“For heaven’s sake, Darcy. Must you bring Riquer into every conversation?” Elizabeth snapped. “We can’t explain what is happening, but it doesn’t mean we can throw the blame on Riquer. If they really intended an ambush, why would they hit us with hailstones when they could do far more damage in other ways?”
“We should not discount anything,” said Darcy, stiffly.
Elizabeth was tired of this quarrel, but Darcy was right. It was something worth considering. She was not going to defend Riquer when they did not have any answers.
For now, they had to act on the information they had. “In case we are being ambushed,” said Elizabeth, “then we need to conceal ourselves. Anyone looking down on the beach can see us clearly. We need Illusion magic. I will talk to Miss Bingley and see what she can come up with.”
“I will go with Redmond to see whether we can find anything unusual,” said Darcy.
“And I will come with you, Lizzy.” said Mr. Bennet, looking askance at Darcy.
Elizabeth sighed. “You are welcome to come, Papa, but I do not want to discuss any conjectures.”
Mr. Bennet’s mouth twisted. “Neither do I, but I suspect that may prove difficult.”
Elizabeth went down to the edge of the water where the rest of the Royal Mages were gathered. Lady Catherine was demonstrating a spell that could immobilize a wave as it reached its crest. Elizabeth remembered the time Lord Matlock had used a similar spell on her, and she shuddered, but she had to admit Lady Catherine’s idea of adapting it for an object was a good one.
“I need Miss Bingley’s urgent assistance. We need to conceal ourselves from watchers.” She explained the conclusion the Warders had reached.
Everyone conceded it was a good precaution to take.
“We will need to warn everyone on the beach,” said Matlock. “Otherwise they may think it is some kind of attack from the French.”
“Of course.” Someone else could do that. Elizabeth wanted to discuss Miss Bingley’s strategy. No one seemed to be helping her. “If you don’t mind, I will steal Miss Bingley from you while you continue your work.”
Lady Alice looked like she was about to object, and Elizabeth prepared to insist. Fortunately, the older mage was too preoccupied, and she merely turned away.
“Would you walk with me and Mr. Bennet, Miss Bingley?” she said. “We can obtain some refreshments while we discuss possibilities.”
“I do not need refreshments,” said Miss Bingley. “I am ready to start. Ever since the Council asked me to participate in this mission, I have been considering different spells. I already have several plans. One of them would be to create a rocky coastline, with some shrubs—"
“Lizzy, look out!” cried Mr. Bennet.
He tried to reach for her, but a huge wave came out of nowhere and towered over her, then crashed down, dragging her down the sloping beach and towards the sea. She dug her fingers into the gaps between the pebbles, using a magic spell to anchor her in place. Water filled her nostrils, but she managed to raise her head over the water and gasp for air.
Then the movement of the wave stilled. Everything was frozen. Miss Bingley and Mr. Bennet came running towards her. Mr. Bennet held out his hand and tried to pull her up, but she could not move. She was still in the grip of the wave and the spell.
“Hold onto both of us,” cried Miss Bingley. “I will release the spell, but the wave may try to take you out to sea.”
Elizabeth dug her feet into the pebbles and prepared to push herself away from the wave. The wave sucked at her, thrashing and trying to take her to the sea, but she was in good hands. They helped her to her feet and the wave retreated, crackling as it moved between the stones.
“That was a close one,” said Miss Bingley, bending over and leaning her hands on her knees. “I used Lady Catherine’s spell. Thank goodness I had just witnessed it.”
“Thank you,” said Elizabeth. She was thoroughly shaken. It had been too close. It had felt like a malignant entity had taken hold of her and refused to let her go.
Was one of the Imperial Mages targeting her specifically? She turned to look at the people on the beach. Could one of them have done it?
Was the enemy closer than she had thought?
Chapter 25
They had no way of knowing the position of the French mages. After a brief discussion, Miss Bingley decided to set up two sets of Illusions: one was on the beach, and consisted of a rocky landscape dotted with brush, and another a layer of mist that obscured part of the beach. They had to be careful not to block the cannons’ view of the sea, in case the French vessels decided to come closer. The soldiers had to be able to mount a defense in case of a land invasion. Elizabeth left Miss Bingley to allow her to concentrate, while Mr. Bennet made his way to Matlock to ensure everyone on the beach was forewarned.
Elizabeth was growing more and more convinced that the French mages were observing them, though try as she may, the tendrils of her magic could not locate anyone. Darcy and Redmond returned with a similar report. Their search for magic signatures had yielded nothing. There was no evidence to prove it.
Elizabeth tried to dismiss it as a trick of her imagination, but the conviction persisted. It was more of an instinctive feeling, aprickling at the nape of her neck, the feeling that if she turned suddenly, she would see someone watching her.
She put out her hand to shade her eyes and looked out to sea, where the masts of the French ships bobbed up and down, waiting in the distance. What if they were being observed from the boats, and some signal was being passed to someone close by – a signal message of some type?
