The Test

  “Aamir, do you remember how to build a portal, from the way Lintz did it?” he asked.

  Aamir nodded. “I should be able to figure it out.”

  “Good. I’m going to need you to reopen the portal to Stillwater, while Ellabell and I go on ahead. We’ll meet you there,” Alex said, leaving no room for negotiation.

  “With pleasure.” Aamir took the bag of essence from Alex.

  “We’ll keep these rapscallions at bay!” Agatha whooped, though Vincent didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic.

  “We shall certainly do our best not to let any miscreants sneak through after you,” Vincent said with a dry smile.

  The trio looked like a paltry defense squad, but Alex knew there was more power between them than met the eye.

  “If you need to use the essence to defend yourselves and the portal, you do it, okay?” Alex insisted.

  Aamir smiled. “Always the worrier. You needn’t be—the three of us have got this. Go on, there’s no time to lose.”

  Patting his friend hard on the back, Alex took off down the hallway, with Ellabell sprinting close beside him. They ducked and weaved away from the remaining attackers, though their numbers seemed to be dwindling. They passed small piles of sleeping individuals, who had evidently been on the receiving end of Agatha and Vincent’s wrath. Alex’s thought of the shiv-wielding ruffians sparked into his mind—there would be more prisoners to contend with. Hopefully, the necromancer and the wild-eyed hippie would see to them, in due course.

  Heading back up to the turret, Alex and Ellabell took the steps three at a time, bursting out onto the open platform, their cheeks red with exertion. Storm chirped and rested on her haunches without seeking their permission first. There was a glimmer of understanding in her eyes, as if she knew there was only one reason they would be sprinting so fast.

  “We need to go to Stillwater,” Alex said, pausing in front of her.

  Storm chirruped, dipping her head in acknowledgement.

  “Thank you,” Alex whispered, stroking the smooth feathers of her face before jumping up onto her back in one smooth, expert movement. He was getting good at this flying business. Ellabell seemed to be too, as she took hold of the protrusions by Storm’s shoulders and pulled her knees up like a jockey.

  A moment later, they were diving from the turret, then rising on a hot current of air. The next minute, they were speeding along, Alex recognizing the familiar feeling that came just before they slipped through a barrier between realms. It was like spinning too fast on an amusement park ride, a great pressure rising through the body, pushed outwards by the centrifugal force. Everything felt heavy and light, all at once, as if he were about to be flung away at any second, like a ragdoll.

  With the stretch and strain of the landscape, Storm emerged into a world that set Alex’s nerves on edge. It seemed like forever ago that they had made their escape from this place, from the cruel beauty of Stillwater House. Below, the vast lake sparkled, shrouding the sight of the skulls beneath the water. It didn’t make them any less visible to Alex’s mind as they swooped low, passing across it, the steady beat of Storm’s wings rippling the surface.

  The bright walls of Stillwater rushed ever closer, the white stone adorned with vibrant flowers. Their perfume clung to Alex’s senses, reviving his memories of the school. It hadn’t changed at all—it was still one of the most stunning buildings he had ever seen, resting close to the shore of the sparkling lake. It was only the inside that was ugly.

  Storm curved upward, landing on the outer battlements of the villa, her talons crumbling the stone edge. She had landed just above the training courtyard, where Alex and Jari had caught sight of Helena for the first time, and it was a bittersweet return. For a short while, they had found safety for the first time since setting foot through the gate of Spellshadow Manor, but Alex knew it could never have lasted. Careful not to put a foot wrong, he got down from Storm’s back, reaching out to steady Ellabell as she teetered on the ledge.

  “We should get to Helena—she’ll know where her mother might go,” he whispered, glancing at the courtyard below. There didn’t seem to be any movement in the cloisters that framed the square, nor did any voices float up from the hallways beyond. It made Alex nervous, not knowing what state the school was in; he couldn’t gauge a thing from the walls.

  “Hopefully, we got here ahead of her,” Ellabell said.

