“This way,” she snapped, starting to lead them into the cell. If she was right–if she understood the interior dimensions correctly–they should be able to blast through the wall and go into the next cell, working their way back to the portal. “Hurry!”
We could teleport, she told herself. But, in her state, would Imaiqah survive?
She cursed under her breath, sweat running down her back. In truth, she had no idea…
…But she was all too aware that they were running out of time.
Chapter Thirty-One
“THEY’RE TRYING TO PUT THE WARDS back up,” Jade said, as they slammed the door closed and locked it. The locking charm wouldn’t hold for long, but it would buy them a few additional minutes. “Once they do, we’re trapped.”
Emily nodded, mustering another blasting spell and directing it at the far wall. It exploded outwards, revealing another cell. It was empty, as far as Emily could tell. She hurried forward, wishing that Alassa had her magic or Cat had stayed with them. Jade only had one hand free. She considered, briefly, transfiguring Imaiqah–and possibly Alassa–into something smaller and easier to carry, but there was no guarantee that Imaiqah would survive the experience. Randor might not have been willing to physically abuse his daughter–he hadn’t even bothered to provide any parental discipline when she was a child–yet it was clear he’d had no such compunctions about hurting Imaiqah. God alone knew how far he’d gone.
We’ll find out, she promised herself, as she heard the sound of the door being broken down behind them. And we will make him pay.
The next door was carefully designed to make sure the occupant of the cell couldn’t open it from the inside. Emily blasted it down without a second thought, privately admitting that whoever had designed the lock had done a reasonably good job after all. There was no way out without magic. She didn’t think it was possible for one man, no matter how strong, to break down the door.
She peered out into an empty corridor, glancing from left to right as she reorientated herself on the portal. It was clearly visible in her mind’s eye, a source of power so bright she suspected it could be sensed from halfway across the city. Randor’s sorcerers would be tracing the far end already, trying to track down the warehouse. She listened for a long moment, hearing the sound of shooting and men shouting in the distance, then inched her way out of the room. The others followed her, carefully. Alassa held her charged wand at the ready.
“This way,” Emily hissed. Behind her, she heard men crashing into the cell. “Hurry!”
She motioned for Jade to take the lead as she cast a pair of confusion hexes behind her. They wouldn’t last for long, but they might slow down pursuit a little. She’d take anything she could get. The sound of men shouting grew louder; she hoped–prayed–that the hexes took effect. She was starting to feel as though she was running short on magic. She’d planned to eat more and recharge before they punched their way into the Tower.
I should take Imaiqah, she thought. Let Jade do some of the fighting.
They reached a locked door, barring them from going any further. Jade put his fingers against the metal and muttered a spell, his voice too tired to be loud. The door exploded inwards, revealing a vast chamber. Emily could see an immense debris field, too large to be explained by Jade’s spell…and, beyond it, a faint blue light. The portal. It had to be the portal. Her heart started to beat rapidly. They were nearly home.
“Hurry,” Jade ordered.
Emily nodded and led the way across the giant room. It didn’t seem to have any use, as far as she could tell; it was easily big enough to be a dining or dance hall, yet there was no sign of tables or chairs or a podium for the musicians. She glanced from side to side, feeling suddenly unsure of herself. The Tower of Alexis was a prison. What would it need a giant hall for?
The king might have regarded it as a fallback fortress, she thought. The Tower of London had served that role, once upon a time. Maybe it’s a throne room.
She reached the edge of the debris–what had once been a wall–and sucked in her breath, astonished. It looked as though a bomb had gone off in the Tower. The stairwell was gone, leaving a gaping hole plunging down to the bottom level; the stone was scarred and pitted by a terrible force. She could see a handful of people staring up at her, one levelling a flintlock; she jumped back, sharply, as a bullet pinged off the stone above her. The building appeared to have been devastated.
“We’re going to have to go around to get to the portal,” she called. She could see Cat, standing next to the portal. “Jade, you…”
A surge of magic caught her attention. She spun around, just in time to see a cloaked figure striding into the room. A flash of déjà vu shot through her–Shadye had worn a cloak too–a moment before she sensed the magic boiling around the figure. Shadye had been powerful, but his magic had been uncontrolled; this man was powerful, yet it was clear his magic was under tight control…
Her eyes narrowed as something clicked in her mind. A man? No, the gait was all wrong. A woman. Her features were hidden under the cloak–and a glamour–and her clothes were as loose as Emily’s own, but she was a woman. Emily was sure of it. A woman and a sorceress and…and what?
“There is no escape,” the woman said, quietly. Her voice was laced with magic, enough charm to make Emily’s knees wobble. She had to grit her teeth to remain upright. “You broke into the Tower, somehow, but you will not get out.”
Emily reached out with her senses, studying the woman carefully. She reminded Emily of Lady Barb…a flicker of panic ran through her at the thought of facing the closest thing she had to a mother, before it dawned on her that the mystery sorceress was too short to be Lady Barb. And yet, it was clear she was very well trained. There was barely a scrap of wasted magic around her. She’d masked her presence very well. Emily suspected, as she felt her heart sink, that she’d stayed hidden in hopes the regular guards could round up the intruders without her direct intervention.
Jade found his voice. “Who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” the woman said. Her voice grew stronger. “Surrender. You cannot escape.”
That’s what she wants us to believe, Emily thought. She bit her lip, hard, to help her concentrate. She wouldn’t be trying to charm us if she thought we were trapped.
“Jade, take them out of here,” Emily said. “I’ll hold her off.”
The woman sucked in her breath. Emily mentally kicked herself. The woman hadn’t recognized Jade…and he hadn’t recognized her either. That meant…she cursed herself as she realized her mistake. The woman now knew who Jade was, which meant she had a pretty good chance of guessing who Emily was too. How many other young sorceresses would come to Alassa’s aid?
“No, you won’t,” the woman said. “Lord Jade, consider…”
Emily snatched a fireball out of nowhere and threw it at the woman. She deflected it with a casual spell, then tossed a freeze spell of her own back at Emily. Emily lifted her eyebrows at the trick–it was something she’d expected from a schoolgirl, not a combat sorceress–and then stepped aside, avoiding the spell. There was nothing to be gained by wasting magic deflecting it.