Rise of the Fey (28 page)

“I-I think I’m OK,” I say, still shaking. I look over at Daniels’ prone body. “He needs to go to the infirmary. I-I think he may have a concussion….”

Or at least I hope that’s all he has. I pass my hand over my head, and it comes away with long clumps of charred hair. I take in a deep, shaky breath.

“Here, let me help you,” Arthur says.

But I push him away. “I said Daniel needs to be taken to the doctor’s,” I tell him through gritted teeth.

I turn away from Arthur’s disconcerted look. If it hadn’t been for him, none of this would have happened.

“How will you climb out of here?” he asks.

“I’ve got my ways,” I say.

Except I don’t, I realize with annoyance as I stare up the vast ditch’s walls.

“Hold onto me then,” Lance says, grabbing me by the waist.

I barely have the time to see Arthur’s deep scowl before Lance has us soaring up into the air. Too soon, we’re landing gently onto the arena’s floor, and I see Arthur burst through the gaping hole’s opening before zooming out of sight, Daniel in his arms.

“I can’t believe you dispelled that ball of fire,” Keva says, rushing to my side. “How did you do it? I mean, it was gigantic and then
whoosh
, it was gone!”

“You mean another knight didn’t stop it?” I ask, shivering as the night air brushes against my back through my burned-out clothes.

Keva shakes her head emphatically as Lance drops his heavy coat around my shoulders. “None of us were paying attention to what was going on,” she says. “Lady Ysolt was making sure of that. Until the fire, that is.”

I’m about to retort I wasn’t the one who stopped the fire either, when I realize everything’s just too quiet. I look around uncertainly and find the crowd’s watching me with a mixture of wonder and horror, like I’m a monster that’s just crawled straight out of their nightmares.

“You’ll pay for this, bitch!” Agravain howls, pinned to the ground by Gareth’s and Gauvain’s combined weight.

I see Hector motion the cousins off, and Agravain pushes himself up, cradling his left hand.

“I’ll rip your ogham out for what you did!” he seethes, and only now do I see that his combat glove has partially melted off his hand, large chunks of it melding into his skin.

“Ya better keep that snake tongue of yours shut in your trap,” Percy tells Agravain, moving in front of the injured knight before
he can attack me again. “I think tryin’a kill a coupla students here’s grounds for bein’ expelled. Ain’t that right, Lance?”

Lance nods. “This is a very big breach of conduct,” he says coldly. “Absolutely inexcusable for a KORT knight.”

“It was an accident,” Hector says curtly.

“Just like the one that got my leg,” Agravain adds with a vicious smile. He slaps his prosthetic limb, looking pointedly at Percy who was practicing with him when it happened. “But that devil of yours deliberately forced the power back into the ogham and it exploded. Now who are you saying tried to kill whom?”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you’d controlled yourself,” says Lady Ysolt, sweeping through the swarm of people. “Consider yourself lucky Morgan was even able to repel your attack, or I’m afraid the Board would have had to take greater sanctions against you than simple banishment.”

“She means capital punishment,” Keva whispers, sounding stunned.

I feel myself grow cold. Capital punishment, in this day and age, and against one of their own. Then what are they going to do to me now that people think I’ve blasted Agravain’s hand to bits?

“In the meantime I suggest you take yourself to the infirmary,” Lady Ysolt tells Agravain with a stern look. “I’m sure you remember the way?”

Casting a final scathing look in my direction, Agravain sets off, leaving uneven footprints in the packed earth behind him.

“As for you, Morgan,” Lady Ysolt says, “go to the Principal. Now.”

Ever so slowly, I wend my way through the throng. For once, getting cursed and spat at seems ludicrously trivial, for if Lady Ysolt threatened Agravain with decapitation, then surely I’m about to be flayed, or whatever medieval torture device the Board likes to use on half-breeds like me.

As I draw closer to the school, my steps falter. This is exactly what Lady Vivian warned me about the other night, isn’t it? But I didn’t lose control over my powers this time—I’m sure of it! Something else helped me back there….

