The Grimjinx Rebellion (24 page)

40

The Key and the Keep

“There is no gaol more fortified than a thief's disgrace.”

—Ancient par-Goblin proverb

“G
arax!” Da said through clenched teeth. “You followed us here from the mill!”

“Of course I did,” Garax said, shrugging. “You lot, sneaking out in the middle of the night. I figured you were turning your backs on everyone and going out on a really lucrative heist. Didn't expect you to come here.”

“Money's useless these days,” I said. “They can't pay you.”

“What the Palatinate's got is better than money, isn't it?” Garax asked. “There's a horde of monsters tearing the land apart. I figure my best bet for safety is with these magic folks. So, yeah, I warned them you were here.” He nodded at Nalia and lowered his voice. “But, you know, when the Scourge is gone and everything's back on track, you're gonna pay me, right?”

“What happens next,” Nalia said, her eyes fixed on Aubrin, “depends on the augur. I want you to tell me everything you know about the Scourge. I want to hear every vision you've had. You've been refusing to tell me for weeks. And I had no way to persuade you. But now . . .”

Nalia spoke a word. A bolt of green lightning shot from the spellsphere, striking Da on the chest. He howled and fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Ma dropped to her knees to help him.

“I'm all right,” Da said weakly.

“Now, augur,” Nalia continued, “I have some incentive for you. You're going to tell me about the Scourge, or I'll kill your family. One by one.”

Aubrin looked up at me, tears filling her eyes. I put my hand on her arm and nodded. “Tell her what you know, Jinxface.”

“Listen to your brother,” Nalia said. “You're beaten. I'm the only one who can help you now. Their rescue plan has failed and—”

Suddenly, the entire room shook as an explosion sounded over our heads. Nalia looked around. She saw my entire family smiling back.

“Or,” I said, winking at Nalia, “this was all part of a clever plot to lure you away from the Castellan's house so my grandmother could destroy the relics.”

Nalia's eyes grew twice as large as she pieced it all together. She glared at Uncle Garax, who smirked and waved.

“So sorry to lie to you, your evil awfulness,” Garax said, tugging at his shirt collar. “Don't get me wrong. I'm really terrified of you. But I betrayed my brother once, you see, and I learned that there's something out there I fear more than you and the Palatinate and the Scourge put together:
my mother.
”

Garax crouched, ready to lunge at Nalia. But the mage used her monocle to see five seconds into the future. Before Garax could move, she barked a word of magic. A shaft of white light pulsed from the spellsphere and turned Uncle Garax to glass.

Exactly as we planned.

With Garax distracting her, I made my move. The Vanguard, safe in my pocket, shielded me from her magic monocle. I tackled Nalia at the waist, sending her spellsphere flying. An instant later, Ma and Da were tying the mage to the tapestry racks.

“You won't need this anymore,” Ma said, slipping Nalia's monocle into her pocket as the mage thrashed helplessly.

I pulled the Vanguard from my pocket and touched it to Uncle Garax. The glass fell from him like running water. He gasped for air.

“I can't believe I agreed to let her do that to me,” Garax said, shaking his arms to get the feeling back. “How did you know she wouldn't just kill me?”

“We didn't,” Ma said.

“So it worked, then?” Da asked Garax, securing a gag around Nalia's mouth.

“They never doubted my performance for a second,” Garax said proudly. “Oh, they were a mite cautious when I drove the house up to Vengekeep's gates. But once I told them who I was, they let me right in. They figured if I ratted you out once, I'd do it again. See, I told you that first time would pay off.”

Da called Garax a name I don't feel comfortable repeating. Let's just say he called him a liar.

“So they didn't search the house?” I asked.

We'd ridden in the Ghostfire house from the mill and hidden it in the woods while we checked out the town-state's defenses. When Ma, Da, and I went through the tunnel to the gaol, Nanni hid in the house. Once the mages let Garax drive the house inside Vengekeep, Nanni sneaked out and rigged the Castellan's house to explode with the tinderjack.

“Why would they?” Garax said, flashing me a smile. “They trusted me. Like our great-great-grandfather Alphorax Grimjinx used to say, ‘Trust is—'”

“Whoo!”

Nanni waddled down the stairs, a plume of smoke wafting off her head. Her face was blackened with soot and her eyes were wide with shock. “That tinderjack is powerful stuff! Where can I get some more?”

Da pulled tightly on the ropes that bound Nalia's wrists. “Did you find the relics?”

“Blew 'em all up,” Nanni said. “And most of the Castellan's house. We don't have to pay for that, do we?”

“Where is the Castellan?” I asked.

“He's setting diversionary fires a few streets over,” Nanni said. “The Sentinels won't know where to look first. Which reminds me, we need to get moving. They'll be here soon.”