  Alex sighed. “I really hope so.”

  They scrambled down the side of the wall and hurried through the semi-familiar hallways of Stillwater House, in search of Helena. They came across nobody they could ask as they ran through the labyrinth, heading for the refectory. In any school, be it ordinary or magical, Alex assumed it was almost a guarantee that there would be people in the cafeteria. On the surface, nothing seemed amiss. There was no clash of energies, or shouts of warring students—just a disconcerting peace that drifted throughout the place.

  Alex and Ellabell burst through the doors of the refectory. A series of surprised faces turned in their direction. If Alypia was here, it didn’t appear the Headmistress had created too much chaos. Nobody seemed to be jumping into action, which gave Alex hope that they were not too late. The most surprised faces were those of Natalie and Jari, their expressions quickly turning to ones of delight as they saw their dear friends. Helena was there too, though she was in deep conversation with a red-haired girl who looked extremely familiar. It was only when Natalie nudged her in the arm that Helena turned her attention to the new arrivals.

  “Alex? Ellabell? How did you get here?” the silver-haired girl asked, charging over to them. “Not that I’m not pleased to see you, it’s just that we didn’t receive a message of your arrival.”

  Alex grimaced. “No, you wouldn’t have. We got here another way—I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to search this place from top to bottom. Your mother is here. She escaped from Kingstone and closed the portal behind her. Aamir is building another one, but we need to get to Alypia before she summons her father,” he explained in rapid fire.

  Helena’s face fell. “She’s here?”

  “That’s our guess. There’s nowhere else she could have gone,” said Ellabell. “Do you know where she might go, to call her father?”

  Helena nodded. “Follow me. There’s only one place she could go to contact Julius.”

  As Helena strode toward the doors of the refectory, Alex glanced back at the room, and marveled at the numbers within. It seemed that most of the student body was gathered in one place, and all appeared to be rallying to the cause. And, although they were still striking in their appearance, Alex felt as if they’d lost some of the otherworldly sheen that had been placed upon them, shrouding the real beauty beneath. All except Helena herself, who was just as beautiful as she had been when they had parted ways, though he knew better than to vocalize that particular thought.

  “You managed to rally them all?” Alex asked as they sped along.

  Helena nodded. “Those who wouldn’t comply are in the school dungeons.” The comment took Alex aback for a moment; this wasn’t the same sweet-natured girl they had left behind, and Alex wondered what newfound darkness lay beneath her pretty surface.

  “You locked them up?” said Ellabell, dumbfounded.

  The silver-haired girl looked bashful for a second. “Only if they were being truly disruptive,” she replied, her voice softening. “Most came around to the idea pretty easily, once my mother’s magic began to wear off, but there were a few who flat-out refused to join the cause. Rather than have them running off, telling someone who might try to stop us, I felt it best to put them away. They are safe, and are being well taken care of, I assure you. I have not turned into my mother.” She smiled, and Alex could see that it was the truth. Nothing in her was twisted up, the way it was on her mother’s face.

  “You had me worried for a moment there,” Alex said.

  “I’m still me,” Helena assured him.

  Jari bounded in front of Alex, evidently
trying to distract him from his lady love. “How are things at Falleaf, anyway? Don’t keep us in suspense, dude!”

  Alex smiled tightly. “It’s been… weird. Hadrian has been helping us out, but things have gotten tense. We found the book, but the spell requires the blood of a royal. I tried to get Venus to come down to see Hadrian, but Julius came with her. Needless to say, it all got messed up, and we are still shy several drops of royal blood.”

  “But you have the book?” Natalie asked.

  Alex nodded. “There were challenges to complete, but we made it through, and we got it. It’s at Falleaf now—we thought it’d be better off there for now, until we’re ready. There are too many places it could go missing.”

  “Would Helena’s blood not work?” she wondered.

  Alex glanced between Natalie and Helena. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, she has royal blood running in her veins, right? Could you not simply use her blood instead?” Natalie elaborated.