“Over here, Morgan.”

I start at Lady Vivian’s soft voice and look up to find her already waiting for me by the eastern gate. The hem of her long dress lifts up and Puck storms out from under it to plunge into a nearby bush with a grunt. There’s an answering yowl and a black cat slinks away from the plant, tail held close to the ground.

“Follow me,” Lady Vivian says, slipping inside the building.

I trail after her, heavy-hearted, as she makes her way to the basement. To my surprise, Lady Vivian stops before the very same room where Arthur taught me the use of oghams, chosen because it was far away from everything and everyone. I swallow. It’s the perfect place to have me tormented without subjecting the whole school to my cries of agony.

At a sign from her, I force my trembling fingers to push the door open.

To my surprise, I find the room has been cleaned up since the last time I used it—all the old, disused furniture has been removed, and the floor swept of all dust and cobwebs. In a corner, a single candle shines feebly, barely dispelling the ambient darkness yet strong enough to show the room is devoid of any torture instrument. I take a tentative step inside and nearly swallow my tongue when someone steps into the narrow pool of light.

“Hello, Morgan. It’s been a while.”

A blush creeps up my face in bewilderment. “Hello, Lugh,” I whisper back.

“W-what are you doing here?” I ask.

I look uncertainly between Lugh and Vivian. What are they playing at? My stomach knots up as a suspicion forms in my mind: Is she the traitor who destroyed the wards around our school?

“He’s here to train you,” Lady Vivian says calmly, the gold of her eyes glowing in the shadows, “as I can’t do it myself anymore.”

“You can’t?” I ask, just to keep her talking.

If she is the traitor, then I’ve got to warn the others. But how can I get out of here with these two around?

“My abilities have been greatly diminished since the wards were taken down,” Lady Vivian explains, and something finally clicks.

Abilities? When did she ever
have
abilities? I stare at her ever-changing eyes and refrain from slapping myself silly—of course, she’s Fey too! That’s how she was able to conjure that storm when I was brought before the jury. And then I remember the one thing about Myrdwinn junior that’s been eluding me since
my imprisonment: He was Lady Vivian’s lover and she never once mentioned him during the trial!

“Lugh’s graciously agreed to replace me in the capacity of instructor,” Lady Vivian continues. “I’m sure you know not to spread word of this to anyone.”

My gaze travels back to the tall, dark-haired Fey prince, my thoughts awhirl. How could he be involved in all this? I thought he didn’t like Mordred. And it wasn’t Lugh who attacked us, it was Dean and his Fomori….

I nod, tension easing from my back. If Lugh had been involved in the attack, surely he would have decimated us already since he can get in and out of the school like this without being noticed. And if the fall of the wards has weakened Lady Vivian, like she says, then surely she can’t be behind the breach either.

“Before I leave you to it,” Lady Vivian says, “I want to remind you of a few things.” She glides towards me, her long, russet skirts billowing after her. “It seems that you didn’t listen to me the first time, so I’ll repeat myself: If you want to get a better grasp of your own powers, you need to be in better control of your emotions.”

“Even if I’m under attack?” I ask. Because if I can barely get a handle on my bladder in such times, I’m not sure how she expects me to remain stoic.

A low hiss comes from Lugh’s corner and Lady Vivian hesitates.

“Defending yourself is one thing,” she says, “but you disintegrated Agravain’s ogham, thereby destroying the life it contained. You need to find a way to hold yourself back.”

“But I didn’t—” I start.

“The Fey are rebelling, Vivian,” Lugh interrupts me. “Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, even without Morgan’s help.”

“I hope you don’t take it upon yourself to convince her to keep down this path,” Lady Vivian says. “Morgan has to be doubly careful now, because if anything goes wrong, people are going to blame her for it, and they won’t be as lenient as they have been thus far.”

I snort. As if anyone’s ever been lenient with me to begin with.

“Which is why I’m training her,” Lugh says, his smile bright.

