Demonglass (20 page)

A
s I ran out the front door in my bathrobe, it occurred to me that someone would surely ask me where I was going. Panic surged through me even as magic coiled up from my feet.

The teleportation spell. I’d never been able to move more than ten feet, and the mill was at least half a mile away. Still, I had to try.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, drawing my powers deep inside myself, trying to calm down. It probably only took five seconds, but it felt like hours until I felt the frigid wind wrap itself around me, felt my blood slow in my veins.

I was almost afraid to open my eyes when the cold subsided, but when I did, I found myself standing right in front of the corn mill. Any relief I might have felt over the spell working faded the instant I stepped inside. I could feel the residual charge of magic in the air. Dark magic.

“Archer?” I called out, my heart pounding so loudly I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear anything else.

But then, from the back of the mill, I heard a faint and wheezing, “Mercer.”

A sob burst from my throat as I ran to the alcove. Archer was lying on his back, his hands on his chest. In the moonlight he looked like he’d been splashed all over with ink.

But the substance covering his chest and spreading out in a large pool underneath him wasn’t ink or black paint, or any of the other things my desperate mind tried to tell me it could be. There was a faint metallic smell that reminded me of when Jenna would feed in our room.

I dropped to my knees beside him, touching his cheek. It was felt cool and clammy under my hand. “This is…what I get…for coming early,” he gasped out, trying to smile at me.

“Please don’t joke and bleed at the same time,” I said as I gently lifted his hands from his chest. It was too dark to see the extent of his injuries, which was probably a good thing. Still, his shirt was shiny and slick with blood, and his breathing was shallow.

“It was this guy,” he murmured. “Came…out of nowhere. Think he had…claws.”

Oh, God. That explained the gashes, but the thought of Nick, every bit as savage as Daisy had been, slicing into Archer made bile rise up in my throat.

I breathed in through my nose until the feeling passed. “You’re going to be okay,” I said, but my voice was wavering and I was shaking. “It’s probably not even that bad, and you’re just being a big drama queen as usual.” My magic was crashing around inside me like a choppy sea, and I was too upset to focus on anything. Still, I tried. I stroked his forehead and tried to channel my powers through him, tried to close all the gaping wounds on his chest and stomach.

The bleeding slowed a little, but that was the best I could do, and he’d already lost so much blood. I sat back on my heels, wanting to scream in frustration. What was the point of having the powers of gods if you couldn’t help the people you loved?

Shivering, Archer grasped one of my hands with his. “Lost cause, Mercer.”

“Don’t say that!” I cried.

He shook his head. His teeth were chattering so hard he could barely speak, but he managed to say, “This was always going to happen…sooner or later. Wish…it had been…later.”

I wanted to tell him no again, that he would be fine, but there was no point. Even in the darkness I could see how white he was, and how scared his eyes were. The pool of blood under him was so huge it was hard to believe there was any blood left in his body.

He was dying, and we both knew it. There was nothing I could do.

But there was someone who could.

I leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, “Cross, please, just hold on for a few more minutes, okay? You promised to make out with me in a castle, and I’m holding you to it.”

He tried to laugh, but it just came out a weak gurgle. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth to keep from crying out, and stood up.

His fingers grabbed for the hem of my robe. “Don’t leave me,” he whispered.

It killed me to do it, but I stepped out of his reach. “I’m coming right back, I swear.”

There was more I wanted to say, but we were wasting time. If he died before I got back…I couldn’t think about that. Before I had time to second-guess myself or weigh the risks, I closed my eyes and vanished.

I reappeared in the hallway just outside my room, and dashed down to Cal’s room.

When he opened the door, he looked rumpled and sleepy, and pleasantly surprised to see me. That was the worst part.

As soon as he realized I was covered in blood, however, his smile faded, and he clutched my arm. “Sophie, what happened?”

“It’s not my blood,” I said quickly. “Someone is hurt, and I need you to get to the mill as fast as you can. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll meet you there.”

He frowned, confused, but I teleported back to the mill before he had a chance to ask any questions.

