The Rogue Knight (9 page)

“Okay,” Cole said, a little disappointed that she was still focused on the knight and didn't have anything else to reveal.

“From a dependable source close to the matter, I hear that the Rogue Knight has challenged none other than Rustin Sage, champion of Merriston.”

“Where is that?” Cole asked.

She chuckled as if he were kidding. “Don't pretend ignorance of our capital. Do you wish me to believe you are a stranger or a fool?”

“I really am a stranger,” Cole said. “When is the fight?”

“Postponed indefinitely,” Vixen said, her voice low and excited. “Rustin refuses to acknowledge the Rogue Knight's right to challenge him, and he has the full backing of the governor. Naturally, this is all being kept quiet. No champion wants to seem afraid to fight.”

“Is he afraid?” Cole asked.

“The Rogue Knight has slain too many proven champions, including Gart the Headsman, who everyone thought would rule Cirestra unchallenged until he died or stepped down. Can you imagine if the capital's taxes were completely dispersed among the common folk? It would cripple the government. Anarchy would result. Chaos. The cities the Rogue Knight has taken have either plunged into confusion or else have quietly ignored his edicts. I have it on good authority that the capital will use all necessary means to deny the Rogue Knight his duel.”

“Interesting,” Cole said, still unsure whether the knowledge was relevant to his problems.

Vixen whispered for the first time. Cole could barely hear her over the music. “If you're as new as you act, be careful where you repeat those tidings. For example, Stumbler over there is one of Henrick's knights. He would not appreciate such tales being spread. When they're not killing one another, champions tend to stick together, especially on the matter of the Rogue Knight.”

“That guy's a knight?” Cole asked.

“He's much younger and stronger than he looks,” she assured him.

“I guess anything is possible in here,” Cole said. “He could even be a girl.”

“Not so,” Vixen corrected him. “They keep the seemings at Shady Lane true to your gender. House rules.”

A bony old woman shuffled over to them. Cole had not seen her enter the room. One of her eyes was notably larger than the other. “We should talk, sir,” she offered.

“And who might you be?” Vixen challenged.

“Nobody to worry about,” the old woman said. “Anyone here who lives on Upton Street should mind her own business.”

Eyes darting to Cole, Vixen looked shocked. She forced a smile.

The old woman stepped close to Cole. “Seriously, follow me.”

Cole wasn't sure what to do. The old woman seemed intrusive and probably dangerous. “Why me?”

She brought her dry lips to his ear. “I'm from Arizona too.”

C
HAPTER

 9 

JILL

S
o excited and curious that he could hardly keep his mouth shut, Cole followed the old woman. She led him to a side of the room away from either of the doors and stepped through the wall. The dark wooden panels looked completely solid. Extending a hand through the illusion, Cole experienced a faint sensation similar to penetrating cobwebs, and then went through.

He entered a cozy space with framed art on the walls. A round table and four chairs served as the only furnishings. The old woman sat down in one of the chairs, and Cole sat next to her.

“Okay, we can actually talk now,” she said. “This is one of the secret unmonitored rooms.”

“You're really from Arizona?” Cole asked, desperate for an explanation. “Who are you?”

“I'm from Mesa,” she said. “I got kidnapped with you, Cole! This is crazy! I can't believe you're here! I'm Jill Davis.”

“I know you!” Cole exclaimed. “You're a seventh grader!” He had seen her in the halls at school last year. She had sung in the talent show. He'd finally found one of the kids from his slave caravan! He tried to picture how she really looked under the illusion. It wasn't easy to overrule his eyes. “Your brother is in my grade.”

“Jeff,” Jill said. “We used to trick-or-treat together. He was off with his own friends this Halloween. I'm so relieved he isn't stuck here, but I keep wondering what would have happened if he'd been with me—maybe I wouldn't have ended up here, either. Don't you have a brother too?”

“Sister,” Cole corrected. “Chelsea—she's a pain, but I miss her, anyway.”

“I know the feeling.”

Cole blinked, still trying to put Jill Davis's face onto this old woman's. “How'd you recognize me?” he asked, feeling off-balance.

“I was helping the enchanter who prepped you when you first came in,” she said. “We can see into almost all the rooms here, even the changing rooms. Not to watch people take off their clothes or anything. They just remove their masks, then we change how they look. I couldn't believe it when I saw you!”

