Rise of the Seven (10 page)

“
You raid my castle as if it
were a village,” I accused.

“
You will fall, halfbreed,”
Vandrell answered. “And the fey whore will decorate my pike.” With
that, he raised the weapon in the air, hammer still at the ready in
the other hand.

“
Save the pike,” I said
levelly to the seven behind me.

Vandrell roared and the twenty rushed
forward, joining in the battle cry.

I didn’t take time to wonder how many of our
people they had killed, to worry whose blood covered their hammers
or splattered the yard, it didn’t matter now. There was only one
way, only one justice. I raised my hand and Vandrell was silenced
first. Power shot from my palm and shattered his heart. Fire
erupted beside him, lightning burst from behind. There was a flash
as two more collapsed, all before I’d focused a second attack. A
crunch of bone, the thick wetness exploding flesh.

Twenty men, twenty
warriors
fell on the stone
without so much as a weapon being raised by my guard.

I walked forward, among the bodies of the
fallen, and reached down for the pike. When I turned, my guard
remained motionless in their formation. I moved to Ruby, and placed
the pike in her hand.

“
Tomorrow,” I said, looking
over my shoulder to Anvil. “Congress.”

I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten blood on myself.
I couldn’t remember being close enough. I scrubbed at it, thinking
of the stares I’d received on the way back to my room. Everyone had
been watching. It had happened so fast, I wasn’t sure how, but they
had all found a window to lean out, a doorway to peek around, some
way to watch. I hadn’t wanted to leave the others to clean up the
mess, but I couldn’t stay when I’d realized the size of our
audience.

I knew they would take care of it. They would
honor those of our people who were killed before we arrived. They
would report to me who had been taken and I would pay tribute to
them, show my respect to their families. And Ruby would spike that
damned Vandrell’s head.

I stopped scrubbing. My skin was raw.

I dressed in clean pants and a loose tunic
and returned to my room. I heard a shuffle outside, but didn’t go
to check who was on duty. I stared out the window, into the empty
darkness of night, and then closed my eyes, searching for the
wolves. I hadn’t felt them since I’d returned from our journey.
They must have left while I slept.

I wondered where they were. I wondered if
they knew about Junnie. I wondered what I was supposed to do with
all this power, why they’d brought Rhys and Rider, whether they’d
known about Asher, why the rogues chose today to attack, and who
else wanted me dead. I wondered when I’d get some sleep.

Late the next morning, a light knock sounded
at my door. I was already awake, but my voice was still hoarse when
I answered. “Yes?”

Ruby poked her head in.

“
You’re knocking now?” I
asked.

She pushed the door open and shrugged. “I
brought you some bread.”

She sat it on the table by the door, whether
because she could tell I wasn’t interested or because it had only
been an excuse to see me I wasn’t sure.

“
I stood the pike by the
gate,” she said. “For our guests.”

A flicker of concern that I’d given Ruby too
much authority edged out my other worries for a moment, but when I
looked up at her, it appeared she’d simply done what she thought
I’d have wanted. I nodded. “I suppose that’s for the best. I’m sure
they’ve all heard by now.”

“
The others are still
hunting down the clan leaders for tonight,” she offered.

“
So you are my
guard.”

She nodded. “And Grey.” She paused, looked a
little guilty, and added, “And Rhys.”

“
When Chevelle returns,
please let him know I’d like to speak with him.”

She rolled her jaw, but kept her lips
tight.

“
What?”

“
I...”

“
Ruby,” I
demanded.

Her face twisted into a grimace. “I don’t
know,” she started, “but I think he’s looking for Stryder.”

“
Alone?”

She lifted a shoulder. “It isn’t as if he
can’t handle it.”

And he’d left me here with no fewer than
three guards. I swung my legs off the bed to stand. “How long has
he been gone?”

“
Too long for you to stop
him.”

“
Then that’s how it will
be,” I said. She was burning to ask, but I ignored her. “Let’s get
dressed, shall we?”