I didn’t know if it was all the practicing I’d been doing with Dad, or what, but it hardly took anything out of me to do such a huge spell. When I flashed back to the mill, I felt clearheaded and not even a little bit dizzy. But fear raced through me as I made my way back to Archer. Thank God his chest was still rising and falling when I reached him, but he seemed to be breathing faster, and his eyes were closed.

“See, told you I’d be back,” I said as I crouched at his side. I tried to keep my voice light, like if he thought I wasn’t afraid, he wouldn’t be either. I’m not sure it worked, but he took my hand and, without opening his eyes, pressed my palm to his lips. I held his other wrist so I could feel his pulse.

I focused on that, each steady beat underneath my fingers, until at long last I heard Cal call out, “Sophie?”

“Back here!”

I could hear him stepping over the loose rocks and fallen beams, and when he finally appeared in the doorway, I thought he might be the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “Oh, thank you,” I breathed, but whether I was talking to Cal or to God, I couldn’t have told you.

“What happened?” he asked, moving toward me.

And then he saw.

A mix of emotions crossed his face. He looked shocked at first, but that gave way to a cold, quiet anger. His eyes went hard and his mouth tightened.

“Cal,” I said, but it came out like a whimper.

“Move,” he said tersely. I scrambled to my feet, walking around to Archer’s other side as Cal knelt where I’d been. He grabbed Archer’s arm with none of the gentleness I’d seen him use healing other people, me included. It was like he was trying to touch him as little as possible. I had one horrible moment of doubt, but then Cal dropped his head, and little silver sparks started running over Archer’s skin.

So I sat on the grimy floor of an eighteenth-century corn mill and watched my fiancé heal the guy I loved.

“Wow,” I muttered. “I’m gonna have one messed-up ‘How I Spent My Summer Vacation’ essay when I get back to Hex Hall.” I lowered my forehead onto my knees, debating whether I should burst into tears or hysterical laughter.

After a few minutes, I heard Cal say, “There.”

When I looked up, the blood underneath Archer was completely gone, and even though he was still unconscious, his breathing was slow and regular. I scrambled over to them. “Thank you so much,” I said, laying my hand on Cal’s arm.

But he threw it off as he stood, and turned away from me. Fury was etched in every line of his body, from his tense shoulders to his clenched fists.

I followed him and started to say, “I’m sorry,” but he cut me off.

“Don’t. I knew you could be naïve, but I never thought you were stupid. He’s
an Eye
, Sophie. They kill our kind. What part of that don’t you understand?”

All I could do was blink at him.

“And this one is worse than any of the others,” he continued, “because he’s technically one of us. He’s a traitor to his own race, and you just keep letting him in, and pushing…everyone else away.” He looked up at me, and what I saw in his eyes made me flinch. Cal was so good at hiding his emotions that I’d never realized…God, how could I have been such an idiot?

“I am so sorry,” I said again. “I-I never meant to hurt you, Cal.”

As quickly as it had appeared, the flash of pain was gone. “This isn’t just about me,” he said. “You’re supposed to be head of the Council one day. Prodigium have to trust you, and that’s never going to happen if you have one of
them
in your bed.”

A combination of anger and embarrassment rushed through me, burning my cheeks. “Okay, first of all, no one is ‘in my bed.’ Second, Archer has saved my life more than once. He’s not what you think he is.”

Cal made a sound of disgust. “Oh, come on, Sophie. Don’t you get it? He’s L’Occhio di Dio’s ultimate weapon. They used him as a spy at Hecate for years, so what makes you think that’s stopped now? This is probably just his new assignment, getting close to you so he can use you for information about the Council.”

“Actually, I was just going to use her for her body, but that’s a good idea, too.”

Cal and I whipped our heads around to see Archer sitting up against the back wall, his dark eyes glittering. He was still pale, but other than that, there was no sign that he’d been at death’s door only a few minutes ago.

“So if you’re so convinced I’m a spy, why did you heal me?” Archer asked, wincing as he pushed himself to his feet. “You could’ve just let me bleed to death and saved yourself a lot of hassle.”

Cal scowled at him. “I did it for her.”

Archer’s smirk faded. “Fair enough,” he said softly. “Thank you.”

