The scream ripped through the night, and the carbuncle fled. By the time it disappeared into the closest patch of cliff, the shell was almost all the way around it again. Theo barely caught sight of an object glowing on the rocks where it had been before he whipped his head up to where his sister was waiting.
His heart leaped into his throat at the sight of Miriam clinging desperately to the saddle as the horse plunged and shied. It must have been spooked by the carbuncle’s movement, and Theo had been too focused on the smaller creature to notice. The horse was terrifyingly close to the cliff’s edge, and its eight-year-old rider had no idea how to control it. He should never have left her mounted by herself.
“Hold on!” he called to his sister.
Turning his back regretfully on the favor the carbuncle had left, he started climbing frantically up the cliff face. His palms were sweating, and he slipped alarmingly as he grabbed for new holds.
Just don’t look down, he told himself.
He forced himself up over the final lip of the cliff just as another scream from Miriam, this one wordless, preceded a cracking sound. Theo threw himself toward the horse as the poorcreature bucked, trying to throw off the burden that seemed to be confusing it.
He wasn’t quick enough. With a scream, Miriam was thrown from the horse’s back, just moments before the stallion’s front hooves came crashing down right on the edge of the cliff.
A second splintering crack rang out as the section of cliff gave way. Theo watched in heart-stopping horror as the beautiful horse plunged downward, disappearing over the cliff with a whinny of terror. Time was suspended for a moment as it fell, then a sickening thud met his ears.
Theo could hardly take it in, but he forced himself to push the thought aside as he spun, searching frantically for his sister.
“Miriam?”
A broken sob was all the reply he got, and he threw himself forward, a fresh wave of fear battering him as he caught sight of Miriam. It was so much worse than the broken limb or other injury he’d feared. When the horse threw her, she hadn’t fallen clear on the solid side—she’d been tossed toward the cliff’s edge. Somehow, she’d managed to grab hold of jutting stone half a yard down, but her position was precarious. Already she looked like she was barely holding on.
“Miriam!” he shouted, throwing himself onto his belly and reaching for her. But she was too far away.
“Don’t let me fall, Theo,” Miriam sobbed. “I don’t want to die.” With the words, one of her hands slipped a little.
Terror pounded through Theo’s chest, making it hard to think. He cast his eyes around for something to help him, but there was nothing.
“I won’t let you fall,” he promised his sister, the enormity of having her life in his hands threatening to crush him. “Just hold on.”
“I can’t,” she wailed, tears running down her face.
Theo scrambled up onto his knees, his mind swirling chaotically. If only he had a craftsman on hand—someone skilled in the manipulation of magic would surely be able to rescue Miriam. He waved his hand through the air in a frantic motion, but it was no use. He could feel the Dust he’d generated—the invisible magic stirred up by his movements—but identifying it was the extent of his training in magic craft. Even if he’d had a way to generate a substantial enough volume of magic, he wouldn’t have had the skill to harness it to something useful.
I should have defied Father and studied the craft when my tutor said I had an aptitude.
The thought flashed through his mind, but he banished it quickly. Defying his parents was exactly what had led to his current, disastrous situation.
Suddenly he remembered all the people they’d seen further along the cliff. He raised his voice as loud as he could manage, screaming into the night.
“HELP! WE NEED HELP! XAVIER! SOMEONE!”
An answering cry, faint but sharp, reached his ears.
“HELP!” he screamed again. “MY SISTER HAS FALLEN!”
The sounds of other people increased, and the pressure around Theo’s heart eased slightly. He cast his eyes around again, and this time spotted a long branch. He snatched it up, throwing himself back over the edge and extending it out.
“Can you reach it?” he asked Miriam. “Don’t give up, Mim, help is coming!”
She tried to reach for the branch, but it just made her slip further, and fear hammered Theo once again. A moment later, a man thundered up beside him, rope coiled around his arm.
“Who’s fallen?” he asked sharply, peering over the edge. He let out a sharp whistle. “Is that horse…”
“I think the horse is dead,” Theo said thickly. “It’s my sister who needs help. Do you have any skill in magic?”
He heard the man’s intake of breath as he caught sight of the diminutive figure on the cliffs.
“Hold on, lass,” the man said. “I’m coming.”
