“
Just tell me. I can take
it.”
“
He's using the magic from not just
tarnished, but servants and lower class women, as a source of
electrici
ty
.”
I think I'm going to be sick. “How could he
do that? Why would he do that?”
“
I don't know. I just don't
know.”
Chapter
Twenty-Two
O
ver the next
few days, more people continue to trickle in. People who need a
place to stay or are outcasts now like us. We take them in and give
them a place to stay and chores to do. It takes a lot of work to
keep this many people f
ed
and
happy. Luckily, the house is stocked for such an event with canned
food, but I don't know how long it can last with so many of us
eating it.
Only one person comes that I was never
expecting. I stare at Phyllis, the girl who betrayed Serena in the
hopes of not becoming tarnished herself. Sure, Serena forgave her,
and Zade kept her working at his house to keep an eye on her. That
doesn't mean I trust her now.
“
How did you come to be here?” I ask
her.
“
There was a group of people I joined.
Chadwick came to them with Jack, and I recognized him. I thought
this would be a safe place for me.” Her eyes are wide like she's
scared.
“
It will be safe.” I move closer to
her, for once using my height to intimidate someone. “But that's
only if you follow the rules and stay true to us.”
“
I will,” she says. “I swear
it.”
I let her go with the others, finding places
for them all over the cave to settle. At least everyone is willing
to pitch in and help. But that doesn't solve the other problem.
“
There's too many people here. We're
going to get caught,” I say.
Jack has a 'no one listened to me' look on
his face.
“
We can't very well turn them away,”
Serena says.
“
I'm not suggesting that at all. Only,
we can't risk everyone's lives even more by continually bringing in
people we don't have the means of supporting. Unless we start
taking them to other countries, I don't see what other options we
have.”
“
Do you think they'll go?” Lukas
asks.
“
We can ask at least,” I
say.
Jack looks like he wants to say something,
but it takes him a moment to finally speak. “There's another
option.”
“
Turn them away, we know,” Chadwick
says. “We've been over this.”
Jack grumbles. “I meant something else.”
“
What is it?” I ask.
“
There's this place. It's a little
ways away from here, closer to Councilman Daniel's house, or his
previous house now. There's a hidden cave, but it's giant and has
fresh water. We would still need to figure a way to get food for
them. And it would probably still be a good idea to take those out
of the country that can and want to go. But the cave would be
better than this at least.”
No one speaks as we all absorb the new
information. If this had been when we first met, I would have
suspected him of trying to get us captured. But Annabelle's old
house probably isn't being carefully watched like it was before.
There'd be enough room to slowly sneak people there, I think.
Besides, if these people want to stay in Chardonia, none of our
safe houses are big enough. We have to give this a try.
“
That could work,” I say.
“
It just could,” Chadwick reluctantly
agrees.
“
Would you take me there?” I ask Jack.
“We can look over options and make certain it's ready. And that it
hasn't been found by the Grand Chancellor's men.”
“
Of course.”
“
No point in waiting. Let's
go.”
While we are gone, the others plan to talk
to everyone about staying in Chardonia or leaving to another
country. Whether or not this cave will work, changes have to be
made, and soon. At the rate we're going, we'll be found by the
Grand Chancellor's people very easily.
We walk through the forest for quite a
while. I'm on edge the entire time, worrying about if someone else
is out here. If we'll get caught. But we make it without a
problem.
The cave is close to the lake by Annabelle's
house. The house itself isn't visible, which is fortunate for us.
The entry to the cave is covered by a bush, but once inside, it's a
huge network of caves, big ones and small ones.
“
I think this should work. I only
worry that we're going to be too close to a house that has been
taken over by those against us,” I say.
“
We will need to be careful about
that, but they won't be expecting us to be here either,” he
says.
Like what I was thinking of before. “Thank
you for showing this to me, Jack.”
“
It was nothing.”
“
No, I mean it. You didn't have to do
any of this. I know you've been reluctant about everything we've
done, but I want you to know I’m very grateful for all you're doing
to try and help us.”
“
You're welcome.” The tone of his
voice makes me think more progress is happening than I
thought.
***
Over the next week, we move everyone
to the cave. I make certain Serena's family has a little cavern
with lots of space so they have plenty of room to roam about,
thou
gh
Ben's cries can be
heard just about anywhere in the system of caves.
I also help with some newcomers, one of
which is a Chardonian man who's been helping us since before I
joined the group aiding Chardonians. Theodore, a man with a bushy
beard, brings not only a few people with him but some desperately
needed food.
At this point, I'm starting to wonder how
many people are going to be left in the country to do the Grand
Chancellor's work. I try not to think on him too much, though. It
makes me livid.
The people flock to Cynthia and Serena.
While they may be famous, Tawny and I are to be avoided like
condemned warlocks even though we're anything but. Each encounter
is worse than the last. Still, I try. How else will they know I
mean them well if I don't keep trying? This particular morning is a
tedious one.
One woman is struggling to get all her
things in the cave along with her seven children.
I hurry over to her. “Here, let me
help.”
As I near her youngest daughter, perhaps
five years of age, she screams, a blood curdling sound that chills
my very bones, and throws herself on the ground away from me.
“
What did you do to her?” the mother
shrieks at me. “Get away.”