They stared each other down, and while the dorky eleven-year-old in my soul kind of hoped that two hot boys might fight over me, the rational, seventeen-year-old knew that Archer needed to get out of here, fast.

“Okay, look, we can talk this out later,” I said, walking over to Archer. He slipped his hand into mine and squeezed it.

Cal’s glance fell on our joined hands, and he turned away. “I’m heading back to the house,” he muttered, but when he turned to go, the doorway was blocked.

Dad, Lara, and the other three members of the Council were standing there, staring at Archer and me.

M
y memories of everything after that are a little jumbled. I remember Kristopher storming forward and kicking Archer’s sword out of reach, before jerking his arms behind his back and securing them with that black cord that always hung from his waist.

I know that Lara grabbed Cal’s arm and shouted something at him, while Roderick crossed his arms and scowled at me, his black wings making him look like the angel of death.

But mostly I remember my dad standing there, staring at me with a completely unreadable look. And when I tried to talk to him, he abruptly raised his hand and said, “Do not even attempt to explain this, Sophia.”

The walk back to the house was the longest and most miserable half-mile of my life. I wasn’t sure which to worry the most about—what they would do to Archer, or if Dad would ever forgive me. Up ahead, Dad and Lara conferred in hushed tones, and I tried to absorb the enormity of the trouble I was in. I had been caught with one of Prodigium’s greatest enemies. Something told me that punishment would be a lot worse than writing a thousand words on some obscure topic.

Thorne Abbey was dark and silent as we marched inside. Only once we’d been led all the way back to the main foyer did Dad finally say something.

“We’re calling an emergency meeting of the Council for first thing in the morning. Sophie, Cal, the two of you are to go to your rooms and stay there until someone comes for you. Kristopher, secure Mr. Cross in one of the cells downstairs.”

My gaze locked with Archer’s as Kristopher began dragging him away. “It’s okay,” he mouthed, but it wasn’t. It never would be.

After he was gone, I walked over to Dad. He still wouldn’t look at me, and was holding himself with that same rigidness Cal had shown in the mill. “Dad, I know ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t even begin to cut it.”

Breathing in deeply through his nose, Dad said, “Until your testimony is over, I can’t speak to you. Please report to your chamber until tomorrow morning.”

My eyes flooded with tears. “Dad—”

“Go!” he shouted, and I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from crying out loud.

He walked away without even glancing at me.

“Come on,” Cal said. “There’s nothing you can do right now.”

“Did you tell them?” I demanded. “Is that why they came to the mill?”

All of Cal’s earlier fury seemed to have completely drained out of him. “No,” he said. “I have no idea why they showed up when they did. Unless it has something to do with those tests they’ve been running on me. Maybe they traced my magic. Who knows?”

He turned to go, and even though I wanted nothing more than to run after Dad, I followed Cal away from the foyer and up the back stairs to our rooms. Our footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet, and the dim light from the sconces made our shadows waver on the walls. I felt the eyes of all the portraits lining the staircase, like they were judging me. All those nameless Prodigium, hunted through the centuries by Eyes, and Brannicks, and God knows what else.

I did it for a good reason
, I wanted to tell the painted faces.
And Archer isn’t one of them, not really
. Somehow, I didn’t think the portraits would believe me.

“What do you think they’ll do to us?” I asked Cal, my stomach icy with fear.

“It won’t be as bad as you think,” he replied, but he didn’t sound wholly convinced. “You’re James’s daughter, and you’re important to them. They aren’t going to throw you to the wolves over something like this.”

I wondered if being thrown to the wolves was a literal punishment in this case. I really didn’t want to know.

“They may stretch your sentence at Hecate by an extra year or so, but I think that would be the worst of it,” Cal continued. “With me—”

“You were just helping
me
,” I said as we turned down our hall. “Tell them that, okay? Tell them that you were, like, honoring our betrothal vow or something. They’ll go easy on you, I bet.”

We stopped outside his door and he studied me. As usual, I had no idea what was going on in his mind. “Maybe,” was all he said. Then, after another long pause, “I know you think they’re going to kill him, but they might not. Archer Cross is just as valuable to The Eye as you are to the Council. He’d make a good hostage, and they know it.”