We all ran up the stairs, out of the town-state hall, and into the street. Citizens of Vengekeep had already appeared to watch the Castellan's beautiful mansion burn to the ground.

Da clapped his hands together. “All right, everyone. You know what to do now. We have to keep the mages as far from the Keep as possible.” He nudged me with his elbow. “You ready, son?”

I nodded, hoping the churning of my stomach wouldn't tell another story.

Uncle Garax reached behind his back and produced a small bag. “You'll be needing this. When I first arrived, they took me right to the Castellan's house. I nicked this when Nalia wasn't looking.” From inside, he pulled the magic dagger that opened the Keep. Garax squinted at it in the dark. “That's funny, I coulda sworn it was glowing before. . . .”

Ma reached for Aubrin's hand. “I'm going with Jaxter,” Aubrin said. “I can help him.” Ma looked skeptical but nodded once in agreement.

“All right, everyone . . . scatter!” Ma said. Da, Nanni, and Garax ran in different directions. The people of Vengekeep applauded. Just then, scores of mages in long flowing robes emptied into the road, spellspheres at the ready. They fired bolts of magic after my departing family, who dodged this way and that before disappearing from view. The mages, not even noticing me and Aubrin, gave chase.

“Let's go, Jinxface!”

We sprinted through the shadowy streets toward the ancient Keep.

“Jaxter, listen to me,” Aubrin said, puffing as she ran. “I had another vision yesterday. A vision about you. This one was much clearer. I know what's going to happen.”

“I know, I know,” I said. “I promise to avoid big pillars of light. We don't have time to talk about it now.”

“But I was wrong!” she said, squeezing my hand. “It wasn't a pillar of light. It was—”

An explosion to our left, followed by a scream, sent us falling to the ground. I peered down an alley into the next street over. Nanni, holding her skirts up, ran nimbly away from a pair of pursuing mages. She gave us a friendly wave as she passed.

“Come on,” I said, yanking Aubrin up and continuing forward. We wove through the streets we knew so well until at last, far from the fighting, we came to the Keep.

The face on the stone warrior that guarded the Keep door had long since eroded away. I took a deep breath, walked up to the statue, and placed the dagger's hilt in its hand. The statue should have slid aside to reveal the door. But nothing happened.

“Did I do it wrong?” I asked Aubrin.

She went up and spun the dagger upside down, placing the stone blade into the warrior's hand. Nothing. I grabbed the dagger and examined it. Had Uncle Garax grabbed the wrong dagger? Why wasn't it . . . ?

“Oh, no.”

Aubrin crinkled her face. “What is it?”

My temples throbbed. “Uncle Garax had this on him when he was hit with the shimmerhex.”

“So?”

“So I used the Vanguard to free him. The Vanguard negates
all magic
. It got rid of the shimmerhex
and
the dagger's magic. It's useless. We have no way to get into the Keep!”

And that's when we heard it.

The sounds of fighting in the streets fell away. In the distance, a dissonant wail, rising in pitch, grew closer and louder. Aubrin and I climbed the warrior statue, stood atop the Keep's dome, and gazed northwest.

Sentinels patrolling the perimeter wall stopped and gaped. On the horizon, the stars started disappearing, one by one. Xelos, the small moon, had just begun to rise. Slowly, a black shadow crept across its surface, eating the moon bit by bit.

I felt Aubrin slip her trembling hand into mine and squeeze. We were too late.

The Scourge was here.

41

Attack of the Scourge

“Leave sacrifices to the brave and bold.”

—Ancient par-Goblin proverb

A
s the approaching shriek of the Scourge grew louder, more and more citizens of Vengekeep poured into the streets. People pointed to the flying mass—a darkness separate from the night sky—as it covered the city like a cloak.

One by one, my family—having evaded the mages—gathered at the entrance to the Keep. Nanni was limping now. Uncle Garax was doubled over, wheezing. Ma and Da huddled together, eyes glued on the horizon.

“This is a little too familiar,” Da said grimly.

Like Da, I was also thinking about when the balanx skeletons attacked Vengekeep. But back then, there were only a handful of balanx. And we knew exactly how to defeat them. The one weapon we needed now we didn't have.

Aubrin and I climbed down and I explained what had happened with the dagger. “The Scourge will be here any minute. We have to find another way in.”

By now, panic had rippled through the crowd. Parents clutched their children and looked frantically around for a place to hide. Ma immediately took charge.

“Ona,” she said to Da, “you and Garax go to the armory. Find something to smash in the Keep door. The rest of you, help me get everyone into the catacombs. It's the safest place.”

Ma and Da kissed before Da and Uncle Garax charged off toward the armory. As Ma and Nanni began herding people toward the town-state hall and the entrance to the catacombs, Aubrin held tight to my wrist and pulled me back.

“What is it, Jinxface?”

“We have somewhere else to be.”

