Taken

chapter 12

Heads turned as I walked into the hall. Onyx was there and I didn’t see any point in waiting for him to find me first. I walked towards the end of the hall, past the groups of apprentices and the mages turning to look at me.

Onyx watched me as I approached, arms folded. “You challenged me,” I told him once I was close enough. I didn’t keep my voice down and I could feel the mages around me listening. “Here’s my answer. No.”

Onyx’s lip curled. “Not fighting?”

“I’m not fighting.”

“The charges?”

“There are no charges,” I said. “You have a problem, take it to the Council.”

I’d been expecting Onyx to rage or threaten. He didn’t do either. Instead he stared at me for a long moment before giving a very slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Then he walked out.

Luna was waiting on the other side of the crowd. “You’re okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Was that it? You just had to say no?”

It wasn’t it. That smile worried me. If Onyx had been counting on my accepting the duel he should have reacted more. But that was my problem, not Luna’s, and I didn’t want to put anything else on her mind just now. “Pretty much,” I said. “When’s your match?”

“They’re going to announce it,” Luna said. She’d dressed in a black form-fitting outfit I’d never seen her wear before and she was spinning the whip handle between her fingers. To my mage’s sight her curse spun about her, agitated.

I looked around. “Where’s Variam?”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t he a bit late?”

Luna looked at me in surprise. “He’s not in the tournament.”

“He got knocked out?”

“He forfeited. He didn’t show up to last night’s match; I guess he was with you and Anne. I thought you knew?”

I remembered how Variam had appeared suddenly last night. As soon as he’d seen that Anne was missing he must have come after us, abandoning his match without hesitation. I was getting the feeling that I was starting to understand what Variam really cared about. “Did you tell Variam we were working for Talisid?” I asked Luna.

“What? No.”

“What about Anne?”

“No. Why?”

“I was wondering how he found out.”

“Well, it wasn’t from me. You said not to tell anyone.”

I nodded. I could only think of four people who knew that it was Talisid who’d come to talk to me that day at the duelling class: me, Luna, Sonder, and Talisid himself. And I was pretty sure none of them had told Variam.

But there was someone at that duelling class who could have found out that Talisid was there without being told. And now that I thought about it, that might explain the message too. .

A chime sounded from the podium and conversation across the hall fell silent. More than half of the apprentices competing in the White Stone had been knocked out by now, but the number of spectators had gone up if anything. There’s a lot of prestige to these tournaments.

Crystal was standing on the podium. She’d tied up her gold hair in a professional-looking style and was dressed in yet another cream-coloured suit of a slightly different cut. I wondered if she had a rack of them somewhere. She was looking confident and as everyone turned to watch she gave them all a smile. “Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the second day of the White Stone. The third round will now begin. The first match is between”-Crystal’s eyes travelled up-“Gunther Elkins and Michael Antigua.”

Gunther was a tall, serious-looking boy with Germanic features and a blond ponytail, and he strode onto the piste to face Michael, who was a head shorter than him with light brown skin and dark hair and eyes. Two mages were standing at opposite ends of the hall behind the tuning-fork focuses, and as I watched they activated them. Thin walls of energy sprang to life along the edges of the piste and shield bubbles appeared around Gunther and Michael. Both were invisible to normal eyes and even to my mage’s sight they were faint and translucent. These were the conversion fields of an azimuth duel; they radiated no energy, but under the monitoring of a skilled operator they could react instantly to any attack that struck them. There was no ceremony; the formalities had been done yesterday. The arbitrator, a white-haired mage in ceremonial robes, glanced at Gunther. “Ready?”

Gunther nodded.

“Ready?” he said to Michael.

Michael nodded.

“Fight.”

Michael attacked, strikes of water magic hammering at Gunther’s shield. Gunther parried the first strike, and the second. As Michael began another attack, Gunther slammed a blade of air through Michael’s defences, so fast that Michael had no time to raise a shield of his own. I had just a glimpse of the razor-edged shard before it vanished in a flash of light, the conversion field disintegrating it an instant before it cut into Michael’s flesh. It wouldn’t have been fatal, but it would have hurt.

“Point, right,” the arbitrator announced. “One-zero. Places.”

Gunther and Michael returned to the starting lines. The first round had taken less than three seconds.

“Fight.”

The duel continued and it quickly became obvious that Gunther was both swifter and more skilled than his opponent. By the end the score was 3–0 and Gunther shook hands with a surly-looking Michael. I glanced down to see that Luna looked nervous.

“Victor Kraft and Oscar Poulson,” Crystal announced.

Both apprentices were using focus weapons this time. Victor wielded a longsword, which was sharp and dangerous-looking even without the trail of frost it left in his wake. Oscar held something more like a fencing epee. The epee was fast and so was Oscar, but not fast enough.

