Annev heaved himself out of the trench and walked back to Titus. Without a word, he unslung two of Fyn’s badges and slipped them into the boy’s tunic. Titus blinked rapidly at him.
‘It’s fine, Titus. I’ve still got six badges – and I may not be able to hold onto them. Leaving two with you is a backup plan.’ He smiled, not sure if he was lying to himself or just to his friend. Either way, after using Titus to beat Fyn, Annev was no longer sure he had to sabotage his friends to get ahead. For the moment, he could support those who supported him. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I’ll hide you so no one else bothers you.’
Annev tugged the boy’s slack body over to the nearby pile of black rags and dumped them on top of Titus, making sure his friend could breathe. Satisfied, he made his way back to the altar. He was halfway there when the black curtains in front of the dais began to tremble. With a rush of adrenaline, Annev leapt over the moat concealing Fyn’s paralysed body and crouched behind the altar. He slipped two Rods of Paralysis from his tunic and peered around the stone table.
Silence. Stillness.
He waited a long minute, barely breathing, and was about to leave his hiding place when the cloth panel shrouding the centre row of pews shifted – not at its base, but at the top.
Annev looked up and saw a masked face peering down. The student was studying the raised dais and altar and spied Annev at the same time Annev spied him. They stared at each other, frozen, before the masked student lowered the black wrappings covering his mouth.
‘Annev?’ he whispered, his voice barely audible.
‘Therin?’ Annev stood and raced over to the edge of the dais. ‘I didn’t think you’d come back,’ he whispered, his voice equally soft.
Therin grinned then slid halfway down the drape he’d been clinging to. ‘I wasn’t going to, but I saw Fyn heading this way and thought I’d get the drop on him.’ He looked around. ‘Where is he?’
Annev slid the two wands back under his wrappings. ‘He’s in the Ring of Odar.’
‘You got his medallions?’ Therin asked, impressed.
Annev nodded, patting his chest where the six medallions were secured. He stepped to the edge of the dais so that he was eye-level with Therin, but before he could ask his friend how he had fared, a dark-haired boy in brown robes shot out from beneath the centre pew and leapt for Annev, slashing at his face.
Annev jumped back from the edge of the dais, barely managing to slap Kenton’s wand away with his gloved left hand, then stumbled backward, leaving himself open to a renewed attack. The scar-faced avatar saw his chance and sprang up onto the dais, pressing his attack against Annev. Just as he cleared the platform, Therin dropped from his perch and slapped his rod against Kenton’s neck. The avatar fell to his knees, his wand sliding from his limp hand, and he slumped onto his face.
Therin poked his fallen classmate with a boot and grinned. ‘Getting the drop on Kenton is almost as good as catching Fyn.’ He looked up at Annev. ‘And he deserves it for breaking his promise to us.’
‘Agreed.’ Annev joined his friend as Therin took Kenton’s medallions. There were five, and Therin gave a quiet hiss of approval as he hung them around his own neck.
‘That’s seven badges now. How many you got?’
‘Six,’ Annev said, briefly regretting leaving two with Titus.
‘TWENTY MINUTES!’ Edra bellowed, the sound dampened by the cloth panels around the nave.
Therin grinned at Annev, shaking his tokens. Annev returned the smile, showing his own medallions, then tucked them back inside the wrappings around his chest.
‘All we have to do is keep hold of these,’ Annev whispered, retreating to the safety of the altar. ‘Who did you see out there?’
Therin followed after Annev, stopping long enough to grin at Fyn’s limp form in the bottom of the water trough. ‘Half the class is out. I saw some hiding under the pews, probably with just one badge, but the others are paralysed all around the nave.’
‘Like Fyn,’ Annev said, nodding to the stunned boy.
‘Yeah, and Titus.’ Therin looked around. ‘Where is he?’
Annev smiled. ‘Don’t count Titus out just yet. He had two badges last time I saw him.’
Therin laughed, throwing his arm around Annev’s neck. ‘Titmouse stole someone’s badge? With two paralysed legs?’ He shook his head. ‘Either you’re lying or that kid has more tricks than a ring-snake.’
Annev shrugged, trying not to glance at the heap of black fabric where the boy was hidden. ‘Titus may surprise you.’ He gazed around the dais, wondering whether they should stay and wait for others to find them or venture into the maze and hunt for more medallions. It would probably be safer to wait – Fyn was right that the high ground offered an advantage – but Annev wondered if anyone would come for them; the test was nearly over, after all, and those that had badges would be interested in keeping them. But Annev wanted more – he needed more if he was going to win that key to tomorrow’s Test of Judgement.
‘Have you seen any of the witgirls?’ Annev asked, suddenly thinking about Myjun.
Therin stepped back, shaking his head. ‘Not one. Maybe they’re hiding – or maybe they were all stunned at the start. It’s not like they can hide in those dresses.’
Annev felt a thrill as he considered the possibility of finding Myjun in the darkness, but he shook his head. ‘Witmistress Kiara made it sound like they couldn’t become full witwomen unless they passed this test. I don’t know how good they are at stealth, but they’ve been training with Duvarek and the Wit Circle since they were babies. They can’t be that much worse than us.’
‘So … you want to look for them?’
‘Why?’ Annev asked. ‘Do you?’
Therin shrugged, though his eyes sparkled with mischief. ‘We might earn some more badges that way …’
‘And just where do you think we’ll find them?’
‘I didn’t see any girls hanging from curtains, so my guess is they’re under the pews.’
Annev nodded, seeing no fault to Therin’s logic. ‘Lead the way.’
The pair stole over to the edge of the dais, bypassing its short set of stairs in favour of silently hopping down to the nave floor. They stopped at the first bench and Annev pointed at Therin’s eyes and then at the curtains, indicating that he should keep watch above while he investigated the underfloor.
Annev stooped to the ground, carefully peering beneath the central set of pews. He saw mostly darkness, though a faint rectangle of light indicated some places where an overhead plank was missing. He listened carefully but heard nothing. He stood, crept over to the eastern section of benches, and did the same thing. This time he heard the very faintest shuffling through the darkness.
He waved Therin over. ‘Someone’s hiding in there,’ Annev mouthed, barely breathing. ‘Near the back row.’ Therin lifted his wand, face grim as Annev used hand gestures to indicate his intentions. ‘Split up. Circle around. Surprise them.’ Therin nodded.
Annev slid under the first two pews. When Therin did the same, he was almost invisible in the darkness. Without another word, they separated, slipping through the shadows, hunting for the sounds of broken silence.