“Watch your tone, Lord Hardy,” the Head of the Guards growls to the older man.
“It’s okay, Cecil,” the Empress says. “Lord Hardy is correct. These are our children. Our most precious and treasured assets.Their safety is our utmost concern which is why we have decided to give our son, Beaufort Lincoln, a mission. He will lead a squad of my most trusted elite guards into the demon realm with the task of capturing the Madame and, if he is there too, the professor, and bringing them back. His bond brothers and their thrall will also go.”
I blink. Did I hear that right?
“You plan to send a band of children off into the demon realm to capture a woman who you suspect to be working with the demonic creatures?” Lord Hardy sniffs.
“Beaufort Lincoln and his bond brothers are among our most powerful shadow weavers – especially when they work together. We have been impressed by their skill and their abilities.”
“And the girl?” Lord Hardy scoffs. “What use is a commoner girl?”
“The girl,” the Empress says, “has powers our realm has not seen for several centuries. She has discovered a firestone and hatched a live dragon. One she is training. One she can ride.”
Silence returns to the room. Lord Hardy breaks it almost immediately with a snort of laughter. “Your majesty can not be serious.”
“Your majesty is always serious, Lord Hardy,” the Empress says coldly. “The dragon resides in our stable at this very moment.”
“And the girl’s power?” Lady Smyte calls out from beside the lord.
“The girl can wield light.” The Empress’s silver eyes meet mine. “Show them what you can do, Briony Storm.”
“What? Now?” I blurt out.
“We understood you were impatient to be away.”
I nod and raise my hands. The group of lords and ladies seems to draw in nearer with anticipation and my heart seems to beat more frantically in my chest.
I close my eyes in an attempt to block all the staring pairs of eyes out and I lick my lips.
“Go on, Kitten,” Dray whispers beside me, “show them!”
It’s one thing calling my magic forth in the heat of battle when it’s a live-or-die situation. It’s different when I’m practicing with Fox and no one is there to judge me. It’s different when I’m on my own experimenting with this new power. But can I do this now with all these powerful people watching, most of them probably hoping I fail spectacularly?
I call Fox’s face into my mind’s eye. I focus in on how desperate I am to reach him. I feel for his magic in my chest.
And then I call the magic forth from inside me, let it run through my veins and leave my hands, and a bright beam of light bursts through – blinding me despite my closed eyelids. When I open my eyes, I see just how bright and powerful the beam of light is, dazzling the whole of this cavernous hall.
“You see how powerful she is,” the Empress says to her most trusted advisers. “A mere girl from Slate Quarter.” She turns and addresses her son now. “And so this is why, not only do we give you permission to leave for the demon realm, we give you this as a trusted assignment. You will go to the demon realm, you will seek out Madame Bardin and you will bring her back to stand trial for treason!”
“And Fox – we’re going to rescue Fox,” I say.
The Empress ignores me. “You understand the assignment we are giving to you, Beaufort Lincoln?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. But there’s no need for the girl to go. We can do this alone with the elite squad of soldiers.”
“Yeah, how about our back up?” Dray asks her.
The Empress turns her gaze his way. “As we explained, we will give you a squad of my most-trusted soldiers.”
“It’s not enough,” Thorne mutters.
“We can spare you no more. Our soldiers are already fighting incursions to the north and to the east of our realm.”
“You’re not going alone. I’m going with you!” I insist.
Beaufort shakes his head. “It’s too dangerous. We can do this without you. We have experience fighting demons, you don’t.”
“I do!”