“Fay Wilder and Barbara Cartwright.”

Barbara was a plain-faced stocky girl. She carried no weapon but relied instead on touch spells. Fay had curly hair and a ready smile, and she was an illusionist. Barbara’s touch spells hit only phantoms of light and shadow, while Fay’s small dagger found its mark reliably.

“Anne and Variam are here,” I commented as Fay walked off the piste to be congratulated by a smiling man in expensive-looking clothes.

“How am I supposed to beat these guys?” Luna asked. She was biting her lip. “Did you see what she just did?”

“Relax.”

“I couldn’t even see where she was. How can-?”

“Relax,” I said. “Focus on the one you will be fighting.”

Crystal was still on the podium and her gaze was resting on Fay Wilder, just as she’d watched every other apprentice who’d stepped onto the piste. I narrowed my eyes. Why are you watching them so closely?

Crystal turned away and raised her voice. “Natasha Babel. .” Her eyes came to rest on us. “And Luna Mancuso.”

I felt Luna go stiff. “Go for it,” I said.

“It’s-”

“I know who it is. Kick her ass.”

Natasha was already walking onto the piste. Luna stepped out a moment later. She’d tied her hair back in a ponytail instead of her usual bunches, and as she took her place to the right end she looked quick and agile, standing balanced on the balls of her feet. The conversion field flared up around the piste and bubble shields appeared around Luna and Natasha. “Ready?” the arbitrator asked Luna.

Luna nodded. She was keeping the handle of her whip hidden and I nodded approvingly to myself. As I watched, the silver mist of her curse spread and unfurled around her, tendrils snaking out to a distance of two or three yards and causing faint flickers as they brushed the edge of the piste. Luna’s learnt over the past year to hold her curse in, but it’s more powerful when she doesn’t.

“Ready?” the arbitrator asked Natasha.

Natasha said something under her breath, not quite loud enough for me to hear. Luna frowned and Natasha gave her a thin smile. Just as in their first duel, Natasha carried no weapon. With her water magic she didn’t need one.

“Are you ready?” the arbitrator repeated to Natasha, more loudly.

“Ready,” Natasha said without taking her eyes off Luna.

“Fi-”

Natasha struck before the arbitrator had finished speaking, a lance of blue light stabbing at Luna’s chest. Water mages can’t manipulate the water in a human body-that’s the domain of life magic-and they can’t create water out of nowhere. But they can use the water vapour in the air to do pretty much anything water can do in much larger amounts, including hitting someone with the impact of a fire hose.

But Luna had started moving at the same time, and whether through foresight or the luck of her curse her sidestep took her far enough out of the way for the water lance to streak past. As she dodged, her right arm came up in an underarm swing and the whip came to life, its silvery length slashing upwards and straight into Natasha. The strand dissipated as it struck the bubble of Natasha’s conversion field, becoming a flash of brilliant light that made me shut my eyes.

“Point, right,” the arbitrator said. He was frowning, but neither Natasha nor Luna had quite jumped the gun.

“What was that?” Natasha demanded. “That’s not fair!”

“Point, right,” the arbitrator repeated more loudly. “One-zero.” Luna brought the whip back, the strand of silver mist curling around her feet. I’d expected it to go for the spectators, but it didn’t; it was pointed towards Natasha, coiled and ready. For Natasha’s part, she looked taken aback. This obviously wasn’t going the way she’d expected.

“Ready?” the arbitrator asked once everything was settled. I could hear murmurs from the crowd, people whispering in undertones. Luna’s curse is very difficult to see; my mage’s sight is better than most and even I can only spot it because I know exactly what to look for. To most of the mages here, it would have looked like Luna hit Natasha without doing anything.

“Fight!”

A spherical shield of flickering blue light sprang up around Natasha, the water magic combining magical energy and pressure to repel attacks. Luna’s whip sprang out eagerly and the silver mist bit into the sphere, but the shield held. Luna pulled back and struck again, stepping forward as Natasha stepped back. Light sparked from Natasha’s shield at the points of impact, silver-blue instead of the white flash of the conversion field. The whip was fast and responsive and it gathered itself for a new strike more quickly than any normal whip could do, but there was still a slight delay between each attack. Natasha timed it carefully, then as Luna was pulling back for another stroke she dropped her shield and sent a full-strength blast of water magic streaming down the piste. Luna was off-balance and didn’t manage to dodge. The azimuth shield took the brunt of the attack with a brilliant flash, but it couldn’t stop all the kinetic energy of the impact. Luna flew five feet before hitting the floor and slid and rolled for another ten.