“What are you doing here?” Cole asked.

“I was going to ask you the same thing!” Her excited tone and posture didn't match her aged features. “The slavers sold you first, before we got to Five Roads. The buyer took you somewhere in Sambria. Sky something, I think. Ansel made it sound really scary.”

“That's right,” Cole said, unsure how much he should reveal. She'd already said the other rooms were watched. How could she be sure this one wasn't? “I went to Skyport and joined the Sky Raiders. But I earned my freedom.”

“Really?” Jill replied. “So quickly? Did somebody buy you and free you?”

“Sort of,” Cole said. “It's a long story. What about you?”

“I went to Junction City,” she said. “They took the kids with shaping talent. Nineteen of us. We all met the High King. He was . . . well, it was pretty scary. They gave us tests, then sent us off to different kingdoms based on our abilities. Your friend Dalton came with me to Elloweer.”

“He's here?” Cole asked, thunderstruck.

“Not in Carthage,” Jill clarified. “They sent him to train at a confidence lounge in Merriston.”

“The capital?”

“I guess it's a big deal for them to send someone there,” she said. “He's really great at illusions.”

Cole could hardly believe the precious information he was getting. Dalton was in the capital of Elloweer? He could make seemings? The task of finding his friends had started to seem hopeless. “What about Jenna?”

“Jenna Hunt? I'm not sure where she went. She came to Junction City with us. Once they split us up based on our abilities, we never saw the kids in the other groups. She isn't in Elloweer.”

“Do you know the name of the confidence lounge where Dalton went?”

Jill scrunched her brow. “I did. I've never been there. It's been a while since I heard it. The Silver something. Deer, maybe? No. It was Silver something, though.”

“That's great,” Cole said. For the first time, he had a solid lead about Dalton!

“Are you really free to go visit him?” Jill asked.

“Yeah,” Cole said.

She bit her lip. “You're so lucky, being free. Dalton belongs to the High King now, just like I do. And the king is basically the emperor of this whole world. You should see his castle! He has zillions of soldiers, and some of them have shaping powers. You don't want to get on his bad side. If you'd met him, you'd understand.”

“I know how bad he is,” Cole said, thinking of Mira. “But there's got to be a way to get you and Dalton free, like I got free.”

Jill's eyes filled with hope. “All I've thought about is someone getting me out of here.” Her expression wilted. “But, Cole, I don't know if anyone's told you . . . They say we can't get back home, no matter what. That even if we find a way there, we won't be able to stay—we'll always get drawn back here. If I snuck off, I'd be a runaway slave with no place to go.”

Resting his elbows on the table, Cole bowed his face into his hands. He knew the High King was powerful. And he'd also known there was no way for them to get home permanently. Even if that was true, did it mean they shouldn't try to find each other? Did they have to accept slavery as a way of life? Who could say for sure there was no way of escaping the Outskirts?

“I'm not trying to get you down,” Jill said. “You were really brave trying to help us back at the wagons. I wanted Tracy to die after what she did to you. But we're stuck here, Cole. Dalton and I are marked slaves. If we rebel, it'll just get worse. I saw someone try once, and . . . it was bad.” She shivered, clearly disturbed by the memory.

Cole leaned toward Jill across the table and lowered his voice. “You don't want me to bust you out of here?”

Jill regarded him anxiously. “Are you kidding? Of course I do! You're the first person from our world I've seen since coming here. But how can we do it without getting caught?”

“Let me talk to my friends,” Cole said. “We can figure it out.”

Jill's wrinkled features contorted with worry. “Who are your friends? Are they powerful enough to keep us safe from the High King?”

“We've made it this far,” Cole said, unsure how much he should share. He didn't want to put Mira in danger, but he needed to give Jill some confidence. “They're members of the resistance. Working in a place like this, you must have heard of them.”

“I have,” she said, her face paling. “Cole, you're in tons of danger! The High King does awful things to anyone he catches who's a part of that.”

Cole tried to hold his frustration in check. He had finally found someone from home, and she was clearly scared to leave. What if she was too scared to come with him? Was he supposed to just leave her here?

