No, you wouldn’t, she corrected herself. You wouldn’t want them to grow up with your stepfather.
It was nearly an hour before Madame Kyla stepped out of the operating theatre. She didn’t look to have changed in the years since Emily had known her—she was still a middle-aged woman with prematurely grey hair—but there was a grim expression on her face that Emily didn’t like. Madame Kyla eyed her for a long moment, then shrugged. Emily hoped—prayed—that was a good sign. She didn’t think she’d be allowed to stay if Adana was dying—or dead. Her family would be summoned as quickly as possible.
And they’d probably kick Melissa out too, she thought, sourly. Legally, she’s no longer part of the family.
“Adana has been badly injured, but will recover,” Madame Kyla said. “She’s out of immediate danger now.”
Emily sagged in relief. The last thing she needed—the last thing anyone needed—was House Ashworth declaring a blood feud. Frieda was in no state to fight. The magical community would find it amusing—Adana had known the dangers, when she’d stepped onto the field—but that would be no consolation. Frieda would have had no choice but to run.
Melissa sighed in relief. “How bad is it?”
“Her ribs were shattered by a powerful blow,” Madame Kyla said. “It was sheer luck that one or more of the splinters didn’t penetrate her heart. One of her lungs was punctured and started to fill with fluid. Thankfully, she was put into stasis before the damage grew out of control.”
Thank God, Emily thought.
“We’re going to put her back in stasis until we can fix the remaining damage, then slowly bring her out of it,” Madame Kyla added. She looked at Melissa. “Do you want to see her now?”
“Yes, please,” Melissa said.
“Inform the Grandmaster that Adana is out of danger,” Madame Kyla said to Emily. “And she should be returning to classes in a couple of weeks.”
Emily nodded, unable to hide her relief. Adana would recover! Frieda hadn’t killed her, accidentally or otherwise. She rose and headed for the door. She’d take a moment to collect herself, then go straight to the Grandmaster’s office. And then ...
She sighed as she stepped through the door. Gordian wouldn’t be pleased, even though someone getting injured was predictable. Emily herself had killed in a duel. She wasn’t sure if Frieda had broken the rules or not—the spell she’d cast wasn’t designed to be lethal—but she had done considerable damage to her opponent. It wasn’t going to reflect well on anyone.
Jacqui was waiting outside, looking smug. “Emily,” she said. “Perhaps we could walk for a little bit.”
Emily eyed her, sourly. “Why aren’t you at the arena?”
“Cirroc is throwing his weight around and I got tired of it.” Jacqui gave Emily a sidelong smile as they started to walk, then cast a privacy ward. “You really should choose your friends better.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Jacqui smirked. “A princess, a commoner, a ... creature ... a freak ... and another commoner who happens to be an itty bitty child.”
“Frieda is not a child,” Emily said. She was too tired for word games. “What do you want?”
“Frieda has already managed to get you in trouble ... how many times?” Jacqui made a show of brushing the hair back from her face. “You really shouldn’t hang out with her any longer.”
Emily felt a flash of hot anger. “And why shouldn’t I?”
“Because she can’t do anything for you,” Jacqui said, in tones that suggested she was explaining things to a child. “Frieda’s friendship is not advantageous to you.”
Her smirk grew wider. “Unless you enjoy having someone around to feel superior to.”
Emily resisted—barely—the urge to say she felt superior to Jacqui. She’d never thought much of the other girl, but then ... she hadn’t paid too much attention to her either. Jacqui had always seemed a hanger-on, a crony rather than a person in her own right. And yet, Jacqui was no longer Melissa’s satellite. She had a mind and a will of her own.
“It isn’t about advantage,” she said, finally. “Frieda is a friend ...”
“Who just managed to land you in hot water, again,” Jacqui pointed out. “I don’t think I’d stay friends with someone who did that to me, repeatedly.”
“Melissa managed to get you in trouble from time to time,” Emily snapped. She was definitely in no mood for verbal fencing. “How many times did you get caned because of her? Or wound up spending hours as a toad?”
“Melissa could do great things for me, once upon a time,” Jacqui said. “What can Frieda do for you?”
“It isn’t about what she can do for me,” Emily said.
“It is,” Jacqui insisted. “You choose your friends because of what they can do for you. I can help my friends, just as they would help me. Being here, Emily, is all about making contacts, about meeting the people who can help you get along. But you seem to have missed the boat.”
Emily raised her eyebrows. “You don’t think the Crown Princess of Zangaria can help me get along?”
“Not for those who matter.” Jacqui clicked her fingers. Emily braced herself, half expecting to be hexed. “If we who wield power wanted to take her kingdom, we could take her kingdom. We choose not to control the mundane world, Emily. We are not incapable of controlling it.”
“Alassa and Jade would give you one hell of a fight,” Emily said, stiffly. “Or do you think he’s overrated?”
“He could certainly have married better,” Jacqui said. “A year and a half and still no sign of children.”
Emily felt her temper begin to fray. “Is there a point to this?”
Jacqui stopped and turned to face her. “It’s time you learnt to choose your friends better,” she said. “Join us.”
“What?”
“Join us,” Jacqui repeated. “You need help from people who can help you, not a little brat who acts like a complete idiot. How old is she? Six? Seven?”
“Nineteen,” Emily said, flatly.
“That’s not an improvement,” Jacqui said. “She’s old enough to take responsibility for herself, isn’t she?”
She looked down the long corridor. “Frieda is going down. And when she finally hits rock bottom, she’ll take you with her. There is nothing she can do for you, while we have power and influence you cannot even begin to comprehend. Your father has not taught you even the basics of building up a patronage network. Let us teach you.”
Emily took a long breath. “And if I choose to say no?”
“That will be your choice,” Jacqui said. “Like I said, you should choose your friends better.”
“I don’t think my friends would have dumped me if I’d been disowned,” Emily said, sardonically. “Alassa didn’t stop writing to me because her father banned me from his kingdom.”
“Politics.” Jacqui shrugged. “Sometimes, you have to cut someone out of your circle for the circle to flourish.”