“Point, left,” the arbitrator said as another murmur went up around the hall. “One-all. Is right able to continue?”

Luna got to one knee, steadying herself and locking gazes with Natasha. There was a small cut on her lip. “Oh, I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Natasha said, her eyes wide.

“You wish,” Luna said.

“Places,” the arbitrator said loudly.

Luna rose and walked to the starting lines. Her curse lashed and twisted around her, and it looked pissed off. Over the crowd I caught a glimpse of Anne and Variam watching closely. Anne looked worried. Variam just looked like he was enjoying the show.

“Ready?” the arbitrator said. “Fight!”

Both Luna and Natasha started more cautiously this time, neither wanting to risk an attack that might leave them open. Luna attacked first, her whip flicking out to glance off Natasha’s shield. Natasha struck back but this time Luna’s whip met the attack head on, slashing into the lance of water and erasing it in a flash of light before it could reach her. Natasha pulled away.

Luna began to advance. This time instead of big slow swings she kept the whip in front of her, slashing at Natasha with quick strikes that didn’t leave her vulnerable. Natasha backed off as the whip cut into her shield, the impacts landing left and right and left again. Luna kept advancing, eyes narrowed in concentration, and it became obvious that Natasha didn’t have an answer for the steady beat of attacks. Experienced battle-mages can shield and strike at the same time but Natasha didn’t have the skill. Natasha kept backing away, flinching. Left, right, left-and then Luna changed the pattern. Instead of going back to the right she flipped the whip handle through a complex move and the whip reared up behind Natasha like a striking scorpion, stabbing through the back of her shield where it was weaker in a flash of brilliant white.

“Point, right. Two-one. Places.”

Luna backed off. She was breathing hard but she looked satisfied. Natasha didn’t.

“Match point,” the arbitrator said. “Ready?”

Luna nodded.

“Ready?”

Natasha gave a tiny nod.

“Fi-”

Natasha struck with overwhelming force, sending a pillar of blue light at Luna with bone-crushing power. But Luna’s curse saved her again, her sidestep taking her just far enough away. The whip licked out without Luna even swinging it and the silver strand hit Natasha squarely in the face. The conversion field couldn’t stop it all this time and through the brilliant flash I saw a tendril of mist stroke Natasha’s cheek, soaking into her.

“Point, right,” the arbitrator said. “Match. Luna Mancuso wins three-one.”

The crowd started to applaud. Natasha just stood there, staring at Luna. Luna’s curse can’t be felt when it hits. To Natasha it would have seemed as though Luna had won without even touching her. The mages at the back of the piste released their spell on the azimuth focuses and the shields winked out. Luna turned her back on Natasha and marched down the piste, holding the handle of her whip high in triumph. She looked for me in the crowd, grinning. “Alex!” she shouted over the applause. “Did you-?”

Behind, Natasha’s face twisted in sudden rage.

“Luna!” I shouted.

Dark blue-green light streamed from Natasha’s hand and this time there was no azimuth shield to stop it. Luna had started to turn and the movement took her partly out of the line of the spell but not quite far enough. It splashed across her side and lower back.

Luna hit the floor with a shriek. A second later the arbitrator grabbed Natasha, dragging her off the piste. I was running for Luna but as I reached the piste I checked myself. Luna was writhing on the floor in pain and her curse was active and uncontrolled, twisting and striking blindly. If I came any closer-

Then Anne was there and she didn’t hesitate. She dropped to her knees beside Luna, pulling Luna over onto her front. Luna screamed again and as I saw her back I drew a breath in horror. Natasha’s spell had eaten through Luna’s clothes and skin, revealing red muscle and white bone. And as Anne touched her, Luna’s curse jumped into her, tendrils wrapping around Anne and soaking through her skin. If Anne was aware of what Luna’s curse was doing she didn’t show it. She placed her hands on Luna’s back at the edge of the horrible injury and concentrated.

Soft green light flared up, linking the two girls together. Luna arched her spine, but she wasn’t screaming anymore. The blood soaking from the wound stopped flowing, and as I watched the ruined muscles began to regrow, interlacing and rebuilding themselves before my eyes. White bone disappeared beneath flesh and the flesh disappeared beneath a new layer of pale white skin. It was over in seconds. Where Luna’s back had been a ruined mess, now it was bare and flawless. The only sign of the wound was the ragged hole in her clothes.

Anne tried to get to her feet, staggered, and nearly fell. Luna’s curse was still streaming into her and I jumped in and drew her away out of range. Luna sat up on the floor, but she was obviously dazed and didn’t know what was going on. The hall was filled with shouts and noise. I held Anne up and an instant later Variam was there, supporting her as well. I could see the silver mist of Luna’s curse glowing around Anne-

— And with a snap it was gone. I whirled, going tense. I’ve seen Luna’s curse triggering enough times to recognise it. Something was coming for Anne and I tried to watch in every direction at once, expecting danger any moment.

