12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

E mily shook Elizabeth awake. It was the day of their departure. The room was pitch dark, Emily's sconce breaking through the darkness. Elizabeth often rose early to practice with Darcy and Redmond, but this was earlier than usual. She dressed as quickly as possible, forcing herself to be still as Emily insisted on forming braids that coiled around her head. She did not need an elaborate hairstyle, but she had to play along to keep up the pretense.

"I want you to look pretty when you see everyone again. How exciting, to be going back to visit your family," chatted Emily, cheerfully. "Are you looking forward to it?"

"I am too sleepy to think about it," said Elizabeth evasively.

She was sorry for the deception. She wished she could have taken Emily into her confidence, but their destination was a secret. The official story was that, since Napoleon was occupied elsewhere in Europe, some of the most senior mages had been allowed to visit their families.

By the time Jane knocked at the door, she was ready to leave. They had agreed to walk together to the cloisters, where the traveling mages had agreed to assemble, away from prying eyes.

As soon as they entered the open space, Mr. Bingley came forward eagerly to greet them.

He bowed to them both, but his gaze was fixed on Jane. Unfortunately, since Jane was looking down at her boots, she did not see the way his eyes feasted on her features.

"How are you this morning? Ready to set out on a journey?"

His hearty tone seemed to suggest this was something akin to a picnic. Elizabeth smiled to herself and moved away, hoping Jane would respond more openly without her sister's presence.

Mr. Bingley's good cheer was in marked contrast to everyone else. Miss Bingley was leaning against a wall, yawning and looking ill-tempered. Miss King was drumming her fingers against her side, impatient to leave . There were several Council members huddled in a corner, talking to Matlock, apparently disagreeing about some detail or the other.

As they stood desolately in the dawn half-light, Elizabeth reflected what a pathetic group they made. How were a dozen mages supposed to stand against Napoleon?

She dismissed her gloomy thoughts and looked for Darcy. It was not like him to be late. Then she spotted him, and as always, her pulse gave a little leap. Darcy was sitting on a ledge, watching Matlock and the Council members with a bored expression. She had not seen him when she first came in. He was hidden by a column.

As if sensing her gaze, he turned and gave Elizabeth a faint smile. She returned it with what she hoped was a reassuring one, then decided to take a page from Mr. Bingley's book. She went to him and gave him a cheerful kiss on the cheek.

His eyes filled with warmth. "Good morning. You are looking almost happy today."

"I will be happy to set out," she said. "I would rather be on the way than listen to one more person raising an objection to our travel arrangements. There have been so many changes. If there is one more, I think I will scream."

To her delight, Darcy chuckled. "I am very much in agreement with you. You have not even been attending Council meetings. You cannot imagine what I have had to endure. So, yes, setting out will certainly be a relief. I just wish they would hurry and let us leave."

Just then, Matlock separated himself from the Council members and came towards them, accompanied by Lord Grayson and Lord Harcourt.

"Is everyone ready to leave?" he said.

"Yes," said Darcy and Elizabeth, emphatically.

"And you all know how we are doing this?"

"I cannot speak for the others, but I certainly do," said Darcy.

"Good. Then I will confirm with everyone else and we will be on our way."

The riskiest part of their journey was the first part: setting out from Founder's Hall. The Mage Hall was undoubtedly being watched. No one should know they were traveling to the coast, and certainly they did not want to give away their exact destination. In the end, the plan involved sending their luggage in farm carts, hidden under hay, and having the three carriages travel in different directions. An additional precaution was having the carriages waiting for them in different places, which meant they had to make their way on foot or on horseback.

The young ladies – Jane, Miss King, and Miss Bingley – along with Redmond – took the London to Brighton Road. Lord Grayson and his Janus Twin Lord Harcourt traveled with Lord Matlock towards Rochester to obtain the latest reports about Napoleon's movements. And Bingley, Darcy, Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet took the road to Maidstone, Kent.

The purpose was to avoid detection and confuse anyone who might pursue them. Two of the groups were to stay the night at an inn in Maidstone and from there split again to meet at the coast. It was up to Lord Matlock's group to visit the different telegraph towers and discover the latest updates about Napoleon's movements. Meanwhile, Colonel Fitzwilliam was in charge of communicating between the three groups if necessary. His primary role, however, was to ensure the safety of Elizabeth and to pass on information if she received any news from Riquer.

