you’ve come and taken what you wanted, maybe you should all go—take your thanks and leave,” Ceres said tartly. “You’re keeping me from my work.”

  “It’s fine, Ceres. We’re going.” Hadrian sighed, passing one of the sacks to Alex, while shouldering the other himself. “And if Julius comes, I promise I won’t drag you into my mess,” he added, with equal tartness, before moving toward the passageway, and the exit to the cave.

  “I hope you don’t regret this!” she called, her voice echoing around the rocks.

  “I won’t,” he muttered.

  Alex and the others followed Hadrian up to the cave mouth. Unable to help himself, Alex turned back toward the cavernous room, only to find that Ceres had disappeared.

  Chapter 18

  After leaving the cave, Alex paused. With the essence already in his possession, it didn’t seem right to waste time heading back to Falleaf House, but there was something that needed to be done before he could make his way to Kingstone, to pass on the message to Stillwater.

  “Hadrian?”

  The white-haired man turned. “Is everything all right?”

  Alex shifted the bag on his shoulder. “I need to ask that other favor of you.”

  Hadrian grimaced. “You want me to invite Venus to c-come here?”

  “You could summon her on the pretense of discussing how you might go about enrolling more students to collect more essence, or something like that,” Alex said. “I’m sure she’ll come down and speak with you if you make it sound like she’ll benefit.”

  Hadrian flashed him a dubious look. “Venus and I have always been on g-good terms, but even so, I am not sure how quickly she will respond to my summons. They work on their own t-time, at court, and she will come only when she feels like it. If it seems like something that might b-bore her, she’ll stay away longer. If it’s something that might give her a much-needed break from J-Julius, she might arrive sooner.” He winced as he stumbled over his uncle’s name, and Alex couldn’t help feeling sorry for the white-haired man.

  Alex couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to be around the king for longer than was absolutely necessary, but he supposed there was more to Julius and Venus’s relationship than met the eye. Perhaps she did love him, though Alex struggled to believe anyone could care for such a vile specimen as Julius.

  She’d have to be just as bad, he mused.

  “Days or weeks—it doesn’t matter, as long as she comes eventually,” Alex said. “Once she’s here, and we’ve retrieved the blood from her, we can send a message through to the others, to let them know that we’re good to go.”

  Hadrian glanced at Alex in surprise. “Blood?”

  Alex nodded. “We need it for the spell, Hadrian,” he urged.

  “If I send the call as soon as I return to the p-pagoda, you should still have plenty of time to visit Kingstone,” Hadrian promised, punctuated by an anxious gulp.

  “I’ll come with you,” Ellabell insisted, resting her hand on Alex’s arm. Alex could see there was no point in objecting; there was a defiance on her face that he knew not to argue with, not anymore. He had learned his lesson.

  Aamir chimed in. “I’ll stay here, to keep an eye on things—speaking of which, we should arrange a backup plan, just in case. A warning of some sort, to call you back from Kingstone if somethi
ng happens, or Venus arrives earlier than expected.”

  “Have you still got the beetle beacon on you?” Ellabell asked.

  Alex nodded, retrieving it. “Do you have yours, Aamir?”

  The older boy fished around in his pocket for a moment before removing a second beacon. “I knew I’d kept it!” he said, triumphant.

  “If we can sync them, we can make it so that when you press the button in the middle, it will set mine off, calling us back,” Alex explained, but Aamir was already ahead of the curve. The older boy reached for the beacon in Alex’s hands, putting them side by side. A few seconds later, he was twisting his fingers this way and that, weaving golden strands into the two clockwork objects. They both burned brightly for a moment as the magic settled within them.

  “They should be twinned now. I’ll try it out,” Aamir said, handing Alex’s back to him.