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Luna was trying to get to her feet. “Luna,” I called. “Luna! We’re getting out of here.”

Luna wasn’t in any state to argue. I was vaguely aware of people trying to talk to us but I didn’t care; I needed to get Anne and Luna somewhere safe. Somehow we got out of the duelling hall and into the corridor, me leading while Variam brought up the rear. My shoulders itched as we hurried down the hall. I didn’t know what was coming, but it was going to be bad.

Nothing came. We made it back to Anne and Luna’s room without anything happening.

I shut the door and locked it as Luna collapsed on the bed. Anne was sitting leaning against the wall, eyes closed, and she actually looked more drained than Luna. “Variam,” I said. “Will they be okay?”

“They’ll be fine.” But Variam was frowning. “Isn’t it dangerous getting close to-”

“Yes,” I said. I was still trying to make sense of it. Luna and her bed and her clothes glowed with silver mist, but Anne had nothing. The only way that could make sense was if the curse had already activated. . but if it had, why wasn’t anything happening?

“Be okay,” Anne said drowsily. “Just a little while.”

Now that Anne and Luna were out of danger I was torn between wanting to stay with them to make sure they were safe, and wanting to find Natasha and kill her. Wanting to keep them safe won. “What about Luna?” I asked Anne.

“It’s weird,” Anne said. She still sounded half-asleep. “What you said last night? Now I feel like someone’s watching me. .”

Something about the words gave me a chill, but it was hard to concentrate with Luna like this. “Is Luna going to be okay?”

“What? Oh.” Anne shook herself and seemed to come awake. “Yes. She just needs a rest.”

I looked over at Luna. She was sprawled on her bed with one hand resting on the pillow and she seemed to have fallen asleep. As I looked into the short-term future I began to calm down a little. It was hard to see far but I couldn’t see anything catastrophic happening to anyone just yet.

“Um,” Anne said. She sounded a little embarrassed. “I’m going to need something to eat.”

“I’ll get you something,” I said. “Don’t leave this room.” I glanced at Variam. “Stay with them.”

Variam nodded.

* * *

It took a little while to find the kitchens and talk the staff into getting me something. I kept getting distracted by thoughts of what Natasha had done, and every time I did I felt a wave of white-hot rage. I wanted to go after her but knew that in my current state it would be a really bad idea. From the noise and the lack of crowds I could tell that the tournament was still going on, and that pissed me off even more.

I got back to Anne and Luna’s room and had just set down the tray to knock on the door when I stopped. The door was open.

I pushed the door open with my left hand, my right slipping inside my coat. Luna was alone in the room, sprawled on the bed right where I’d left her, the silver mist of her curse twining lazily around her body as she slept. Anne and Variam were gone.

What the hell?

I scanned the immediate futures but couldn’t find anything. With the mansion’s wards I couldn’t see far enough to find out where they were. I leant back out into the corridor and saw a girl peeking out of a room two doors down. “Hey,” I said. “Where did the apprentices in this room go?”

“I don’t know. .”

As I looked at the girl I recognised her. She was the same one I’d seen Anne talking to two days ago. “What’s your name?”

“Celia.” The girl came hesitantly out of her room, drawing a little closer. She was small, with blond hair and glasses. “Is Anne okay?”

“Where did she go?”

“They took her away.”

“Who?”

“Two mages. They said they were from the Council?”

“Where did they take her?”

“I don’t know. Variam went with her, he was shouting. .”

My phone rang. I took one glance at who it was, then pointed to Luna and Anne’s room. “I need you to help my apprentice. Stay in that room and keep an eye on her. Don’t go near her, just make sure she’s not left alone. Okay?”

Celia hesitated. “Okay.”

As Celia disappeared into the room I took out my phone, hit the Talk button, and started walking. “Talisid, can you explain to me why two mages who sound a hell of a lot like Council Keepers just took Anne away for questioning?”

“You’ve heard, then.” Talisid sounded troubled.

“No, I just like making lucky guesses. Of course I’ve heard.” I reached an intersection and stopped to think. The Keepers would have taken over a room for interrogation. It wouldn’t be in the bedroom wing, it would be somewhere quieter. . I picked a direction and started walking again. “What the hell are they thinking?”

“I’ve been on the phone to the department. Apparently they’ve received some new information linking Anne Walker to the disappearances.”

“That’s ridiculous. Anne’s one of the ones helping me. What information?”

