Past Tense (Schooled in Magic Book 10) (43 page)

“But you’re working with him,” Emily said. She tested the bonds as carefully as she could, but they refused to weaken. Master Keldor was clearly very good at tying knots. “Why?”

Keldor shrugged. “It won’t be long before Lord Whitehall bans the practice of death magics too,” he said, dryly. “He’s already turned on some of his most loyal friends, purely because he regards their magic as an abomination. How long will it be before I too am forced to knuckle under or flee the castle?”

“You don’t know that’s going to happen,” Emily said, pleadingly. “Death magics don’t involve demons ...”

“They can,” Keldor said. “And they can be uniquely dangerous.”

He smiled. “If a master is judged by the number of apprentices under his thumb—the number of apprentices who become masters in their own right—what will Whitehall be after he starts teaching hundreds of apprentices at once?”

Emily stared at him. “You’re scared that Whitehall will become the most powerful magician in the world?”

“Among other things,” Keldor said. “Whitehall has shown himself willing to upend tradition for his own purposes. Taking you as an apprentice, allowing his daughter to learn magic, taking a whole bundle of apprentices at once ... and evicting magicians because they practice spells he regards as dangerous.”

“And those magicians don’t want to be sidelined,” Emily finished.

“Of course,” Keldor said. He waved a hand towards the crystal columns. “This place is the most important magical discovery since Myrddin the Sane convinced his students never to call on demons. Allowing Whitehall undisputed control would be wrong.”

“And you think you’ll never be able to outvote him,” Emily said.
Whitehall
had been wrong, she saw now. Master Chambers and his ilk had never intended to abide by the vote. They’d even made sure to leave Keldor in place to lower the defenses for them. “He’ll listen to you ...”

“No, he won’t,” Keldor said. “He’s monomaniacal on many subjects. I’m surprised he didn’t throw you out because of that demon on your shoulder.”

Emily scowled at the demon, still at the corner of her eye. It did nothing.

“He’s a good man,” she said.

“He’s a manipulative conniving bastard,” Keldor said, flatly. “He seduced Lord Alfred to his side, then convinced Master Drake to join him. And then he convinced Master Wolfe to join him too, probably because he felt a weak magician could be useful.”

“It’s not what you’ve got that’s important,” Emily said, pleadingly. “It’s how you use it. And Master Wolfe knows how to use it.”

“
Knew
how to use it,” Keldor said. He knelt down to Master Wolfe’s body and felt for a pulse. “He’s dead, Emily.”

Emily blanched and looked away, hastily blinking back tears as they welled at the corner of her eyes. Master Wolfe hadn’t deserved to die. He’d been a genius, a man who had taken the clues she’d provided and run with them until he’d managed to jump-start the process that would become Whitehall School. He hadn’t deserved to die ... he would have lived, she was sure, if he hadn’t been too close to her. He’d used so little raw magic that madness would never be a real threat to him ...

“There, there,” Keldor said. “I’m sure you’ll join him soon enough.”

He turned and strode towards the nearest column, leaving Emily staring after him as she fought to undo her bonds. But the ropes remained firmly in place, making it impossible to weaken them even slightly. Her hands were starting to ache, no matter what she did. It wouldn’t be long before they went numb completely.

It hurt her pride to beg, but perhaps it would work. “Please, could you loosen my bonds?” she pleaded. “I ...”

“No,” Keldor said. He didn’t look back at her. “And I suggest you keep your mouth closed if you don’t want a gag stuffed in it.”

Emily gritted her teeth in frustration. Master Keldor was no Master Wolfe, but he’d been intimately involved with crafting and empowering the Warden. He might well know how to disrupt the castle’s wards, perhaps even turn them against Whitehall and his loyalists. And it might not be just him, either. Master Chambers could easily have recruited others from the commune to fight beside him.

They could have hidden out in the forest
, she thought.
As long as they were careful, they wouldn’t be spotted. Unless ...

She looked at him. “And what will you do,” she asked, “when the Manavores return?”

Keldor stiffened, but he didn’t look round. “Shut up.”

“They will,” Emily pressed. “The one I killed wasn’t the only one, was it? Assuming they’re actually intelligent, they’ll already know they lost one of their number somewhere around here. And they sense the ebb and flow of magic. How long will it be before they realize that
something
has happened to the nexus point and put two and two together?”