Chapter Twelve

Second

The rest of the day was a blur. I’d chosen a
form-fitting costume, black and leather. A short cape for freedom
of movement, clasped at the shoulders with pewter adorned with the
crest of my line. I wore a cuff on my left wrist, but my right was
bare. Ruby had painted the hawk and intricate runes there, just
above the base of my palm. I was outfitted for a special kind of
battle, and my opponent awaited.

I stepped forward, leaving the two watchmen
at my private entrance to the hall. The room was silent as I took
my place before them, Anvil at my left in all his regalia. The
walls had been covered with dark silks and standards, all bearing
the crest. The room was smaller than the banquet hall, windowless,
and I couldn’t help but feel closed in. The torches and candles
flared brighter, and I wondered if Ruby could tell what I was
feeling. Hard to say, she did have a flair for the dramatic after
all. I scanned the room, it appeared they’d been able to locate
representatives for most of the clans. My guard was in place, but I
couldn’t bring myself to look at Chevelle. What I was about to
do...

But no, it had to be done. There was no other
I would name.

“
I have called this
congress…” I heard myself droning the words but I could only focus
on the crowd. They had already formed opinions of Chevelle; they
had heard the rumors. Some of them had even been here when I had
publicly denied him as Asher sought to arrange a marriage. And now,
what I was going to do would be like openly denying him
again.

Permanently.

A second was backup, there to step in when
the lord fell. They could never be in a union, because one who was
bound would likely die themselves if they lost that connection. If
I chose Chevelle, if I named him my second, it would be like
announcing we would never be bound. Otherwise, it would only be for
appearances, for he would not live long after my death.

“
... and call you to order
as I name my second.”

As I made it through the lengthy speech, my
eyes finally fell on Chevelle, across the long table. It would be
as we always stood at these ludicrous functions now, opposite ends,
never side by side.

I felt wretched.

“
Chevelle Vattier. Born of
North Camber, Guard of the Seven, Second to the Lord.” I held his
eyes, skipping over the part that listed his mother and father,
though it was secret to none. I’d already all but slapped him in
the face.

Aside from the intake of breath, which might
have been Ruby, silence smothered the room. I gave it a heartbeat,
two, three. It crossed my mind that I should have prepared my guard
further, but I couldn’t be sure, even now, what the clans’ response
would be. They could oppose it, but it would call for their death
to question my order so blatantly. They could fight, but they would
lose. They might have had a chance, if they had all agreed,
prepared before coming, but they hadn’t known. And I had the
support of at least a few here. I hoped the rest simply accepted
it. Far too many had died only the night before, I didn’t want to
go through it again.

After several more minutes of quiet, I
glanced around the room. For the most part, everyone in attendance
seemed confused, and eager to get out with their lives. No one
wanted to be caught up in bloodshed here, in the castle.

Chevelle stood completely motionless.
Expressionless. As if a statue in the costume of a guard.

“
I call you forward to bear
this token,” I announced.

He seemed hesitant to move and I drew in
several long breaths through my nose. The token was nearly
meaningless to all others. Mine had been the amulet. The same
amulet Asher had previously given my mother. I hadn’t wanted it,
had returned it to her, and she had worn it the day she burned. It
was all that survived the fire, and they’d left it with me when
they’d taken me to the village.

Chevelle finally made his way across the
room, coming to stand at my right. I turned to him, nodding to his
arm as I pulled the thin leather strip from my belt. I had
retrieved it from the box of things he’d returned to me, and when
he saw it, I knew he recognized it. The slightest twitch at the
corner of his mouth was the only indication he might someday
forgive me.

My hands were trembling, but there was
nothing to be done for it. I tied the strip around his wrist,
knotting it over his cuff to complete the ceremony.

I turned back to face the room. “As the High
Guard bears witness, so bear the agents of the north. It is decreed
this day, until the hour of our death, by no means disputed.”