Darcy could tell Lizzy was worried by the way her hands were twisted in the folds of her travel cloak. She was looking out of the window, but she was certainly not admiring the scenery. The tight line of her back told him she was fully alert for any signs of Imperial Mages. If anyone could spot them, she would.

Next, they drove through some of the narrower London streets, going through such tight alleyways that it would be impossible for anyone to trail them without being discovered. Watchers had been appointed to observe from windows, and some of Colonel Fitzwilliam's men were following on horseback. It was a tense journey as each of them tried to pick up traces of magic through the crowds. They had instructions to return if there was any doubt, and everyone was on edge. Darcy fervently hoped they would not have to return to the Hall and be forced to set out all over again.

A watchful silence reigned in the carriage as they left London. They were more exposed here. All three of them were focused on looking for traces of magic outside. Darcy's eyes roamed over the green countryside, looking out for anything unusual. At least they were not hemmed in by trees on both sides of the road.

The tension in the carriage lasted for some time after they left the crowds behind them. As they moved further into the countryside, some of Darcy's worry began to dissolve.

"I think we are safe," he said. "Can you sense anything, Elizabeth?"

"Nothing," said Elizabeth.

Darcy trusted her judgment. She was the best at picking up signs of danger. She had single-handedly dealt with an attack on Founder's Hall before the other mages had even suspected they were in danger.

Once it was apparent that they were not being followed, the two horsemen behind them drew closer. Darcy gave a signal through the window, and they melted away into the trees.

They pulled down the shades halfway, obscuring them from the casual observer, but still enabling them to look out. It was a minor precaution, intended to discourage gossip, but otherwise not particularly useful. If the Imperial Mages were on the lookout, they would rely on magical signatures, not on sight.

"It looks like we have managed to evade them." Elizabeth's shoulders relaxed.

Mr. Bingley gave a little whoop.

"For now," said Mr. Bennet. "We should not let down our guard completely."

"Not completely," said Elizabeth, "but it would be very bad luck indeed if they happened to find us by accident."

Darcy wanted to give a whoop himself. They had cleared the first hurdle. They were on their way.

As they reached open farmland, the sense of being followed slowly receded, and Elizabeth began to abandon her vigilance. It began to rain, and the dull gray sky and patter of the rain, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the horse's hooves, lulled her into a half-sleep.

She woke up as the carriage slowed to a halt. She sat up in alarm as she heard Darcy and the other gentlemen talking about the possibility of being attacked by highwaymen.

"What is happening?" she asked in alarm.

"Nothing yet," said Mr. Bennet, amused. "But we are approaching Bromley Common, which is notorious for its frequent attacks. I was considering the possibility that we might be about to fall into a trap."

"Take no notice of your father," said Darcy. "I have journeyed many times this way, and I have never experienced an attack."

Elizabeth was still groggy from sleep. She looked from one to another, trying to decide if there was any truth in her father's statement. "Why have we stopped, then?"

"There is a long line of conveyances ahead of us, so I suppose the road is blocked by a fallen tree or something of that sort."

"Or highwaymen," said Mr. Bennet.

Elizabeth frowned at the way her father found ways to make light of every situation. "What if it is not highwaymen? What if we have been followed by French mages and they have set up an obstacle to hold us up? Or worse, an ambush?"

The grim turn of Darcy's mouth revealed that he had been considering this possibility. "I was about to wake you up to ask if you could sense anything. I cannot, neither can your father, but I wanted another opinion."

Fully alert now, Elizabeth carefully probed with her magic, doing her best to be inconspicuous.

"I cannot detect anything unusual," she said. "There is no sense of concealed magic."

"Perhaps we should offer our help," said Bingley. "Then we can be on our way a bit faster. I would like to arrive at the inn in Maidstone before the young ladies."

Elizabeth smiled inwardly at his obvious eagerness to see Jane.

"Do you think it is safe to use magic?" said Mr. Bennet.