“You are a stupid little girl,” Keldor said. He turned to glare at her, keeping one hand on the crystal. “We already know how to kill them.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re bound to win,” Emily pressed. “The discoveries made here might just tip the balance in your favor.”

She cursed under her breath as Keldor abandoned the crystal and stalked towards her, one hand pulling a filthy rag from his pocket. Emily clamped her mouth shut as he held it up towards her, but he caught hold of her nose and squeezed it tightly until she had to open her mouth to get in some air. Keldor stuffed the rag in her mouth, then shoved her hard against the wall. Emily struggled to breathe for several seconds, trying desperately to push the rag out of her mouth before it choked her to death. But all she could do was breathe through her nose and watch him helplessly.

The wards were shifting around her, she realized, as she sensed flickers of magic moving through the school. She tried to cast a third spell of her own, but nothing happened; the magic simply refused to form. And her connection to the nexus control spellware seemed to be blocked completely. She scowled at Master Wolfe’s body as she worked hard to focus her mind, trying desperately to think of a plan. For once in the short time she’d known him, why couldn’t he have made a mistake?

“They’re entering the castle now,” Keldor informed her. He shot her a smirk. “Soon, we will see.”

Emily closed her eyes for a long moment. She’d never felt so helpless in her life, not even when Shadye had held her in his grip or Master Grey had pushed her right to the edge. She knew how to fight without magic, but she knew there was no way she could best him in a physical fight, even if her hands weren’t tied. He was stronger than her and smart enough to know she didn’t need magic to be dangerous. She was mildly surprised he hadn’t trussed her up like a chicken.

There has to be a way out
, she thought, desperately. History said she’d make it back—or did it? Perhaps she’d been wrong all along.
Or should I try to use the demon?

She tried to look at the creature, but nothing happened. It just sat there, waiting. But waiting for what? Her mind raced, desperately, as she tried to consider her options. She couldn’t do magic, she couldn’t break free, she certainly couldn’t kick him hard enough to make him reconsider ... she was screwed.

The door opened. She looked up, desperately hoping that Whitehall or Bernard or even Drake was about to walk into the chamber, but her heart sank as Julianne appeared, shoved into the chamber by Tama. Her hands were bound behind her back and her dress was rumpled, suggesting that Tama had taken advantage of the situation. And there was a bitter hopelessness in her eyes that chilled Emily to the bone. Bernard couldn’t be dead, could he?

And if he is dead
, she thought,
history as I know it is screwed
.

“Put her next to Emily,” Keldor ordered. “And then keep an eye on the door.”

“Yes, Master,” Tama said.

He dragged Julianne over to where Emily was leaning against the wall and shoved her face-first against the stone. Emily fought the urge to recoil back as he leered at her, then reached out, grabbed hold of the gag and pulled it out of her mouth. She choked, wishing desperately for water as Tama dropped the gag on the floor, his leer growing bigger as he loomed over her. He no longer seemed to be afraid of her at all.

“So,” he said, pushing her back against the wall. “Not so clever now, are you?”

He kissed her hard, forcing his lips up against hers. Emily opened her mouth, then bit his lip as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards, gasping in pain; she took advantage of his distraction to bring her knee up as hard as she could and strike him firmly in the groin. Tama doubled over, howling with shock, then collapsed to the ground. Emily stepped forward, intending to bring her foot down on his throat, but a wave of magic slammed her back against the wall.

“How ... inconvenient,” Keldor said. He sounded amused, rather than outraged. “How annoying it is to have a stupid apprentice.”

Emily found her voice. “You took him as an apprentice?”

“We
did
have to promise him
something
,” Keldor said. He strode over to stand above Tama, then kicked him into blissful unconsciousness. Emily couldn’t help thinking that it had probably come as a relief. “But clearly it wasn’t enough to keep him from being an idiot.”

He inclined his head to Julianne. “I’m sorry about his misbehavior,” he added. “Rest assured that he will be punished.”

“Go curse yourself,” Julianne said. She sounded sullen. “And my father will turn you into a pig and dine on your hams.”

“Your father will not be a problem for much longer,” Keldor said. He didn’t seem to mind the threat. “And you will be under my personal protection. Nothing will harm you.”