“
Hear, hear,” the Seven
chorused.

“
Hear, hear,” repeated the
crowd.

After that, I had quickly dismissed the
meeting and exited the hall. Now I sat perched on top of the
castle, watching tiny little bands of the leaders of the realm
scurry from the grounds. Even from this height, I could spot Rhys
and Rider’s shocks of silvery white hair in the moonlight. It was
cold, it was late, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted Chevelle to
show, or if I was petrified he’d find me.

He didn’t come.

I fell asleep there, waiting for something
happen, or hiding from just that. When I woke, it was full dark,
the moon covered by vaporous cloud. I’d been dreaming, an odd one
featuring Steed and Ruby. They were flying through the air, drunk
on the effects of dust, and she was giggling uncontrollably. It
might have been funny, seeing Ruby race through the air, red curls
flowing, laughing riotously, if I hadn’t seen the raids as a
child.

They would sneak in, hundreds of them,
flitting through the castle at incredible speeds. Some of them were
nearly too quick to see, except that they never went unnoticed.
Chaos and madness were left in their wake. They destroyed,
pillaged, ransacked. They set fires, loosed floods, poisoned. They
were tiny, sparkling furies, bent on destruction. Asher had nearly
declared war, but was finally able to quell the attacks.

I stood, ready to make my way back for warmth
and maybe some food, and was thrown forward, almost knocked from my
perch. I grabbed a stone pillar and fell back into a squat, looking
behind me before jumping down to the roof. It might have been a
strong gust of wind. If it hadn’t giggled.

As soon as I saw the sky was clear, I leapt
from the roof, into the window, and ran the corridors full speed.
It hadn’t been a dream. That meant they’d been here too long
already.

A dull thump and a scraping noise echoed
through the halls from far off. The torches came alive, flames
flaring at full heat. A half dozen more steps and I rounded a
corner, meeting Grey, who was heading for me at what had to be his
own top speed. Where were they?

“
East wing,” he said,
answering my thought.

They’d sent Grey because he was the fastest.
At the atrium outside of the east wing, Chevelle and Steed joined
us. Chevelle’s right side was splattered with blood and glitter.
Steed looked as if he might be sick.

“
Where is Ruby?” I asked,
frantic. Steed glanced toward the clamor. “They will take her!” I
shouted. It appeared they’d not even considered the
danger.

Chevelle nodded, but I could see his concern
lay elsewhere.

I stared down Steed and Grey. “Do not leave
her side.”

Grey was gone before I’d finished speaking,
but we were right behind him. We followed the clatter of metal and
chirping, bubbly laughter to the great hall.

It appeared to have exploded. The furniture
was in splinters, pieces of wall and ceiling lay in piles of
rubble, the stones of which were being lobbed about blissfully by
several small gray fey. Their feathers were wet, as was about half
the room, which was scattered with patches of ice and puddles of
water.

The tapestries were set to a slow burn, which
no one seemed to think significant enough to put out. Given that
there were at least a dozen other fairies here who could set even
the stone ablaze, I could understand the decision. Anvil had taken
to electrocuting a couple of water sprites, which the lilac-skinned
Flora and Virtue considered uproarious. They floated above the
scene, rolling in the air with laughter.

Rider was cornered by a waiflike winter
sprite and two frost monsters were hovering above Rhys, trying to
get a hand on his staff. The room hummed with the beat of so many
wings and stank of sulfur and spring violets.

“
I hate fairies.” My voice
was surprisingly even.

“
Hear, hear,” Ruby
whispered, catching my eye as she stood behind Steed and Grey
midway across the hall.

I drew my sword, grateful I’d stayed in my
fighting attire from the evening’s meeting. I would have to be
careful bandying around magic in a room full of fey. They had a bad
habit of affecting energy in unusual ways, and I was barely in
control of it myself. I sincerely hoped, once again, that Finn and
Keaton had a plan to help me channel it.