“We’ll discuss it later,” Lady Barb said.
Emily nodded in agreement as they reached the end of the bridge. There were no guards on this side, merely a customs post. The officers took one look at them and waved them on, without even bothering to ask for papers. But then, they’d be used to magicians crossing the bridge and walking to the nearby portal. They’d probably be more concerned about someone who intended to stay in Zangaria.
And they presumably don’t know who I am, Emily thought, as they walked down the cobbled road. King Randor ordered me never to return without permission.
She sucked in her breath as she saw a plume of steam in the distance. There was a station on the north side of the city, if she recalled correctly. A steam train could still run from Cockatrice to the station, even if the bridge hadn’t yet been cleared. Or maybe the driver hoped to cross the line and get into the city, where the train could be unloaded easily.
“I’ll be taking you back to Whitehall this evening,” Lady Barb said. “But first…there’s someone who wants a word with you.”
She nodded towards a man, standing by a tree. Emily felt her heart start to race as she recognized Void. He’d been with Lady Barb, the last time she’d seen him; she’d thought they were both heading into the Blighted Lands. Had he come back to see her too?
“Frieda and I will wait here,” Lady Barb said, firmly. “Come back here when you’re done.”
Emily nodded and walked towards Void. It was hard, so hard, to resist the temptation to run. The Lone Power looked to have aged in the last couple of weeks, although she knew that was probably an illusion. His long, dark hair spilled out over a face too patrician to be called feminine, even though she knew some male magicians disdained long hair. But then, Void was too old and too powerful to care what his peers thought of him. Indeed, he had very few peers.
“Emily.” Void’s voice was calm, composed. “What happened between Caleb and yourself?”
“It’s a long story,” Emily said. She didn’t really want to discuss it with anyone. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes,” Void said. “Please, talk.”
Emily sighed and started to explain. Void listened, sometimes asking a thoughtful question, as the whole story spilled out. He didn’t seem surprised, she noted; he seemed more concerned about her than anything else. She clung to that feeling, even though she knew it could be deceptive. The thought that someone cared about her was important. She needed it more than she cared to admit.
“I expected as much,” Void said, when she had finished. “I didn’t think he would be able to cope with you.”
Emily blinked, wiping a tear out of her eye. “With me?”
Void turned to watch the train as it puffed its way back along the line. “I destroyed a village, once,” he said. “The entire place was…was hag-ridden. I couldn’t save the inhabitants without spreading the contamination across the country. My partner was already dead. There was no time to send for help, Emily, so I took care of it. I stood at the edge of the village and summoned fire, lots of fire. The entire village burned to the ground. Fifty-seven men, women and children died in the blaze I unleashed.”
Emily shivered, helplessly.
“I knew some of them,” Void added, after a moment. “I’d spoken to them during my investigation. The innkeeper who knew everything, the village hedge-witch who was searching for an apprentice, the young lady who wanted to make a life in the big city, the young man who wanted to marry her…”
He turned to face Emily. “I killed them all, because it was the only way to prevent a greater catastrophe,” he told her. “I made that choice. I was the only one who could make that choice. I heard some of them begging for mercy, promising anything, as the flames washed around their hovels. I burned them to the ground anyway, then sifted through the ash to be sure.
“Not everyone can make those choices, Emily. Caleb couldn’t, it would seem.”
Emily scowled at him. “Should he have risked letting his sister die?”
Void shrugged. “To save the rest of the city?”
“It isn’t a fair choice,” Emily said. She understood Caleb’s feelings more than she wanted to admit. Marian hadn’t deserved to die. But the cold equations might well have dictated her death. She wasn’t sure she could have made the deliberate choice to murder the girl, even if it would save countless more lives. “He didn’t have to make it.”
“The world isn’t fair,” Void said. “And yes, he did have to make it.”
He glanced towards Lady Barb, then back at Emily. “You’ll have to make those choices yourself, in the future,” he warned. “And close connections will only get in the way.”
“Maybe,” Emily said, stubbornly.
Void shrugged and reached into his robes, producing a parchment scroll. “This is for the Grandmaster. Don’t try to open it.”
Emily felt the charm on the seal as she took it and nodded, once. “What is it?”
“An apprenticeship offer, if you still want it,” Void said. Emily stared at him. “An unconditional apprenticeship offer. You could come with me now, if you liked.”
“I want to finish my schooling first,” Emily said. She held the parchment gingerly. In the right hands, it was worth hundreds of crowns. “After that…”
“You’ll be ready to learn from me,” Void said.
He stepped backwards. “You did well. I would be proud to have you as my apprentice.”
Emily blushed. “Thank you.”
Void raised a hand in salute. “You’re welcome.”
He vanished in a flash of light. Emily stared at where he’d been for a moment, then tucked the scroll into her pouch and hurried to join her friends.
Lady Barb gave her a sharp look when she arrived. “Back to Whitehall?”
“Yes,” Emily said. “Back to Whitehall.”
End of Book Twelve
Emily Will Return In:
The Gordian Knot
Appendix: The Financial Crisis of Beneficence