“There was a tip-off from an apprentice-”

“Natasha. Jesus.” I covered my eyes. “She doesn’t have a clue what she’s talking about. They’re arresting her over apprentice gossip!”

“That wasn’t all. How much do you know about this girl?”

“Why does it matter?” I took a glance down an empty corridor, searching through the immediate futures of opening the doors. Nothing was there and I kept going, navigating by the distant murmur of sound from the duelling hall.

“After they received the tip-off they did some investigation. And they found that Anne Walker knew or was in contact with all four missing apprentices.”

“Every apprentice knows every other apprentice. It’s not that big a community.”

“There’s more.” Talisid didn’t sound happy. “They found that in each case Anne had been in a position to learn where that apprentice would be just a day or two before their disappearance. And with the first victim, Caroline Montroyd, Anne seems to have been the only one who was told.”

I stopped. “How?”

“We always knew there was someone feeding information from the inside. We may have found that someone.”

I started walking again and quickened my pace. “It’s circumstantial.”

“Maybe it is. But I’m looking over the report right now and I assure you it’s very suspicious. Especially concerning a subject who was a Dark apprentice.”

“She wasn’t a Dark apprentice,” I said in frustration. “Her or Variam. They got kidnapped into it.”

“How do you know?” Talisid asked.

“They told me.”

“Has anyone else confirmed that story?”

“No. .”

“I see.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” I said. “Someone’s been trying to kill Anne. She’s the target.”

“Didn’t you say you thought there were two groups doing this?” Talisid said. I started to answer but he carried on, cutting me off. “Look, it’s not yet established that she’s a willing accomplice. She could be being used as an information source without her knowledge.”

I thought of how Anne always seemed to know what was going on amongst the apprentices. Luna’s words: The younger apprentices really like Anne. They tell her everything. Something uneasy twisted inside me.

I heard the sound of raised voices ahead. One of the voices was Variam’s, and as I heard it something fell into place. “I’ve found them,” I said. “I’ll call you back.”

Talisid sighed. “Please try not to do anything stupid.”

“When have I ever done that?”

“I’ll let you fill in the response to that yourself,” Talisid said. “Good luck.”

I switched off the phone and looked down the corridor. A mage was standing in front of a closed door, arms folded, and Variam was shouting at him. One or two heads were peeking out of doors to see what the noise was about, but the tournament was still running and most of the mansion’s population was in the duelling hall.

I walked out around the corner. “You can’t do this!” Variam was shouting. “You have to-”

“Variam,” I said. “We need to talk.”

Variam and the mage both turned to me. The mage was lean and tough-looking, his eyes impassive. “This one yours?” he asked me.

“Variam,” I said again.

Variam shot the mage a glare, then stalked down the corridor towards me. “They’ve got Anne in that room,” he said as we turned the corner. “They won’t let me in-”

I opened a door to the left. It led into a small boxroom. Variam walked in and I closed the door behind us as Variam kept talking. “Look, you’ve got to do something. They think she-”

“Shut up,” I said.

Variam stopped, turning to stare in surprise.

“I just got off the phone with Talisid,” I said. “Remember Talisid? The guy who got me to investigate these disappearances?”

“Yeah.” Variam still looked taken aback. “So wh-”

“How did you know that?”

“What?”

“How did you know I was working for Talisid?”

“Uh-you were talking about it, last-”

“Last night in the woods, yeah. But you knew before. You told me at the motorway services while Anne was having that chat with Hobson.”

Variam hesitated. “You must have-”

“After I got home from that duelling class four days ago I got a message pointing me towards Fountain Reach,” I said. “You know what really bothered me about that message? How fast it was. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I started to think that the one who’d sent it must have been at the duelling class too. But even then there was a problem. Talisid hadn’t shown himself to you or Lyle or Charles or Natasha or anyone else. All you guys saw was me and Luna leaving the room and then coming back. But that doesn’t matter to Anne, does it? She can pick out a living person through a wall with no trouble at all. She would have known we were talking to Talisid. And she trusts you. She would have told you.”

Variam didn’t move. “So you sent me that message,” I said. “And I think I know why. Talisid just told me that all four missing apprentices had a connection to Anne. I think you’ve known that for a long time and you’ve been terrified someone else will find out. That was why you sent me to Fountain Reach. You were trying to get me looking there instead of at her.”

“I-” Variam stopped. “No, I didn’t.”

“You probably sent the same message to Onyx too,” I said. “And nearly got me killed as a result, not that you seem to care. For all I know you spammed a dozen mages and we’re just the ones who happened to pay attention. What I want to know is why. You didn’t pick Fountain Reach out of a hat. What did you know about this place that made you send us here?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what?”

Variam hesitated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit! Tell me what you know, now.”

“Screw you,” Variam said. He was starting to get angry again. “Why should I trust you?”