He tried to recall everything he knew about Jill. His sparse memories of her mostly involved her chatting with friends. Since she was a grade higher, he'd never known her well. He seemed to remember her brother, Jeff, making fun of her because she never learned to swim. Jeff had claimed she was scared to put her head under the water. Cole guessed if she'd been a nervous person back home, she'd only be more anxious here. Still, he had to try to convince her.

“So you're just going to stay in this place?” Cole asked. “Seriously? With all these people you don't even really know? Haven't you thought about running away before?”

“Of course I've thought about escaping,” Jill said, lowering her voice. She looked torn. “I don't know, Cole. Sooner or later, runaways get caught, and then things get really ugly. I told you, I've seen it.”

“Bad?” Cole asked.

“The punishments are harsh,” Jill said. “Probably to scare the rest of us from trying the same thing. It kind of works.”

“I can't promise everything will be easy if you come with us,” Cole admitted, thinking of what he and his friends had already been through and the risks of traveling with Mira. “But it has to be better than staying here.”

“Slaves who can shape don't live so badly,” she argued. “Don't get me wrong—all I want is to be back home. But if I'm stuck here, do I have to make it even harder? At least making seemings is kind of fun.”

“Doesn't being a slave kind of wreck the fun?”

Jill flushed. “I guess I try not to think about it all the time.” She narrowed her gaze. “Tell the truth. Are you actually a runaway?”

“No,” Cole assured her. “I really got free.”

“Then wouldn't having me around make everything more dangerous for you?”

“What if we bought you?” Cole suggested. “We could do that with Dalton too. My friends have money.”

Jill looked excited for a second, then her face dropped. “I don't think I'm for sale—the High King seemed super interested in keeping the slaves he bought for himself.” She hesitated. “I can't believe you're free. That never happens.”

“I had help,” Cole said. “Why did the High Shaper send you here? Does he run this place?”

“The High King has people controlling all the legal confidence lounges,” she said. “It's where a lot of the top enchanters find work. But if you're mixed up with rebels, Shady Lane probably isn't safe for you.”

“Did the High King hurt any of you?” Cole asked. “Did he mess with your powers?”

“Mess with our powers?”

Cole looked around the room, then took another chance. “Have you heard of shapecraft?”

“You mean shaping?”

“No. Shapecraft is when people shape the shaping ability. The High King may just be training you so he can steal your shaping powers and do weird experiments on you.”

“What?” Jill exclaimed.

“He's done it to others,” Cole said. “Reliable sources have told me his shapecraft experiments will only get worse.”

“Thanks for telling me,” she said, her voice hushed. “I haven't heard of shapecraft, but I'll be extra careful.”

“Do your bosses know we're talking?” Cole asked.

“Not officially,” Jill said. “I didn't let on that I knew you. They tell us to enter the lounges in disguise if somebody seems interesting. The owners are as eager for secrets as anyone who comes here. My bosses always have a few regulars out there mingling. We also listen through the walls, ceilings, and floors as best we can. We learn all sorts of things. If somebody asks about us talking, I'll say you made me curious because I'd never seen you here before. Most of our clients visit regularly. I'll tell anyone who bothers me about it that you're just some traveler looking for news.”

“That's true,” Cole said. “I really am traveling. I'm only here today because I'm tagging along with some people.”

“Yeah . . . maybe you should dump those people, though. If you don't, you could end up in jail. Or worse.”

Cole didn't want her to worry, and he definitely didn't want her to know too much about his actual situation, in case someone forced the information out of her later. “The people I know aren't super involved in the resistance,” he lied.

“Just watch out,” Jill said. “They crack down hard on those people.” She wrung her hands. “I hope your friends are really careful. Cole, this is a dangerous place. We shouldn't talk much longer. I just—I really don't want you to go.”

Cole wished he knew the right thing to do. He hated leaving her here, but he could tell she was too afraid to come. His top priority was to find Dalton and help Jenna. “Do you know anything else about anyone from our world?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I just know the other kids they sent to Elloweer. Melissa Scott went to a confidence lounge in Wenley, and Tom Eastman went to a lounge in Stowbarth. I'm always hoping I'll hear more, but I never do. That's why I was so excited to see you!”

Cole suddenly remembered the other huge question that had brought him to the confidence lounge. “I heard something is making people disappear. Do you know anything about that?”