  As soon as the small beacon was in Alex’s hand, Aamir pressed the central button on his. A loud siren pierced the air. Alex smothered the clockwork object with his hands in a futile attempt to get it to stop. Eventually, he resorted to anti-magic, pushing enough of it through to silence the eardrum-shattering shriek of the beetle. Once it was quiet, Aamir refilled the mechanism. There would be no missing that sound, if it went off.

  “Okay, so you’ll definitely summon Venus?” Alex asked, turning his attention back to Hadrian.

  The royal nodded, his face pale. “I will d-do it as soon as I return to the pagoda. She can only be called from my study.”

  “Could you keep hold of one of the bags of essence?” Alex asked Aamir. “We’ll only need this one, to give to the others. There’s no point carrying both all the way there, just to carry one back again.”

  Aamir nodded. “No problem.”

  “Right then, looks like we’re good to go,” Ellabell said brightly.

  After a brief farewell, Alex and Ellabell set off through the forest. All around them, everything was eerily still, with only the odd rustle to make his pulse quicken. It made the whole place seem ominous, the trees looming in on them. He’d become pretty good at spotting the signs of snares hiding among the foliage, his senses on high alert, listening for the buzz and thrum of nearby perils. Pretty soon he could see a gap on the horizon where the forest ended, giving way to rolling fields.

  Alex was eager to return to Kingstone. He hadn’t really allowed his thoughts to dwell too much on the state he’d left Caius and Vincent in, but the thought of them returned to him in a sudden flood of trepidation. He didn’t even know if either of them was alive, and, if they weren’t, he had no idea who might be running the show. Alypia had been restrained by her shackles, but the woman was crafty, and Alex knew she’d get out, if given half a chance.

  “We’re nearly there,” he said, flushing as Ellabell reached to take his hand in hers. It was nice, her skin warm and comforting to the touch.

  “I’ve barely had a moment alone with you,” she murmured, shyly turning her gaze toward the trees.

  He smiled. “I know… We never really had a proper reunion, what with Lintz and Aamir being there. I didn’t think I could kiss you in front of my teacher,” he joked.

  “I wouldn’t have minded,” she replied, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

  They came to a halt. “Perhaps I can make up for it now?” he said.

  His heart was pounding as he turned her toward him, holding her close. She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. All he wanted to do was kiss her, and let her know how much he had missed her. He longed to tell her that it was the thought of her that had spurred him on, driven him to find a way back to them, but, standing in front of her, he found himself once again tongue-tied.

  A kiss tells more than words ever could, he thought to himself. He slowly leaned toward her.

  Just as their lips were about to meet, a loud squawk shattered the moment, followed by the thunder of heavy feet as Storm came barreling toward them. Ellabell jumped back, startled, and Alex stood between the charging Thunderbird and the girl he loved.

  “Storm, stop!” he yelled. “I’m fine!”

  The Thunderbird skidded to a stop, her intelligent eyes flashing toward Ellabell, scrutinizing her. With a loud chirrup, she took a step closer, forcing Alex to move toward her, his hands raised in a gesture of peace. Slowly, he approached her, until he was close enough to stroke the smooth feathers at the side of her face. She chirped again, the sound softer this time.

  “Wait, is this the Thunderbird?” Ellabell asked, her mouth agape.

  Alex nodded. “She is—her name is Storm.”

  “And you really flew on her?” Ellabell gasped.

  “I did,” he said proudly.

  “And we’re really going to fly to Kingstone? I mean, I knew that was the plan, but I suppose I never really thought she’d exist until I set eyes on her… She’s a beauty,” Ellabell murmured, awestruck.

  Alex grinned. “I figured we may as well save the essence for when it’s really necessary. Storm can get us there just fine, no need for the hassle of portal-building.”

  Ellabell squealed. “I can’t believe it! We’re really flying there!”

  “If you’re happy to, and Storm is happy to, then that’s what we’re going to do,” he replied. “What do you think, Storm? You happy to fly us back to Kingstone?”

  The bird chirped brightly.

  “Does that mean yes?” Ellabell asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.

