Not yet.
I grit my teeth and concentrate.
Before, I chose Hal. Now I choose Ingra. I choose my friend, my people and myself. I know what I have to do. I doubt I’ll make it out alive, but I will not falter. I will use my shadows to block out the sun. I will condemn Ostacre to darkness if I must.
‘As emperor, I will not stand for acts of violence. I will not tolerate brutality or intimidation.’
Ingra’s lips begin to move, as though she’s muttering a prayer. The crowd lean forward eagerly, craning their necks to watch hers snap.
‘I wish for my rule to be the dawn of a new era, one free from tyranny and oppression. And that is why …’ Hal finally turns to face Ingra and takes a long, deep breath. ‘That is why I have decided to spare her.’
The sound that escapes my lips is drowned by the collective gasp of the spectators.
Then uproar.
All around me the air grows thick with voices, exclamations and yells of protest. Up on the scaffold Ingra’s mouth has fallen open in shock.
Hal raises a hand for silence. ‘This girl is not our enemy. Yetweare hers. We, the sons and daughters ofthose who conquered her homeland and persecuted her people.’
‘It was the Magi who started the war!’ someone yells.
‘A war that ended more than fifty years ago,’ Hal answers. ‘In any case, there are no Magi left.’ I watch the almost imperceptible bob of his throat as he swallows the lie.
More clamour ensues. It takes a blinding beam of light from Hal to subdue the crowd.
He raises his voice for all to hear. ‘Why should we continue to punish one another for the enmity of our ancestors? We cannot change the past, but we can change the future.’
My heart beats violently, flipping over and over inside my chest. The man standing next to me spits furiously on to the ground.
‘I once thought mercy to be a sign of weakness, but now I see it is a mark of strength,’ Hal continues. ‘My reign will not be one of terror, but of peace. We will be better.Iwill be better. This is my promise to you. All of you.’
It takes everything I have not to sink to the ground, but Hal isn’t finished.
‘This brings me to my final decree.’ He draws himself up to full height. ‘I, Haldyn Castellion, rightful Emperor of Ostacre, do hereby declare that from this day forth, all slavery is prohibited … and all serfs shall go free.’
53
Blaze
Today’s theory is that the Eye is sitting at the bottom of the lake.
The idea came to me last night, after a conversation with River, who told me that the Singers believe it to be sacred – oaths are sworn on it, newborns bathed in it, and it’s traditional for newlyweds to drink from it as a means of sanctifying their marriage.
We’ve exhausted countless other theories. I have a good feeling about this one.
‘You’vegotto be kidding,’ Fox says incredulously.
I turn from my heaped pile of rocks. ‘What?’
‘What d’you mean,what? You’re about to jump into a lake with stones in your pockets. Shouldn’t I be a little concerned?’
I roll my eyes as I bunch up the sleeves of his old shirt. My Rain Singer garb didn’t seem best suited to swimming – or, in this case, diving.
‘It’s the fastest way down,’ I explain. ‘I’m being practical.’
‘No, you’re being an idiot,’ he says. ‘What if something goes wrong?’
I sigh impatiently, even as the corners of my mouth quirk upward. ‘Then I’ll carve a few waves, and you have my permission to come and rescue me. Happy?’