I stared at Variam for a second, then turned on my heel. “You’re on your own.”

“Hey!” Variam shouted.

I looked back at him. “Hey, what?”

“You’re supposed to be helping Anne!”

“Helping Anne?” I let go of the doorknob and stalked towards Variam, looming over him to stare into his eyes. Variam drew back, startled. “You ungrateful little shit. Since we met I have done everything I possibly can to protect you and Anne and you have given me nothing but grief for it. It’s because of me those assassins didn’t kill Anne four days ago and it’s because of me those constructs didn’t kill both of you last night. I’ve risked my life to help you and I haven’t asked for a thing in return except your cooperation. Now I find you’ve been trying to manipulate me from the start and you have the nerve to ask why you should trust me? You can’t even do something as simple as watch over Luna while she’s asleep and helpless. You’ve been right on the fence between asset and liability for a while now and you just took a dive down the liability side.” I shook my head and turned back towards the door. “I’m done wasting time on you.”

Variam caught my shoulder. “Wait!”

“For what? For you to spin me more bullshit?”

“I need your help,” Variam said. It sounded like it was difficult for him to get the words out, but he managed. “To help Anne.”

“I’ve been doing nothing but helping Anne.”

“All right,” Variam said. He looked nervous. “I’ll tell you.”

“The truth this time?”

Variam nodded.

“Fine,” I said. “But listen closely, because I’m only going to say this once. If I catch you lying to me one more time I’m going to cut you loose for good. And Variam?” I leant in close. “I’m very good at knowing when people are lying to me.”

Variam flinched slightly and I pulled back. “Why Fountain Reach?”

“Look, I wanted to tell you,” Variam began. “I just couldn’t see how it was any use.”

“Where did you get the name?”

“Jagadev,” Variam said. “I went to him, after Vanessa. He told me the disappearances were connected to Fountain Reach but he wouldn’t say why.”

“Did he say anything about how or who?”

Variam shook his head.

“How long have you known that it was something to do with Anne?”

“It’s not! She’s not doing anything, none of us are! It’s just. . I thought it was just a coincidence. I mean, there aren’t that many apprentices. But when every one of them seemed to. . I knew what they’d think. Everyone always thinks we’re some kind of monsters. I knew they wouldn’t listen to us.”

“So you tried to push everyone away.” I shook my head. “If you’d told me earlier I could have gone looking for an explanation. Now she’s already been arrested and we’re up against the clock. You’ve made this a hell of a lot more difficult.”

“I’m sorry,” Variam said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

I sighed and put a hand to my head, tapping my fingers against my forehead. “All right,” I said. “All right. The Council can be assholes, but they’re not incompetent. If those Keepers have arrested Anne it probably means there’s real evidence against her. Do you think Anne’s been helping kidnap these apprentices?”

“Of course not!”

“Neither do I. That means someone must be using Anne as an information source. We need to talk to her and find out all the people she’s been speaking to. Then we can narrow down who it might be.”

Variam perked up. “Yeah. Okay.”

I started for the door and paused. “Oh, and it’s about time you dropped the rebellious teenager act. We’re about to talk to Keepers. Be polite.”

Variam looked indignant. “But they-”

“I know what they did and I know how you feel about it. But all it’ll do is make them more likely to say no. You’re an adult; time to start acting like it.”

Variam gave a reluctant nod.

* * *

I was rehearsing speeches in my head as we came back around the corner, but as we came out into the corridor I frowned. The door that had been blocked by the Keeper was hanging open. Variam and I exchanged glances and walked in.

The guest room was small, with a single faded bed, and had no windows or doors except for the one we’d just come through. One of the Council Keepers was standing in a corner with his back to us talking into his mobile phone: “. . hair black, eyes red-brown, early twenties, wearing a green skirt and jumper. Last seen fifteen minutes ago and. .”

The other Keeper, the hard-looking one who’d been blocking the door, turned towards us with a frown. “Where’s Anne?” I asked before he could get a word out.

“What are you doing here?”

“Looking for Anne. Where is she?”

“This is a restricted area,” the Keeper began.

“I’m looking for the apprentice you were holding here,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Given that she was in your custody, that makes you responsible for her under Council law. I am making a formal request to speak with her. Please.”

The Keeper looked from me to Variam and hesitated. “You’re going to have to come back-”

The second Keeper snapped his phone shut and turned towards us. “Verus,” he said. He was older than his partner, with greying hair and sharp eyes. “What do you know about this?”

“At the moment, nothing,” I said. I had to force myself to stay calm. “Would you happen to know where Anne Walker is?”

The Keeper studied me. “She appears to have fled.”