I forced my face not to crumple. If I cried any more tonight, I’d probably turn into a dried-out husk. “So what now? We just go to our rooms and sleep and try to pretend like everything is going to be all right?” Another thought occurred to me. “Or pretend that Nick isn’t out there right now, completely crazy
and
superpowerful? Because there’s no way I can do that.”

“Yes there is.” He reached out, startling me, and pressed his palm to my cheek.

Almost immediately, a sense of well-being flooded through me, a blissful numbness that started at the top of my head and spread all the way to my toes. “Seriously, best powers ever,” I mumbled drowsily.

“Go to bed, Sophie,” he said, dropping his hand as if my skin had burned him. “Tomorrow will be a long day.”

But today wasn’t over yet. As I turned to go, I saw Jenna standing outside my door, her face a mask of hurt and anger.

“I was downstairs getting some blood,” she said, her lips barely moving. “I…saw them come in with you. And Archer.”

Cal’s spell, which had seemed so helpful only a few moments before, was a nightmare now. My brain felt too soft and sleepy to come up with any explanation, and when I tried, I couldn’t get the right words out. “He was helping me.”

She made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a sob. “Helping you? Sophie, he’s one—”

“Of them,” I finished, suddenly irritated. “I know. You’re not the first person to say it tonight. But Jenna, please.” I reached out for her, curling my fingers around her wrist. “Cal is mad at me, my Dad probably hates me…I can’t have you hate me, too.”

Two tears dripped from her eyes, splashing on the back of my hand. Her bloodstone shimmered slightly in the light from the sconces, and after a long, long moment, she covered my hand with hers. “Okay,” she said, sniffling. “But tomorrow, you’re going to tell me everything.”

“Everything,” I echoed, feeling my own eyes sting. And when she finally wrapped her arms around me and hugged me, it was all I could do not to sob all over her. “You are a way better friend than I deserve,” I mumbled against her shoulder.

She hugged me tighter. “I know.”

I laughed through my tears, and just a little bit of the weight on my heart lifted.

Early the next morning, I heard a knock at the door, and jerked awake in an instant. Cal’s spell had totally faded by that point, and all the anxiety and despair came flooding back. In less than twenty-four hours, my whole life had been turned upside down. Nick and Daisy had demoned out, Archer was a prisoner of the Council, and the fragile relationship I’d built with Dad had been blown completely to smithereens. It didn’t seem fair that so much bad could happen in so short a time.

Or maybe I was just using up all the horrible now. Maybe the next eighty years would be full of nothing but Yahtzee and collecting various cats. That might be nice.

The knock sounded again, and I realized it wasn’t my door, but Cal’s down the hall. I sunk back to my pillow. Would I be next, or would they take Archer first?

Or maybe they’d already taken Archer.

I shook that thought away and got cleaned up and dressed. My clothes from last night still lay on the floor in a stiff heap, and I shuddered as I tossed them into the little brass trash can under the bathroom sink. It wasn’t the first time I’d had blood on my clothes, but I dearly hoped it would be the last.

When they came for me, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, wearing the black sheath dress Lara had gotten for me at Lysander’s. I opened the door to find Kristopher.

“Sophie, they’re ready for you,” he said.

I nodded, my heart fluttering in my chest, and my mouth completely dry.

He led me down the stairs, but instead of turning right toward Council headquarters, we went left, into yet another section of Thorne Abbey that was completely foreign to me. This hall was darker, with none of the marble and gilt that seemed to cover the rest of the house. Here, there was just wood paneling and thick iron cages over the lightbulbs. Finally, we stopped at a heavy, scarred door.

The room wasn’t like any other space at Thorne. It was relatively small, for one thing, and dim. There were no windows, and the only light came from a thick metal chandelier ringed with candles. Everything smelled dank and slightly mildewed, and there were dark stains on the worn wooden floor. I didn’t want to think about where they’d come from.

Up front, a long wooden table ran nearly the length of the room, with five high-backed wooden chairs. The chairs were filled with Council members. I saw Lara first, and then, surprised, I realized Mrs. Casnoff was sitting next to her.

