We wake right before sunrise to find the rain clouds that hung overhead last night have descended to the ground, smothering everything in a dense fog and blocking our view of the land that lies beyond the academy.
“If there’s an army out there somewhere, there’s no way we’re going to be able to fucking see it,” Dray says, tearing at a piece of toast like he holds it personally responsible for this problem.
“There is,” Tudor contradicts him. “The astronomy tower.” Dray, like the rest of us, gapes at him, not sure how star-gazingis going to aid us right now. Tudor sighs. “Have none of you been paying attention in lessons? The astronomy tower houses some of the realm’s most powerful telescopes.”
“And how the fuck is that meant to help us, Prof?”
“They are powerful and magical and can see through all sorts of barriers, including fog.”
The five of us are out the door in the next breath and climbing the astronomy towers spiraling staircase – a staircase that seems to go on and on forever – all of us breathless by the time we reach the top. Tudor walks among the large golden telescopes, their metal the same color as the dragon’s scales, and selects the one he wants. He removes the caps from either end, then lines the telescopes up and squints into the eye piece, surveying the horizon and the land that surrounds the academy.
When he reaches the moor, he halts.
“There’s an army gathered out there,” he says.
Which is no more than we expected and yet the news still has all of us shaken.
Beaufort motions for the Professor to move and takes a look himself, then offers the telescope up to me.
The army lurks out in the marshland, right beyond the fog. It’s huge. More fighters than I could ever have predicted. The Empress has pulled every shadow weaver from every corner of the realm and gathered them out there in the mud, ready to attack us – ready to attack and to kill us.
I surrender my place at the telescope to Dray. Beaufort stares at the swirling mists.
“I think I need to go talk with my mother,” he says, almost trance-like, no emotion on his face or in his voice.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Briony says, gritting her teeth together. “You’re staying right here with me.”
“If there’s a chance that I can reason with her, bargain with her, have her change her mind, then I have to try, Briony. Foryour sake, for my sake, for all our sakes, and for the sake of those kids down there in the academy preparing to fight alongside us. I have to try.”
“And have her ambush you?” Briony snaps. “Have her imprison you again and threaten to execute you? No way, Beaufort. Absolutely no way. I don’t trust her, and I’m not risking your life.”
“Briony,” he says softly, turning his head away from the mists and gazing toward her instead. “You never liked it when I ordered you about. You always hated it when I told you what to do.” She scowls at him. “This is my decision.”
“And I’m asking you not to do it, Beaufort.”
“And I’m asking you, Briony, not to ask that of me. I’m the only person who could change her mind. I’m the only person who could save us all a lot of pain and a lot of heartache. I’m prepared to take the risk.”
“But I’m not.”
“Nini,” I say just as softly as my bond brother. “It’s not your decision to make.”
“But it will be my heart that’s broken if something happens to him.”
The corner of Beaufort’s mouth lifts in a sad sort of smile. “I didn’t know you cared, sweetheart.”
“Yes, you did,” she says. “You know perfectly well just how much I love you. And you know how heartbroken I’d be if anything happened to you.”
“And I’ll be equally heartbroken if anything happens to you, Briony. So let me take this chance to save you, to save all of us.”
They glare at each other. They’re both stubborn, and neither is prepared to back down. But finally, for once, it’s Nini who does.
With a loud sigh and a huff of her shoulders, she says, “Okay. But we have to be careful. We have to take precautions.” She gazes toward Fox. “Are there precautions we can take?”
“I’m sure there are,” Fox reassures her.
“I’ll send a crow out there to the army,” Beaufort says, “and I’ll suggest we meet somewhere neutral, with no one else around.”
“She’ll have others around,” Briony says. “She’ll have her guards, or someone there to step in if she needs them.”