I looked at him, then around at the bare room with its complete absence of other exits. Then I looked back at him. “You left her alone?”

“She used a gate spell,” the older Keeper said.

“That’s impossible.”

“Apparently not.”

“Anne can’t use gate magic!” Variam burst out.

“What about the wards?” I said.

The Keeper looked at me with raised eyebrows. “That is an extremely good question.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” I said. It took all I had to keep my voice level. “I couldn’t get through these gate wards, and neither could you. Are you seriously telling me that you believe an apprentice found a way through a gate ward when two Council Keepers couldn’t?”

“I know what a gate spell feels like, all right?” the younger Keeper said irritably. “And that’s what I felt through that door. Crystal and her ‘impenetrable’ wards, my-”

“Look, Verus,” the older Keeper said. “We’re a little busy. Can you tell us where Anne Walker is?”

I was silent. “I don’t know,” I said at last.

“Then I’m sorry but we’ve got work to do.” The Keeper walked past, taking out his phone again as he vanished into the corridor. The other followed, shooting me a suspicious look.

“Where is she?” Variam demanded. He was looking around the room as if he expected Anne to pop out of hiding.

“Give me a second,” I said quietly. My head was whirling.

“She couldn’t have gated out of here,” Variam said. “She can’t even use gate magic!”

“I know,” I said. I felt as though I were on the verge of getting it. I just needed one more piece. .

“Those Keepers must have taken her,” Variam said.

“They didn’t,” I said absently.

“There couldn’t have been a gate spell.”

“That Keeper said there was.”

“Then he was lying!”

“Maybe-” I began, and stopped.

“You can’t get a gate spell through these wards,” Variam repeated. “If she’s not here it means-”

“Variam?” I said. “Why are these wards still working?”

“Huh?”

“Remember what Sonder said last night?” I said. “Wards like this take a lot of maintenance. Why haven’t they run down?”

“Who cares?” Variam said. “I guess Crystal’s fixing them.”

“But Sonder said Vitus Aubuchon attuned them to himself,” I said. “It would have been almost impossible for someone else to take control of Fountain Reach.”

“Well, Crystal figured it out.”

“Maybe she didn’t,” I said quietly.

Variam looked at me in confusion. “What?”

I didn’t answer. A dozen images and thoughts were spinning through my head. A portrait on a wall. Notes on longevity magic, failed experiments on yellowing paper. Vitus Aubuchon, who had been sickly and aging and obsessed with his health. Sonder’s words: Basically all of Fountain Reach is one giant focus. As long as you’re within it, you can use it to power spells. . Luna insisting that it couldn’t be a coincidence, two victims of the same age at the same place. Crystal’s scorn at working for the Council until she was “old and grey.” Anne’s last words: Now I feel like someone’s watching me. .

I pulled out my phone and dialled Talisid’s number. It took Talisid a while to answer and when he did he sounded harassed. “Verus, I’ve got two other people-”

“One quick question,” I said. “The Aubuchon family used to own Fountain Reach.”

“Yes-”

“The last mage of the dynasty, Vitus Aubuchon,” I said. “Do you know what type of mage he was?”

“He was a space mage. Spatial manipulation, gate magic, that sort of thing. Is this-?”

Something clicked. “That’s all,” I said, and hung up and turned back to Variam. “We need to get back to Luna.”

“Do you know where Anne is?”

“No. But I think I know who took her.”

* * *

Luna was sitting up in bed by the time we got back to her room. She’d eaten everything I’d brought from the kitchens and was looking a lot healthier. I thanked Celia and sent her away, closing the door behind her before turning to Variam and Luna. I hadn’t answered any of Variam’s questions and both of them were watching me. “We don’t have much time,” I began, “so we’re going to have to make this fast.”

“Who took Anne?” Variam said.

“The same man who took that girl thirty years ago,” I said. “And God only knows how many others. Vitus Aubuchon.”

Variam frowned. “I thought he was-”

“Not dead,” I said. “Disappeared, yes, but not dead. He was doing longevity research, looking for a way to prolong his life. I think he found one.” I looked at Luna. “Remember what I told you about vampires? How they could live off humans by drinking their blood? There have always been rumours that before they were wiped out, some mages got vampires to teach them the trick.”

Luna’s eyes widened a little. “Wait, you mean. .?”

“Here’s what I think happened,” I said. “Vitus Aubuchon wanted to live forever. He couldn’t use life magic, so he designed this house as a giant focus for a longevity spell. But it needed fuel. Human fuel, young people in the prime of their youth and strength. It worked for a long time but then something went wrong. For whatever reason normal children weren’t enough anymore. So Vitus decided to start feeding off apprentices instead.