I was so shocked to see her back at Thorne, it took me a second to realize that Dad was not sitting at the table. Lara looked up and saw me, and gestured for me to come forward. In front of the table was a low bench, made of the same dark wood as the rest of the room. It was like being locked inside a huge oaken cask.

Archer was sitting on the bench, his elbows resting on his knees. His wrists were still tied together with Kristopher’s cord, and his clothes torn and stiff with blood. But when I sat next to him, he raised his head and tried to smile at me. It was more of a grimace, though. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but I knew that would just make things worse. My magic flooded through me, and I let myself envision, just for a moment, unleashing it on that table of five grim faces.

I could have. My powers were stronger than all of theirs combined.

But then what? Make a run for it, destroy everything Dad had worked for, and spend the rest of my life hiding out? No thanks. Whatever the Council had in store for me, it couldn’t be as bad as that.

“Sophia, as you’ve no doubt noticed, your father is not seated with us,” Lara said as Kristopher made his way to sit on the other side of her. “We decided, and he agreed, that he could not maintain the necessary objectivity to participate in your sentencing.”

I glanced around and finally spotted Dad leaning against the back wall, nearly hidden in the gloom. His arms were crossed, but I couldn’t see his face. Then it occurred to me that Lara said Dad hadn’t participated in my sentencing. Had he had a role in deciding what would happen to Archer?

“But since Council law requires we have five members at all rulings, Anastasia agreed to fill the vacant seat. The two of you face very serious charges.” Lara’s voice should have been big and booming, the sound of a judgment coming from on high. Instead, it was low and quiet, almost intimate. “Archer Cross, you infiltrated Hecate Hall as a member of L’Occhio di Dio. Do you freely admit to this?”

Never in my life had I wished so hard for telepathic powers.
Please don’t be a smart-ass, please don’t be a smart-ass
, I thought, trying to will the words into Archer’s brain. Either it worked, or Archer had more sense than I’d thought.

“I do,” he said softly.

It was as if a sigh rippled through all five Prodigium. Then, as one, their eyes swiveled to me. “Sophia Mercer, you intruded in a forbidden area on Graymalkin Island and plotted with a member of L’Occhio di Dio in order to do it. Do you freely admit to this?”

A million arguments and explanations leaped to my tongue, namely that I’d only been at that part of Graymalkin because the Casnoff sisters were up to some evil crap there, but I bit them all back. I just wanted this over with. “I do.”

Lara nodded, and I think I saw a flicker of relief on her face. She scribbled something on a long piece of parchment in front of her. She didn’t even look up as she said, “Mr. Cross, since you admit to the charges before you, we shall now pronounce your sentence.”

My heartbeat slowed, and I suddenly felt very cold, like I was about to teleport. But it wasn’t magic, just fear.

“It is the ruling of this Council that you shall be taken onto the grounds of Thorne Abbey tomorrow at dawn and executed.”

It was like all the air rushed out of my lungs. Out of the room. I thought the chamber started to vibrate, but it wasn’t the room. It was me, shaking so hard I couldn’t see straight. Tomorrow. Dawn. That was less than twenty-four hours away. In less than a day, Archer would be dead. The words screamed in my skull, the pain in my head almost as intense as the pain in my heart.

Next to me, Archer drew in a deep breath, and I dug my nails into my palms to keep from taking his hand. If I touched him now, I was afraid of what might happen. My powers churned inside me, the way they had last night when I thought he was dying. I didn’t think there was anything I could picture that would keep me from blowing this place to smithereens if I released even an iota of magic.

“As for you, Sophia,” Lara said, drawing my attention back to the table. “You are an entirely different matter.”

I’d been so focused on how they were going to kill Archer that I nearly forgot I still had to be punished.

Lara frowned, a vertical line forming between her brows, and said, “This is merely the last in a long line of troubling events where you are concerned. There was the situation at Hecate in the fall. You injured several Prodigium at Shelley’s several weeks ago. You were able to open the case holding Virginia Thorne’s grimoire almost single-handedly.”