“But it will harm me,” Emily said. A thought crossed her mind as she gathered herself. If Master Wolfe had designed the wards to suppress
her
magic, was there any reason for them to suppress Julianne’s? “Chambers is not going to let me live.”

“Probably not,” Keldor said. “Quite a few others will also need to be purged.”

Emily swallowed, hard. Whitehall would die, of course; Bernard and Drake would probably follow him into the grave. And her, of course. Chambers hated her so much that she could expect to die in the most horrific manner he could devise. The other masters would be given a flat choice between respecting the DemonMasters or leaving, if they weren’t killed out of hand. Chambers had had plenty of time to convince some of the apprentices to support him, while Whitehall had been at the Gathering. And the others would not be able to resist, if they didn’t want to join the plotters ...

But Julianne? Julianne might be allowed to live, under the proper conditions. God knew she could bear magical children, after all. And she was a talented potions brewer.

And they’ll underestimate her because she’s a girl
, Emily thought, vindictively.
And one day they might wind up discovering that she’s poisoned them.

Keldor smirked at her horrified expression, then turned back to the crystal and resumed his work. Emily met Julianne’s eyes, wishing she knew how to communicate silently though eye contact, and motioned for her to turn away so she could see the knot tying her hands behind her back. Tama hadn’t done such a good job of tying Julianne up, she noted. The bastard had probably been so keen to start groping her that he’d accidentally used a weak knot. Julianne couldn’t escape, not from the inside, but it was an easy knot to undo.

She glanced at Keldor, still fiddling with the spellware, then mouthed an order to Julianne to stay quiet. The younger girl nodded as Emily slipped closer, turning to bring her bound hands to bear on the knot. Her fingers felt numb, but she managed—somehow—to start loosening the knot. Julianne started, very slowly, to pull her hands free.

“No mercy,” Emily mouthed, silently. Julianne couldn’t cast spells without moving her hands, not yet. Keldor was a far more powerful and experienced magician. They were only going to get one shot at breaking free. “Hit him as hard as you can.”

Julianne nodded, her expression grim. She might have liked Keldor, Emily thought; he’d certainly been close to her father, back when the commune had been making its run towards the castle. But he’d betrayed Whitehall and threatened his daughter—and his apprentice—with a fate worse than death. And Julianne’s husband might be dead. Emily hated to think about what Bernard would do to Tama, if he were still alive. Molesting Julianne wasn’t just sexual assault, not in his culture. It was a deliberate insult to her male relatives.

Sickening
, she thought. She made a private resolution as the seconds ticked away.
No matter what, Tama will not survive this day
.

“They’re thrusting into the Great Hall,” Keldor said. Emily froze. If he saw Julianne tugging at her bonds, they were dead. At the very least, he’d tie Julianne’s hands himself and do a better job of it. “We’ll go up to meet them there.”

“I could outbid Chambers,” Emily said, moving forward. It was a desperate ploy, but it might just work. “I could offer you so much ...”

“I’m sure you could,” Keldor said. He took her upper arm and pulled her forward, motioning for Julianne to follow him. “But I think it would come with a pretty high price.”

Emily hesitated. If Julianne was ready ... and if she wasn’t, she was making a fool of herself.

“It doesn’t have to,” she said, as she dropped to her knees. “I can make it worth your while.”

“Get up,” Keldor snarled. The sudden flash of anger surprised her. He jabbed a finger at Tama. “Do you think I’m
him?
”

Emily cringed at her own words, shaking her head at the irony. A culture full of misogynists, a culture full of people who thought nothing of women ... and she just
had
to be held prisoner by the only one who wouldn’t be tempted. Maybe she was just doing it wrong. She had next to no experience in being seductive. And what she’d done to Tama would cool the ardor of
any
man.

“No,” she said, trying to keep him focused on her. “I don’t think you’re him.”

She ducked her head as she sensed the surge of magic. She’d taught Julianne the spell, cautioning her that it was only to be used in desperate circumstances. Keldor’s protections were no match at all for a spell that had been invented, in its base form, seven hundred years in the future. He flew backwards, flickers of balefire crackling over his chest, and hit the wall with a thump. Emily let out a sigh of relief as her magic returned to her. It was the work of a moment to undo her bonds and start rubbing life back into her wrists.