“And then Crystal came. I don’t know how they met, but they made some sort of deal. Crystal would find apprentices, ones who were vulnerable and alone, and bring them here to Fountain Reach for Vitus to feed on. .” I trailed off, remembering Crystal’s words from two nights ago. The entire point of this whole plan was so we didn’t have to keep picking at random. . “Shit,” I said quietly to myself.

“What?”

“That’s why Crystal held the tournament here,” I said. “They’re not looking for just any apprentice. They’re looking for the right apprentice. The point of the tournament was so that they could get a close-up view of all the apprentices using their magic. Anne hasn’t healed anyone since getting here, has she?”

“No. .” Variam said.

I nodded. “Not until now. Vitus saw her and that was it. As soon as she was alone he snatched her and unless we stop him he’s going to do the same thing to her that he’s done to everyone else.”

“How do we get her back?” Variam said.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I’m still working on that part.”

“You just said we didn’t have much time!”

“Vitus is a space mage. He could have taken Anne anywhere and I don’t know where.”

“Wait,” Luna broke in. “Didn’t Sonder say Vitus would have to stay inside the house?”

I nodded. “I don’t think she’s far, but-”

“So let’s burn the house down,” Variam said.

Luna looked at Variam in disbelief. “Are you nuts?”

“It’ll flush him out, won’t it?”

“It’s not going to-”

“Actually,” I said slowly, “I think that’s not a bad idea.” I turned towards the door. “Get ready for a fight. I’ll explain along the way.”

* * *

I got my gear, Luna got her whip, and I led her and Variam upstairs through Fountain Reach. “The first time I came here, Onyx shredded a wall,” I said. “When he did there was a scream. It was like some kind of defence system, but now I don’t think it was. I think Vitus is linked to this house. Hurting it hurts him.”

“So how does that help us find Anne?” Variam asked.

We turned down an old crooked corridor with animal heads lining the walls. “Wherever Vitus takes his victims, it’s somewhere hidden,” I said. “We won’t find it, not in time. But if Vitus could bring Anne there, he could bring us there too.”

The bedroom within looked just as it had the last two times I’d seen Crystal in it: old and dusty with a moth-eaten bed. The portrait on the wall stared down at us, sunken eyes looking out of a thin face. “What about everyone else?” Luna asked.

“You remember Anne’s story from last night?” I said. “Someone tried to burn Fountain Reach before and something stopped them. I don’t think Vitus can do anything in this part of the house, not directly. He has to take them somewhere else first.”

Luna looked from me to Variam. I could tell she wasn’t sure about the plan but didn’t want to go back either. “Now?” Variam asked.

I nodded. “Do it.”

Orange-red light flared up around Variam’s hands and heat poured into the back of the room. The wallpaper blackened then ignited, flames licking up from the floor. Luna and I backed away towards the door.

I felt a pulse of magic and a mental chime: an alarm spell. “Keep going,” I said, but Variam didn’t need to be told. More heat went in. The old bedroom was dry as dust and the flames were spreading quickly, the carpet at the end catching fire and the bed smouldering as well. The temperature in the room was rising but Variam did something and it levelled out, the heat staying in the far end of the room. Smoke was starting to spread and I coughed.

In the distance I could hear shouts and running footsteps. “Is it working?” Luna called.

“No!” I tried to think about the last time I’d seen the house react violently. Onyx had ripped a hole through the corridor. “Go for the walls!”

Variam raised his hand and an orange-red beam sprang out. It carved into the walls as though they were butter and cut sideways, burning a gash through the bones and structure of Fountain Reach.

This time the response was instant. A scream knifed through my head, pain and fury and discord. I’d been ready and only flinched, but Luna and Variam both doubled over. Variam lost his grip on his spells; the beam winked out and the heat rushed in, scorching me. “Variam!” I shouted.

Variam recovered, forcing the temperature down. The whole far end of the room was a sheet of flame now, the bed blackening and crumbling in the inferno as the fire reached eagerly towards us. Flames were licking up around the edge of the painting, the man inside seeming to glare out at us. I could sense people coming down the corridor and I recognised Lyle and Crystal. Variam struck again, that beam of fire slicing into the walls, and this time I felt the wards around us waver as Variam’s attack cut through one of the weblike strands that supported the spell around Fountain Reach.

The scream was louder, and this time there was only pain. The wards shifted, turned, and I felt the pull of a gate spell, space seeming to ripple and twist just as Lyle appeared in the doorway. The spell was centred around me and Variam and Luna but Lyle was caught too, dragged in from the edge. I caught one glimpse of Lyle’s startled face, Luna and Variam turning towards me, the flames guttering and dying as their fuel was sucked away from them, then the four of us were drawn elsewhere and everything was gone.