With that, she pulled me in the opposite direction. We moved against the crush of people following Ma. Aubrin led me to a spot near the western perimeter wall.

I looked around. “Aubrin, we need to find something to help us get into the Keep.”

“Trust me,” she said, looking around expectantly.

I rolled my eyes. “If you had a vision that will help us, just tell me you had a vision.”

“I had a vision.”

“See? Was that so hard? Look, we can't just sit here waiting for the vision to come true. What we need is a battering ram.”

With a mighty
crack
, the wall next to us disintegrated, sending bits of mordenstone flying through the air. Aubrin and I fell to our stomachs. As dust floated in the air around the newly formed hole, the rounded head of a battering ram poked through.

Coughing, Aubrin and I got to our feet as people—humans, Aviards, and par-Goblins—ran in through the gap in the wall. Leading the way, sword in hand, was a flighty-eyed woman who stopped only briefly to admire her handiwork.

“That worked better than expected,” the Dowager said.

Soon, more familiar faces arrived. Maloch, Callie, Reena, Holm . . . each holding a weapon and ready to fight. The rest of the rebel army entered the city and immediately began setting up small catapults and other weapons.

A quickjump ring opened with a snap above us. Talian fell through the ring and landed near the Dowager.

“The Palatinate is trying to escape out the north gates,” he reported, “but my mages are keeping them inside the city. They'll be forced to fight with the rest of us.”

“Good work,” the Dowager said. She took my chin and raised my face to look at her. “Later, we're going to have a very long talk about leaving me behind and why it's never a good idea. But first, maybe you should tell us what's happening here.”

I quickly explained the situation and how we needed to get into the Keep. “When we left, everyone was arguing. How'd you get them all to follow you?”

“You're joking, right?” Maloch said, tossing his head at the Dowager. “You should have heard the speech she gave. Shamed us all. Made Reena's da cry. She rallied everyone and here we are.”

“But how did you find us?”

“How do you think?” Talian said, nodding toward the hole in the wall. Through the settling dust, a tall silhouette stormed into the city, a halberd in one hand and a battle-ax in the other. As the Satyran soldier assumed a stance next to the Dowager, she glared down at me.

“You will
never
be able to hide from me,” Luda said.

Clearly.

A ball of green flame soared over our heads and incinerated the Laughing Par-Dwarf tavern. Two hulking skaiths dropped from the sky and onto the perimeter wall. With dangerous tusks and spiky tails, they began tearing the wall to shreds. The Scourge had arrived.

The Dowager put a horn to her lips and sounded the war cry. “This ends now!” she declared. The rebels responded with a guttural cheer and ran forward to combat the monsters.

The Dowager pointed to Talian. “You, Callie, and Luda, get Jaxter to the Keep. Do whatever it takes to get him inside.” Then she went to join her troops. My heart stuck in my throat. I had a terrible feeling it was the last time I was going to see her.

With Luda and Talian leading the way, Aubrin, Callie, and I dashed through the chaos. Monsters appeared at every turn, digging into the cobblestone streets and crushing anything in their paths.

None of them had reckoned on Luda, though.

Slashing in every direction, the Satyran tore a path for us, dispatching creatures with each swing of her weapons. Talian and Callie helped, firing blasts from their spellspheres, until the constant use of magic weakened them. Aubrin helped Callie while I threw Talian's arm around my shoulder and moved forward.

As we rounded a corner, three massive graglars—feline prowlers with three mouths—blocked the quickest path to the Keep. The creatures snarled, baring their teeth. Luda didn't even hesitate. She ran straight at them, weapons singing through the air as she went. The graglars attacked her from every angle. Luda spun wildly, inflicting damage with every blow. But the graglars weren't giving up.

“Go!” Luda called to us.

We sidestepped the melee and continued on to the Keep just ahead. Dodging creatures at every turn, we ran directly for the stone dome. We'd almost made it when a bloodreaver appeared with a pop and threw us all to the ground. The creature leaped onto Talian's back, then lurched forward and sunk its fangs into the mage's side.

Talian screamed. Blood gushed from the wound. The bloodreaver shook its head back and forth, trying to rip Talian's arm from his body.

“I dropped my spellsphere!” Callie cried. Aubrin and I dug through the dirt, searching for the iron marble as Talian wailed in agony.

Just as we found it, a loud squish made the bloodreaver freeze. Its jaws slackened, it released its grip on Talian, and it fell over, twitching. Just behind, Bennock stood, his sword protruding from the creature's head. He put his foot on the bloodreaver and yanked to retrieve his weapon.

“You were right,” he said to me. “I
am
getting better.”

Just behind him, Edilman strode toward us. He bent over and examined Talian. “He's unconscious. Aubrin, look after him.”

I smiled at Bennock. “Where did you come from?”

“When you left the mill, we stowed away in the attic of your uncle's moving house,” he said.

“You were with us the entire trip here?”