Nelly rushes over, picking the young girl up
and whispering in her ear.
Heat flames my cheeks, wishing I wasn't so
tall and distinguishable as an Envadi. “I was just trying to
help.”
“
You can help by disappearing,”
the mother yells.
Very well, then. I hurry outside. What
was I thinking, trying to help a people that still thinks I'm a
barbari
an
? Why can't they see
that it's the Grand Chancellor that's the barbarian? That all I'm
trying to do is help?
Tawny walks out of the cave and comes
straight toward me. “The people are just trying to get used to us
still.”
And how much more will we have to do for
them before they are used to us? “Maybe. But I think the people
would be happier without me.”
“
They're just still getting accustomed
to having both an Envadi and a woman be as strong yet caring as you
are.”
“
As we are.” For she's just as strong,
if not stronger than I am. She just knows how to make her strength
apparent in the background of things while I run headlong into
idiocy. How am I supposed to get them accustomed to it? It's not as
if we have time. Every day Zade and Daniel are gone from us is
another day their lives are in jeopardy.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
A
few days
after everyone is settled and assigned their tasks, I take Cynthia
and Chadwick to try to get more information on Zade and Daniel. And
if possible, to help them escape. That's what I really want. What I
ache for. I miss my brother more than I thought possible. And it is
an excuse to get me away from people who hate the sight of
me.
I don't tell Serena or Annabelle how badly I
want to be able to help them escape, only that we'd get her more
information. They both take it so bravely, but it's easy to tell by
the look in their eyes they're both hurting.
I always thought Zade's property and
house were huge, but even in the dark, the Grand Chancellor's makes
Zade's look like a pl
ay
house
for children. There are at least four floors with towers at each
corner, all of it made of some type of white stone.
Not only is it huge, but it's lit up like a
load of fireworks. To think he's doing that with lower class women
and warlocks who owe debts makes me want to go hex all his lights
out.
It's disgusting. Even the Queen doesn't have
so much property, and she has the staff living with her, plus half
of court. How does one person become so obsessed with
themselves?
“
How could we get in?” I
whisper.
“
To that lit up monstrosity?” Cynthia
says, “Who knows. It might be better to go during the day with how
bright it is.”
“
But then we have to fight the lights
of day as well,” I say.
“
And it's likely guarded with spells
and not just people,” Chadwick adds. “Especially the dungeon. Just
look at the colors we can see and think of all that we can't
see.”
“
Just standing here is making me
nervous,” Cynthia says.
“
What do you think, Bethany?” I
ask.
“
There's someone coming,” is her
reply.
We all bunch down further, hiding in the
forest close to his property.
“
Who is it?” Cynthia
whispers.
“
Quiet,” Chadwick replies.
Whoever it is, is coming closer. No, not
just closer, straight for us. Do we hex whoever it is or do we run?
There's nowhere to run to. Anything we do will get us caught. I
reach out my hand to send a hex his way.
“
Wait.” Bethany yanks my hand down.
“It's Nathaniel.”
“
What?” I ask.
“
The Grand Chancellor's
son.”
I knew that, but knowing it and having it
make sense are two different things. Despite knowing that he's one
of the people that stuck up for Serena, I still want to hex him. He
may have been spelled to take those women's magic from before the
tournament, but I still remember what it did to Cynthia. Watching
her almost crushed under his power. A power he still carries.
I put my hand back up, but Bethany pulls it
back and whispers, “You guys stay down.”
Then she does the stupidest thing ever. She
stands.
“
Bethany,” Nathaniel exclaims. “What
are you doing here?”
“
Just thought I'd look around the
area.”
“
You have to go. It’s not
safe.”
I stand. “Why not?”
“
Shesh. How many of you are
there?”
Like I'm going to admit that. Before Bethany
can answer, I say, “Enough.”
He glances at me out of the corner of his
eye and then turns back to Bethany. “There's very little time
before they will come out as well. You're here for Zade and Daniel,
aren't you?”
Bethany and I give each other a look. I say,
“What if we are?”
“
You can't break them out. The spells
my Father has guarding this place are too intense for even an
army.”
I want to collapse to the ground. That can't
be it. “There has to be something we can do.”
“
Not that I know of right now, but I
promise you I will do what I can to help you.”
“
You will?” Bethany's voice is so
hopeful, but I have my doubts.
“
How?”
“
I don't know yet, but we'll figure
something out. If there's somewhere I can meet you in two days,
we'll have time to discuss things then.”
Is this a trap? “I don't know.”
Serena jumps up, “We'll do it.”
“
Good. There's a big rock about a mile
east of here in the forest. Meet me there.”
“
How'd you know we were here?” Bethany
says.
“
You're not the first people to try
and break someone out of here, you know. Father put me on guard
duty after the way everything turned out at the
tournament.”
“
Lucky us,” Bethany says.
“
You guys have to go. Now.”
“
We'll see you soon.”
I drag Bethany with me as Serena takes off.
The boys follow behind us, seemingly not worried about showing
their presence now. As soon as we're out of danger, I ask Bethany,
“How do you know Nathaniel?”
“
I've talked with him at Serena's ball
and several times at the tournament.”
“
Must have been some good talks if you
already trust him so much.”
She shrugs. “Sometimes you just know when a
person is trustworthy.”
***