  Alex shook his head. “It’s not just any royal blood, actually. The book said it had to be from the king or queen.”

  “That’s a shame. I’d have been happy to donate whatever you needed,” Helena said remorsefully.

  She wasn’t the only one feeling regret. Surely, the blood running in the king and queen’s veins was the same blood that ran in Helena’s, or at least similar enough. Alex kept the idea in his mind, just in case it became the only option they had.

  “Lintz didn’t make it out of the place where we got the book, by the way,” Alex murmured, knowing it had to be said. A gasp went up from the others. “He gave his life so we could have it.”

  “No! No, not the professor!” Jari yelped.

  “Lintz is dead?” Natalie whispered, her eyes glittering with new-sprung tears. “How can he be dead? Did someone kill him? You tell me who did this and I will—”

  Alex cut her off gently. “It was voluntary. He did it because there was no other option… I still can’t believe he’s really gone. I keep expecting to turn around and find him there, tinkering away with some bit of clockwork.”

  “Lintz was a good guy… a true hero. One of the best,” Jari added solemnly, wiping his eyes.

  Alex nodded. “He was, and it’s because of what he did, because of the book, that we were coming here in the first place, Helena—to see if you knew of any way to infiltrate the royal circle, so we might get our hands on some of the queen’s blood,” Alex explained. “We figured Julius would be too tricky, so we thought Venus might be our best target. If we hadn’t run into the carnage that’s still going on at Kingstone, that’s what we’d have been doing.” He sighed reluctantly.

  “Wait, what carnage?” Helena asked, another troubled expression darkening her face.

  Alex nodded. “We have people taking care of it, but there are a lot of prisoners on the loose. I kind of hoped we could all help clear up the mess, once we get your mother back into custody. If Aamir manages to get the portal back open, it shouldn’t be too difficult to take back control.”

  “Do you think she killed my messengers?” Helena whispered, her voice laced in sadness.

  “In order to conceal her arrival at Stillwater House, I wouldn’t put it past her,” Ellabell murmured, resting a friendly hand on Helena’s shoulder.

  Helena’s pale eyes flashed with sudden steeliness. “They were just kids. This can’t be allowed to go unpunished—none of this can.”

  The silver-haired girl quickened her pace, with Alex and the others hurrying to keep up. Glancing around, Alex realized where they were headed, and knew it would have been his first port of call too. It was the route he had taken a few times before, after being booted out of Alypia’s glass office.

  A shiver ran up his spine as he pictured Alypia with her torn face, creeping her way through the old hallways she undoubtedly knew like the back of her hand. While they had been discussing tactics and maneuvers, Alypia had been slithering from shadow to shadow through Stillwater, in search of vengeance, wanting to bring down the royal rage upon the unruly havens.

  Alex just hoped their time hadn’t run out.

  Chapter 24

  Helena stormed up the steps toward the vast double doors that led onto the office. She didn’t bother to knock, just pushed them wide open. Alex and the others followed her.

  Alex had forgotten how beautiful Alypia’s office was, with the early evening glow of fading sunlight pouring in through the endless windows. Exotic trees and coiling vines still grew in abundance, showing off the plump fruit that had swollen to ripeness in the heat, though it was clear they had been somewhat neglected of late. Where ordinarily they would have been trimmed and primped, the plants were overgrowing, the creepers and roots stretching toward the huge marble desk that stood in front of the lake-view window. On one tree, Alex saw a lemon that looked about the size of a baby’s head. Evidently, nobody was keeping up with the caretaker duties, not even Siren Mave.

  I refuse to think about her, he told himself as he edged farther into the room.

  He froze.

  There was something moving among the trees. It was hard to make out at first, but a shard of sunlight revealed the unmistakable sheen of impossibly white hair.