Darcy shrugged. "It cannot be more unsafe than being stuck here in the carriage. We are like sitting ducks. I will go. I can use a weak Elemental magic spell from The Compendium that any mage could do."

"I can help, in that case," said Elizabeth, readily. "I know all the standard Compendium spells."

It was a standing joke between them. When Elizabeth had first arrived at the Academy, she did not know any spells from The Compendium, and he had looked down on her for that reason. Now she had memorized every single one of them, she looked for every opportunity to rub it in his face.

He grinned back as he opened the door. "Under any other circumstances, I would have said yes, but I would rather you did not. The powerful magic we would use together may draw unwanted attention. Leave it to me. Besides, there is still a possibility that it is a ruse by some highwaymen. It would be better if you could keep an eye out for unusual magic signatures and prepare to set up Wards quickly."

Elizabeth huffed but settled back into her seat.

"I could assist," said Mr. Bennet. "You had better not go alone. We do not know what to expect."

Hesitating, Darcy considered the possibilities. If by any chance it was a physical ambush, having Mr. Bennet with him might be useful. Bingley could stay with Elizabeth to assist her in case of trouble.

He nodded. "As long as we are careful not to draw too much attention. There is still a possibility – however remote – that we have been followed."

As he walked down the queue of conveyances blocking the road, he compared it to one of society's London events during the Season. The difference was, in London, there were other roads they could take to avoid the crush. Here, there was only one road, and no other way to go. In addition, there were trees on both sides, which made it a perfect spot for an ambush.

Darcy soon dismissed the idea. It was obviously market day. As well as carriages and carts, there were sheep, hogs and horses, with their owners trying to squeeze them through any gap they could find. As he overheard snippets of conversation, it quickly became clear what the problem was.

"—I have never seen anything like it. Trees and tree branches everywhere—"

"—found my wagon on its side this morning—"

"—wind howling all night. Couldn't sleep a wink—"

"It seems there has been a bad storm," he remarked.

"A good thing we did not set off yesterday." Mr. Bennet looked amused, as usual. Did he ever take anything seriously?

"Yes, but it looks like we will have to deal with the after-effects."

It took some time for them to reach the source of the blockage in the road. A grand oak tree, its trunk as thick as a wagon wheel, had fallen across the road. Several men were taking turns to swing at it with axes to break it up and make it easier to remove. Darcy took stock of the situation. The men were strong, and they were working quickly. They had already made some progress, but at this rate it would perhaps be hours before they were able to remove the whole thing.

It was something that could easily be fixed with magic.

He strolled over to where the man in charge, a gentleman farmer by the look of his clothes, was giving orders.

"My good man, allow me to see to it."

He turned to Darcy in surprise, looking him over in disbelief.

"You wish to take charge, sir? You think we should be quicker? I assure you, these men are working as hard as they can. No one here wants to be stuck on the road. Everyone's livelihood depends on getting their animals and other purchases home safely and before it rains."

He pointed to a woman in an apron and hand driven cart with baked pies and buns who was trying to push her way past the fallen tree trunk. "Do you think she wants to delay and have all her pies ruined?"

Darcy realized he had riled up the gentleman unintentionally. "I don't doubt that. We are not here to complain, we are here to lend a hand. I am sure everyone will be happy if we clear the log much faster. We have other means of lifting it off the road."

The man's eyes widened as he realized what Darcy meant. He looked from him to Mr. Bennet, then stepped back.

"Of course, sir." He turned to the men. "If you will all stop what you are doing, we have mages here to help."

Despite the sounds of hammering and sawing, the word ‘mages' had an immediate effect, and the work stopped immediately.

"If you could all step out of the way," said Darcy, enhancing his voice so it could be heard above the thudding of the axes against wood.

The men exchanged uneasy glances, then backed away as far as possible, a reminder to Darcy that not everyone was comfortable in the presence of magic.

Mr. Bennet was not an Elemental mage, and neither was Darcy. That meant they would have to rely on specific spells to accomplish their task.

"If you will take one end, Bennet, I will take the other. We can use the Hover spell from the Compendium . Do you remember it?" He remembered it well enough, and remembered the apprentices who had caught him using it.