“Very well,” Lady Vivian says with a defeated sigh. “I’ll come back in a few hours’ time.”

I look up suddenly. “You’re leaving?”

Lady Vivian cocks an eyebrow at me. “Is there a problem?”

I throw a quick glance at Lugh who’s as still as a statue, and my heart ups its tempo as I remember our dance together.

“I’ll leave Puck here as a chaperone,” Lady Vivian says with a trace of mirth.

I look down at the hobgoblin just in time to see him spit out a corner of her dress and look about guiltily. Right. ‘Cause he’ll make all the difference in the world if something were to happen.

The moment the door closes on Lady Vivian, Lugh crosses the room to stand before me, so quickly I barely see him move.

“You’re no longer safe here,” he says, brushing what remains of my hair. “If we take the catacombs, we’ll be out of here before anyone realizes you’re gone.”

The catacombs? Is that how he got in without being seen? Then a shiver runs down my spine—what if other Fey find out about them? The whole school would be at their mercy!

“You still need to be invited to make it inside the building proper,” Lugh says, guessing at my thoughts. He grabs my hand. “Come on, Morgan. A few hour’s time is not all that much.”

“I can’t,” I force myself to say. “Arthur promised me he’d help me find out about my dad. He’s taking me to Switzerland with him.” Assuming he didn’t lie to me again, I silently add.

“Carman is intent upon her revenge,” Lugh says, his golden eyes boring into mine, “and there are two places that she is bound to unfurl her rage upon: This school, and your Board’s headquarters.”

“But didn’t you guys help her put her away too?” I ask. “If we are to go by that logic, your village in Avalon would be a prime target as well.”

“Demesne,” Lugh corrects me automatically. “It would be if it were not for the fact that Carman hates humans more so than us Fey. Except for you, darling, since you killed her son Dain.”

An arctic chill spreads down my body. I lick my dry lips. Put that way, Lugh’s offer sounds rather appealing. My presence is sure to make any place Carman’s target numero uno, and Lugh’s people are bound to be more prepared to withstand the witch and her demons than a bunch of kids in a crumbling school. But, as Lugh seems so convinced, Carman will attack this place anyway, in which case shouldn’t I be here to help with the defenses too?

“Rain check?” I ask.

A muscle twitches in Lugh’s cheek and he drops my hand. “All this time I thought that ball of fur was too stupid to get you to come to me,” he says coldly, waving at Puck impatiently, “when in fact you simply never wanted to leave this place to begin with. Very well. It is your choice.”

He turns away from me, and I get an irrational fear he’s going to abandon me completely, but he stops instead at the opposite end of the room and turns back to face me.

“Come over here,” Lugh says.

I take a step forward but Lugh shakes his head.

“No walking,” he says.

No walking? I look down at the floor. Does he expect me to
crawl
over to him?

“No touching the floor either,” he says with a slight smirk as I lower myself to the floor.

“How am I supposed to do that?” I ask, petulant. “I can’t jump all the way there.”

“You could,” Lugh says. “Or fly over. It is up to you.”

Is he insane? How can I fly without an ogham? He can’t truly expect me to use my powers—all they’re good for is making things explode.

“Calm down,” Lugh says.

“How can I be calm when you tell me to do something I can’t do?” I ask instead, glaring at him.

“It’s because your emotions are erratic that your power’s going all over the place,” Lugh retorts. “It doesn’t know what you want.”

I open my mouth then shut it closed again. Could it really that simple?

“Isn’t there a magic word I’m supposed to say?” I ask. “You know, like an ogham’s name or something?”

“That’s only necessary if you use someone else’s powers,” he answers. “You need their true name to control them. I assume you can control yourself, can’t you?”

Ha, that is the ten billion dollar question.

For the next couple of hours, I spend my time scowling at my feet as they remain resolutely anchored to the ground.

“Any day now,” Lugh mutters at last.

“I’m trying here!” I snap, my migraine making my eyes throb.