  Alypia lunged toward the desk, where the top drawer lay open, revealing a large red orb within. Not knowing who had been coming, Alypia had clearly thought she could hide until they left again, but upon seeing that it was Alex and his friends, she must have realized she had been backed into a corner, and she had left her treasure out in the open. The object she seemed intent on reaching looked like the biggest ruby Alex had ever seen, attached to a frame of metalwork that had been shaped to look like a queen bee, with golden wings emerging from the multifaceted surface.

  Before Alypia could reach the gem, however, Helena had darted forward and snatched it away.

  “Give me that!” Alypia snarled.

  “You will not ruin everything, not this time,” Helena replied fiercely.

  “You think these idiots are your friends? They would betray you in a heartbeat, if it meant they could get what they wanted,” Alypia spat. “You have always been naïve, Helena, but I never thought you would end up being such a disappointment. You are every bit your father’s daughter—he was weak, just like you.”

  “At every turn, you meet the world with cruelty and violence,” Helena hissed, her voice trembling. “Where you should show compassion, you show disdain. Where you should have taught me empathy, you taught me to manipulate. Perhaps I am more like my father, and I am glad to be so!”

  “That is precisely what he would have said!” Alypia snapped. “He made you soft, spoiling you, coddling you. It was hardly a surprise that he got himself killed for his kindness. I made you tough. You think you could stand here now, trying to face off against me, if I had not taught you to be fearless?”

  Helena glowered. “You have had nothing to do with making me the woman I am today. Maybe that’s why you hated my father so much—because he loved me and treasured me in a way yours never could! You’re both as heartless as each other.”

  Alex watched as angry tears sprang to Helena’s eyes, but it didn’t look like she was backing down anytime soon. Leadership suited her, and had clearly given her a taste for strength. Mother and daughter circled one another, stepping out of the way of the tangled roots that snaked across the floor.

  “Give me that orb!” Alypia boomed.

  Helena backed away, clutching the ruby queen bee even tighter. “I won’t let you run to him, just to bring destruction down on everything we are trying to build. You have all been on this earth too long, and you have forgotten that it belongs to the young. It isn’t yours anymore—you had your chance, and you all chose to go to war. Now, it’s our turn. Just imagine what might have happened if you’d asked us, if you’d bothered to wonder whether we’d be willing to give up some part of ourselves for the cause of saving everyone. I imagine you’d have been surprised by the response,” she said softly.

  W
hatever effect Alypia’s magic had had on the students of Stillwater, Alex could see that it was long gone. In its place, stronger, brighter, bolder students had emerged, if Helena was anything to go by.

  “I am your mother,” Alypia said, her voice low. “You will hand that over to me, or you will suffer the consequences.”

  Helena shook her head. “I will not let you summon him.”

  Without warning, Alypia rose to her full height, twisting her hands rapidly in the air. Golden light shot from her palms, surging toward Helena, who ducked out of the way just in time. Scorch marks appeared on the wall behind her, where the explosion impacted. Undeterred, Alypia tried again, feeding swift-moving strands of golden energy toward her daughter. This time, they did not miss their mark—they took hold, binding Helena, squeezing her like a boa constrictor.

  No matter how tightly the glittering strands were pulled, Helena would not release her hold on the queen bee. Alex stepped up to try to help defend Helena, while Jari crept around one side, approaching the fight from a different direction. Natalie and Ellabell skirted around the opposite edge of the room, trying to form a circle around mother and daughter.

  “Stop!” Helena shouted over her shoulder. “This isn’t your fight!”

  The group stepped back, keeping to the walls, though it wasn’t a sight any of them felt comfortable watching. Alypia was, quite literally, squeezing the life out of Helena, her twist of golden magic digging into her daughter’s skin.

  A violent explosion rippled through the office, sending Alex and the others flying backwards, as the glass overhead shattered into a million pieces, collapsing like shimmering rainfall onto the floor and the people standing beneath. Ellabell sent up a barrier, covering Natalie, though it didn’t manage to reach Jari, who hadn’t thought fast enough and had to make do with his arms for protection.