“So will Caleb,” Frieda said.
Emily finished dressing, then splashed water on her face as Frieda climbed out of bed. She looked a little unsteady, although she tried hard to put a brave face on it as she removed her nightshirt. No one had ever accused Frieda of lacking determination, whatever else she lacked. And yet, she remained alarmingly short for her age. Her childhood had stunted the rest of her life.
At least she’s put some meat on her bones, Emily thought. She doesn’t look like she’s starving now.
She met Frieda’s eyes. “How’s your magic?”
“Recovering,” Frieda said. “I should be back to normal tomorrow.”
Emily nodded. Her one experience with Berserker had left her feeling tired and drained for far too long. She would have died if Jade hadn’t been there. Frieda had learned the spell later in life, after entering Martial Magic in Third Year. She’d had more reserves to draw on than Emily, but the spell had still drained her.
“Come on,” she said, once Frieda was dressed. “Let’s go face the music.”
There was no sign of Marian when they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the living room. Caleb and his father stood in one corner, having a quiet discussion that broke off as soon as Emily and Frieda appeared. Emily felt her cheeks heat, noting how Caleb couldn’t quite meet her eyes. He looked dreadfully embarrassed. No doubt his father had given him a lecture on behaving himself too.
“Caleb.” Frieda’s voice was clipped. “I apologize for my conduct.”
Emily resisted the urge to sigh out loud. Frieda didn’t sound convincing, even if she hadn’t thrown herself to her knees and begged for forgiveness. She certainly didn’t want to admit she might have been wrong.
“Thank you,” Caleb said. He didn’t sound as though he believed her, but he appeared willing to accept the apology at face value. Emily reminded herself, wryly, that he had younger sisters. “I accept your apology.”
Sienna entered, followed by Karan. “A messenger visited the street thirty minutes ago,” she said. She sounded cross. “We are to present ourselves at Crossroads Corner at sunrise, so we can hear a formal announcement, or face punishment.”
“That was all he said,” Caleb added. “He just made his announcement and vanished.”
“It could be a trap,” Emily pointed out. General Pollack might be the only member of the city’s government left alive, even if he hadn’t held a seat on the council. The Hands of Justice would certainly want to arrest him. And then there was Sienna and Emily herself…turning up for the announcement might be a mistake. “Do they want all of us?”
“Apparently so,” Sienna said. “We’ll be going under glamours, of course.”
General Pollack cleared his throat. “The younger children will be staying here,” he said, firmly. “Karan, Croce and Marian will not leave the house.”
“Father,” Karan said, “I…”
“Have to stay home,” General Pollack said. “I’m not going to take you into a dangerous situation.”
Emily forced herself to think as Caleb passed her a cheese sandwich. The Hands of Justice would know where General Pollack lived. His address was a matter of public record. But arresting him, if he stayed in Sorcerers Row, would be difficult. The sorcerers would defend their territory…unless, of course, Justice came into play. If the entity absorbed spells, she asked herself, what would happen if it brushed against a ward?
We might want to reprogram the wards, she thought, as she started to eat the sandwich. It tasted stale. Perhaps we could feed it too much magic…
She shook her head, grimly. Justice was too powerful, she suspected, to be overloaded…and if the entity was overloaded, the resulting explosion might destroy the city. Even a necromancer didn’t wield so much power…nothing short of a nexus point did. The combined power of every magician on Sorcerers Row couldn’t hope to match that…
“Caleb,” she said slowly, “is there a concealed nexus point within the city?”
Sienna gave her an odd look. “There were always old legends about catacombs under the castle,” she said, “but there was never any suggestion of a nexus point. The closest one is several hundred miles away.”
Emily and Frieda exchanged glances. There had been an entire network of catacombs under Mountaintop, concealing the school’s greatest secret. If Aurelius had managed to drain hundreds of students to power the school’s wards, why couldn’t Janus and his sect do the same with willing volunteers? Given enough time, they might even be able to match a nexus point…until they ran out of victims.
But by then, they might have secured their grip on the city, she thought, as she took her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. They might not need Justice any longer.
The presence struck her as soon as they opened the door and stepped out onto the street, an icy pulse of something drawing her towards the square. She gritted her teeth against the compulsion, knowing it would keep wearing away at her defenses until they collapsed. The handful of others on the streets, heading northwards themselves, looked as though they were struggling against an invisible force.
“Put up a glamour, then keep it in place,” Sienna ordered. She cast one over her husband as she spoke. “Do not let it slip.”