Brielle blows out a breath, realising they both must comply as Helene gives her a hapless shrug. They stalk through the back streets and quiet alleyways, the sound of nightly revellers drifting to silence in their wake. But, as they walk further into the streets of Highborn, Brielle realises they aren’t heading towards the coven house. They’re going in the opposite direction, towards a safehouse buried in a web of bland merchants’ homes, one seldom used by the coven except to provide respite to weary travellers and friends of the coven from the continent.
When they arrive, they don’t march in past the front door as Brielle expects, instead slinking through the gate set into the alleyway behind the property, before shifting between the shadows into the silent kitchen.
Her confusion grows as they’re not taken to the Malefant, who she expects to be waiting for them, but to an empty lounge on the first floor, looking out over the leafy night-time street. In fact, the entire safehouse is deserted. The hunters ward the room so no one can leave or enter. And, most interestingly, so no one can listen in to what is spoken of inside the four walls.
Finally, Shayle releases Pearl, who bolts for a window, trying the catch. ‘It’s no use,’ she says. ‘The wards will hold you in here.’
Pearl shrugs then sits down on the window seat. ‘Worth a try.’
Helene takes a seat in a high-backed armchair, scowling at the hunters, while Brielle hovers by thedoor, curiosity overcoming her fear. ‘What’s this about? You’re breaking the rules by not taking us straight to the Malefant at the coven house …’ Then her eyes widen. ‘She doesn’t know we’re here, does she?’
Hira and Shayle exchange a shifty glance before Hira speaks. ‘We need to present a compelling enough case before we bring this to our Malefant and the other high witches.’
Brielle raises an eyebrow. ‘Oh, you’re going to be in a whole heap of trouble for this.’
‘And if you raise the alarm and get us caught, you’ll be tried in a witch trial for defecting,’ Shayle points out. ‘So, what’s it to be? We all get caught and face a witch trial, or you listen and we avoid the ultimate destruction of all covens?’
Brielle blinks quickly, realising they are deadly serious. ‘That’s quite an ultimatum …’
‘It’s what could happen,’ Hira says.
‘We’re listening,’ Pearl says quietly.
‘Your friend Mira told me something very interesting before the first Trial,’ Hira begins. ‘And, before you ask, yes, I’ve seen her and Kell. And, yes, they’re still alive. But, with the final Trial tomorrow, their future is uncertain.’
‘What did she tell you?’ Brielle asks, hiding her relief just as Helene can scarcely hide hers. They’re alive. All is not yet lost.
‘She told me something that she and Agnes overheardabout a law being passed that would give the ruling council the power to control magic.’
‘And thus the power to control the covens of Arnhem,’ Shayle adds.
Hira fixes her gaze on Brielle. ‘I looked into it, carefully enquiring about the way laws are set, then listened in to a conversation between some of the captains of the watch at a drinks reception.’
‘And you found some truth in it?’ Pearl asks.
Hira nods. ‘More than I would have liked. I told Shayle and Grieshal, and they agreed to help me. We have to bring it to the coven leaders, before it’s too late. But if this becomes a civil war, we need the isles secured. We need the sea advantage, as well as the land.’
Brielle’s smile does not reach her eyes. ‘Which is where Mira comes in and those allied to her.’
‘She cannot die tomorrow. Nor can she triumph. We need to free her. She must return to Ennor and ensure that the Fortunate Isles do not fall under the control of the watch. We need the storm bringer on our side. And we may need Ennor as a base for the war to come.’
‘What about Kell?’ asks Helene. ‘Is he dispensable to you?’
‘I extend this to Kell,’ Hira says, glancing at Helene. ‘He has an unusual gift. Magic, but in the hands of a human. The ruling council will want to control him, and others like him. This new law would not only concern witches. It should worry all of us.’
‘Including the apothecaries,’ says Pearl grimly. ‘It even filters down into how we treat our sick and wounded. The level of control with this law would be immense. So how do you propose we help our friends escape?’
‘We need a distraction during the final Trial tomorrow,’ Shayle says. She hesitates, before continuing. ‘It’s a risk, but we can see no other way to free Mira and Kell. Perhaps with you here, with your help, it will be possible to free them. But we need a distraction, and we need their guards tied up.’
‘And what of Agnes? You know Mira won’t leave without her. She’ll be in the crowd with the ruling council, looking on, or they’ll have her stashed somewhere.’
Hira smiles. ‘That particular rescue is in hand. In fact, Shayle? Our guest is outside.’
Brielle frowns as Shayle removes the ward on the threshold and a slight, rather ordinary-looking girl wanders in through the front door. With mousy brown hair, pale skin and a snub nose, she wouldn’t stand out in a gathering at all. Which, Brielle realises, probably means there is far more to this girl. She eyes the metal hair pin fastened in the girl’s hair. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say it wasn’t a hairpin at all. In fact, it seemed to be many things all at once. A coin, a key, a blade … She blinks quickly, eyeing the girl with increased suspicion. There is magic in that object, and yet it seems to emanate from her. But she is not a witch. Nor does Brielle sense that she is a creature.
‘Ah, you found the hunter,’ the girl says, nodding to Brielle. ‘And a couple more friends. Excellent. I’m Sember, by the way, a friend of Mira’s.’ She laces her fingers before her, raising her eyebrows. ‘Shall we go over the plan?’
only six of us contendersremain. As I walk through the tunnel, Kell by my side, all I can hear is the slow thundering of my own heart. I see the arena in blinks, taking in the sun gilding the crowd, the wide bowl of pale blue sky, then the ground beneath us. Green and lush, with gentle rolling hills and bushes. For this, the last Trial, they have allowed us a weapon of our choice, anything except rifles. A blade is strapped at my hip, a bow and arrow strapped across Kell’s back. But, even though we all now have weapons, somehow, I know they are not meant for us to turn on each other. Kell and I speculated what this Trial would be, after a sea with a listing ship and a labyrinth. We continued to train, even with Hira absent, the guards giving us no news of her whereabouts. Was she investigating the new law the ruling council planned to pass? Or had she been reassigned by her Malefant and the ruling council, our fates left to ourselves to figure out after we failed to win the first two Trials?
