Chapter 24
Astrange silence fell around them. Elizabeth could no longer see anyone else. Not Darcy, not Redmond, not Mr. Bennet. It was as if she was looking at the others through thick cotton. She did not dare to move in case she stumbled into something, or someone. She had no experience of fogs on the sea. The closest thing to this was when, once in early one spring, she was caught in pea soup fog in London. But even that was not so extreme.
Still, she could not help feeling there was something missing, something she did not experience in London. Then it struck her. All sound around her was smothered, as if she was underwater.
Was it possible the French were using a giant mirror to travel across the sea? She was overcome with dread. What if, as Darcy firmly believed, Riquer had betrayed them? What if they were using Elizabeth’s mirror to cross over?
There was only one way to find out. Her hands trembling, she took out the mirror. To see it through the thick fog, she had to hold the mirror very close. To her intense relief, her ownface looked back at her. There were no murky mists and no suggestion that the mirror was active.
At least her Mirror magic was not aiding in an invasion.
Now that she knew it was an external fog, she needed to find Darcy. She moved in the direction where she had last seen him and was relieved when she bumped into him.
“There you are,” she whispered in his ear, reluctant to talk too loudly in case there were Imperial mages around them. She did not want to give away their position. “Darcy,” she whispered. “This isn’t a real mist. It’s an Illusion.”
He gripped her hand firmly. “Don’t let go,” he said. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“I won’t.” She strained her ears to hear other sounds, but everything was muffled. “Can you feel Redmond?”
“I can’t feel anyone’s signatures.” His voice sounded strangely flat. “I agree, it has to be some kind of Illusion.”
As if in answer to his statement, the fog parted to reveal Miss Bingley and Lady Alice marching forward along with Lord Grayson and Lord Harcourt, their arms raised. They seemed to be moving in a large circle, murmuring a spell in unison. A few moments later, the fog disappeared around them, within the circle. Elizabeth winced at the bright light. Beyond the circle, however, the world was still painted white. It was like an empty space where ghosts might dwell.
“If we all walk around in different locations,” said Miss Bingley, “we can use the Dispersal spell fromThe Compendiumto undo the Illusion and clear the beach.”
Elizabeth glanced at her father, but he declined to join them. Elizabeth gave the signal to Darcy and Redmond to Bond. The Bond would help them cover a larger area.
But before they could do anything, the fog lifted, leaving them with an open view of the sea. There was no longer any doubt. Thefog had been a way to cover the French approach. Now that it had lifted, a light wind was blowing towards the shore.
The masts of the sailing boats were black lines against the orange morning sun, and they were coming straight towards them.
The sight of the enemy boats propelled everyone into action. Elizabeth’s pulse sped up as she checked and rechecked the Wards that would keep the French mages out.
As she did so, the winds grew stronger, and the waves rose into swells that pounded against the shore in great thrashing movements.
The boatmen started cheering.
“They’ll drown or be dashed against the Goodwin Sands if this weather continues,” said a man in a blue coat.
But as the waves grew higher, an older boatman tugged at his beard thoughtfully. “Those ain’t normal waves. They’re too regular. It’s magic they’re using.”
“That cannot be,” said Mr. Bennet. “Everyone knows that magic doesn’t work over water.”
“It has to be magic,” said Miss King. “Look, the boats are moving perfectly smoothly. They would normally be tossed about by the waves.”
Matlock’s shoulders drooped and his face turned gray. “It appears the French mages have found a way to use magic even in the Channel.” He looked ten years older. “We are undone.”
Elizabeth saw her dismay reflected in the eyes of everyone around them. The Channel was supposed to be their protection against the French Mages. What were the Royal Mages supposedto do when their enemies were able to control the Elements over water?
“Let us stay calm and not lose our heads,” said Lady Alice. “We knew Napoleon would have a few surprises up his sleeve. We knew we would be up against something unexpected. Let us rally and see how to deal with this new challenge.” She looked around. “We are resourceful. And in the last year—” she nodded in Elizabeth’s direction, “—we have learned to adapt ourselves to unaccustomed situations. But first, we need to set up Wards against the waves immediately,” said Lady Alice. “I have grown up close to the sea, and I know how easily a rogue wave can sweep someone off their feet and into the water.”
“We have built Wards intended to keep the mages out. We can adapt the Wards to keep out the water,” said Darcy. He turned to Elizabeth and Redmond. “Shall we use the spell to repel an Elemental attack?”
It was far from ideal. The spell was a limited one and would only cover a small area. Elizabeth tried to think of another way to do it, but nothing came to mind. She was too anxious. Perhaps something would come to her later.
“It will have to be extensive to cover many sections of the beach. It will take time.”
“There is no other choice,” said Redmond.