“Every night,” Edilman said. “Just so you know, Jaxter: you snore.”

Bennock nodded. “You do.”

I ignored them and pulled the once-magic dagger from my belt. “This is the key to open the Keep door,” I said, handing it to Callie. “But it got touched by the Vanguard so it's useless now. Can you . . . magic it?”

“I could do that,” Callie said, studying the dagger. “Or I could do this.”

She spoke a word, her spellsphere pulsed, and the stone warrior disintegrated, revealing stairs that led deep into the ground.

“That works too,” I said. “You've gotten good, Cal. You'll be the head of the Lordcourt in no time.” I turned to Aubrin. “We'll be right back.”

“Come on,” Edilman said, leading us down into the Keep.

The Keep itself was very small: a perfectly square room with a row of waist-high columns on the far side. The Sourcefire sat atop a column in the center, magical fire swirling in the crystal box.

“It's not very big,” Bennock said. “How is that going to destroy the entire Scourge?”

“It only looks small,” Callie told him. “A thousand years ago, it took a hundred mages an entire day to secure the Sourcefire in that box. It's more than enough to take care of the Scourge.”

The sounds of Vengekeep's destruction had grown so loud we could hear it through all the earth and stone above us. Chunks of dirt fell from the ceiling. “Let's open it,” I said, reaching out.

But Callie snatched my arm. “The second we open that, the Keep will be flooded with fire. We'll be incinerated.”

Bennock nodded. “We need to take the box into the forest and find a way to—”

Another crash from above. A section of the ceiling collapsed, burying Bennock and Edilman under a river of rock and sand. Callie and I fell to our knees to dig them out. I pulled Bennock from the debris quickly but as Callie went to help Edilman, he screamed. The three of us tossed rocks aside until we freed his leg, now crushed and unusable.

Edilman gripped the wall and pulled himself up onto his good leg. “We don't have time to take this anywhere,” he said quietly. He muttered in par-Goblin and put his hands on either side of the box's lid.

“It's magically sealed,” he murmured. “We're sunk.”

I reached for my pouches. Empty. I couldn't counter the magical lock. And if I used the Vanguard, I risked accidentally destroying the Sourcefire inside. Just like how I'd neutralized the dagger when I freed Uncle Garax from the shimmerhex.

A mighty crack sounded behind us as the stairs we'd descended split. Soon, they'd crumble away and we'd be trapped down here.

Over my shoulder, Callie exhaled sharply. She stared at the crystal box hatefully. Swallowing, she walked past me and stood at Edilman's side. “I can undo the lock. But the second I do, the box will automatically open.”

Her meaning was clear.

No. No, there had to be another way.

“Magic can't be used on the Sourcefire,” I argued.

Callie shook her head. “Magic can't be used to
transport
the Sourcefire. Magic is the only way to open the lock.”

How could she sound so calm? My heart was hammering. This wasn't fair. Callie
had
to survive. She had to show the world that mages could be good.

“Jaxter,” she said, “you and Bennock get Edilman out of here.”

But Edilman waved us away. “I'll slow them down. And it'll take the two of them to get Talian to safety.” He held out his hand. Callie took it. “Together?”

“Who would have thought?” Callie said with a quiet laugh. “You and me.”

“Abbot,” Bennock said, voice shaking. “What are you—?”

“I'm going to count to fifty,” Edilman said softly. “You've got that long to get as far away from here as possible.”

“No, Edilman,” I said, “this isn't the way.”

The Keep lurched. A stream of sand poured down in front of the stairs, threatening to cut off our exit. Edilman turned his back to us. Callie held her spellsphere out. Their free hands gripped each other tight.

“One . . . two . . . three . . .”

None of this felt real. I looked to Bennock. The acolyte gaped, pale faced, and tugged at Edilman's arm. Edilman didn't budge. “You can't do this, Abbot.”

“. . . four . . . five . . . six . . .”

I reached for Callie, but she hissed a magical word and sent me and Bennock flying across the room. “Jaxter, go!” she said firmly.

Numb, I touched Bennock's shoulder. The acolyte wouldn't move. He stood there, eyes fixed on his abbot.

“. . . eight . . . nine . . . Jaxter, get Bennock out of here . . . ten . . . eleven . . .”

Edilman kept counting. Callie joined in the count. They wouldn't even look at me. Edilman paused only to whisper in par-Goblin, the same word he'd uttered earlier. I knew then there was no stopping him.

“What did he say?” Bennock asked.

“‘Redemption,'” I said.

Bennock strained against my grip. “Abbot . . .”

It took all my strength to get Bennock to move. He fought me every step of the way, screaming that he wanted to stay with Edilman. I took one last look at Callie. If she was afraid, it didn't show. She just squeezed Edilman's hand harder.

Eyes burning with tears, I dragged Bennock from the Keep.