  “I think it might.” Alex smiled. “But, first, you have to hold your palm out flat, to allow her to give her permission,” he instructed, showing Ellabell what to do. As mad as he was with Storm for ruining their romantic moment, he was pleased to see Ellabell so excited about the trip they were about to take.

  Ellabell did as she was told, and waited as Storm examined her. Eventually, the Thunderbird dipped her head and rested her beak in the middle of Ellabell’s palm, tapping it gently. Ellabell grinned, taking a moment to stroke the soft feathers of the Thunderbird’s head. If Storm minded, she didn’t give any indication, only a quiet chirp of satisfaction.

  As soon as Alex had done the same, they were ready to depart. Ellabell mounted first, clutching the two bone handles that Alex pointed out to her and scooting her knees up to the base of Storm’s neck. Alex hopped on after, putting his arms around Ellabell so that he, too, could reach the two handles. They were sitting very close to one another, with the bag of essence sandwiched between them, and her proximity made him grin like an idiot. It was nice to be so close to her, after so long of having to keep a friendly distance.

  As they walked to an open space, Alex realized he’d never actually taken off with Storm from flat ground; it had always been the mountainside. For a moment, he wasn’t sure how Storm was going to do it, but, just as he was beginning to doubt his plan, the Thunderbird once again proved her awesome power. She started with a jog, her two strong legs moving steadily under her, her wings spreading out wide. Seconds later, she was sprinting faster than anything Alex had ever experienced, her legs pounding the ground, her wings arched, her head stretched forward to make her more streamlined as Alex and Ellabell hung on for dear life.

  Catching a current, she lifted suddenly, like an airplane rising off the tarmac, and the next thing Alex knew, they were soaring. Once they were up high enough, she began to beat her wings, bringing power to their flight.

  It was as exhilarating as the first time, if not more so, and Alex couldn’t wipe the joy off his face. Ellabell was grinning too, closing her eyes as the wind whipped her face.

  “This is amazing!” she cried.

  “It really is,” Alex replied, yelling to be heard over the sound of the wind rushing past. He knew he might as well enjoy the fun, while he had the chance. “Okay, Storm, to Kingstone!” he whooped, as the Thunderbird rocketed through the sky.

  With a whoosh, the world began to bend.

  Chapter 19

  The fabric of the realms stretched and strained around the flying form of Storm, before snappin
g back with a brisk rush of air. They appeared above the open plains, the sparkle of water visible in the distance and the swaying tops of the surrounding forests rustling beneath them. Off to the left, the jagged rise of the strange mountain range was still visible, the spires and towers shining as the golden afternoon light bounced off the metal. Upon a second viewing, Alex was convinced it had something to do with the noble elite, keeping the upper echelons safe, but well out of the way of any riff-raff who inhabited the other parts of the realms.

  “What just happened?” Ellabell asked, breathless.

  Alex grinned. “Storm just took us through the barrier between realms. Pretty cool, right?”

  “Understatement of the century!” she whooped, as Storm settled into a steady rhythm, heading toward the rise of the keep, just visible on the horizon.

  They neared the familiar structure, and Alex was pleased to see that very little had changed. It didn’t look chaotic, at least not from the outside. A sudden doubt hit him as to where he was going to land Storm, especially if he was going to have to smuggle Ellabell inside. She couldn’t simply travel up to the keep, as he could, considering the barrier that smothered the place. The Thunderbird, however, had no such fears, her course never wavering as she swept up onto the turret where Alex had performed his first successful attempt at magical travel. The rusty-colored fog that surrounded the keep didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest, her feathered body soaring through it with ease before her sturdy feet touched down on the stone surface of the turret. Alex braced for the release of red fog, but it didn’t come. Whatever magical energy Storm possessed, it didn’t appear to alert the barrier at all, and had kept Ellabell’s from detection too.

  “You are quite the creature, aren’t you?” he murmured, patting the side of the Thunderbird’s silky neck.