"I do not recall it," said Mr. Bennet, "but I can come up with something."

That did not sound very promising.

"If necessary, I can teach you the words of the spell."

Mr. Bennet seemed to find that entertaining. Darcy paid him no heed. He preferred to save his effort for the spell itself. It would exhaust him, but hopefully he would not need magic again before they reached the inn, and he could rest for the night.

He hoped Mr. Bennet knew some Arcane magic that would prove useful. If not, Darcy would have to do it alone.

It took more effort than he expected. Lifting himself with a Hover spell was simple. Controlling the log demanded air magic, which was his worst affinity. He wished he could Bond with Elizabeth, but that was not an option, unless they wished to inform half of Kent of their presence.

Mr. Bennet did indeed have something up his sleeve, some strange magic that Darcy did not recognize, but trying to match their movements was almost comical. Mr. Bennet's magic was erratic. The branch moved in sudden jerky movements, rising on one side, and dragging along the ground on the other. Even though Darcy did his best, the log seemed to take on a life of its own.

"Can you not find some way to control it?" said Darcy, sheer frustration making him irritable.

"It is not as if I use Arcane magic every day to lift logs," said Mr. Bennet. "I need to try different approaches."

In contrast, Darcy's method was supremely controlled and very slow. It consisted of first changing the direction of the log so it was parallel to the side of the road, then nudging it towards the ditch. It was completely incompatible with Mr. Bennet's more spectacular but less effective methods.

He explained this to Mr. Bennet, who merely grunted in response.

Darcy was aware of their audience who were watching every move. He felt acutely embarrassed as the side of the bark flew up and then crashed to the ground with a loud thump, showering debris over them, and evoking laughter.

Mr. Bennet chuckled and gave a bow, completely unconcerned at the lack of dignity they were displaying. He was not in the least discouraged. He merely redoubled his efforts. Darcy waited, pondering whether to give Mr. Bennet more time, or to wrest control of the log and move it by himself.

Yet even as he watched, Mr. Bennet slowly began to grow more confident, and the movement of the log became smoother.

"I think I have the hang of it," said Mr. Bennet, his voice strained. "Shall we work together now?"

Darcy returned to the Hover spell, and to his surprise, found Mr. Bennet was matching the movement of the log to Darcy's. As the log turned inch by inch, he felt a grudging respect towards the older mage. Mr. Bennet had much in common with Elizabeth. He was resistant to traditional approaches, but he learned quickly and was able to adapt to the situation.

Still, even with the two of them working hand in hand, they still heaved and struggled. Painfully slowly the log shifted direction. It was difficult work. By then, sweat was pouring from Darcy's brow, and Mr. Bennet had turned an unpleasant shade of green.

"Easy," said the gentleman farmer, kindly. "Take a few minutes' rest if you need to."

"Thank you," said Darcy. "Unfortunately, magic does not quite work that way." If they did not complete it soon, Darcy feared his magic would soon be too weak.

The two mages persisted. As the log finally rolled off the road and into the ditch, a roar of approval rose up around them. The men who had worked on the tree earlier took off their caps and bowed, expressing their thanks. The farmer insisted on presenting Darcy and Mr. Bennet with a basket full of strawberries and carrots from his cart. Someone gave them a large ham. And one farmer tried to hand Mr. Bennet a squawking chicken.

"She's very hardy, sir. Lays lots of eggs."

Mr. Bennet declined to take the hen, saying politely he was traveling too far.

Meanwhile, Darcy braced himself as a surge of dizziness followed his release of the magic. He hoped he would not need assistance to walk back to the carriage.

Elizabeth was waiting for them outside the carriage as they approached. Darcy gave her a lopsided smile. He was obliged to make use of her help to climb inside. His legs were shaking badly. She assisted Mr. Bennet in turn. He seemed less affected by using unfamiliar magic. Perhaps he had more of an affinity to air than Darcy did.

The two men placed their prizes on the seat, much to the delight of their travel companions.

"At least we know we will not starve before we arrive at the inn," Elizabeth quipped.

"And we can feed the carrots to the horses," said Bingley.

Darcy could barely hear what they were saying. Somehow, he managed to take his seat before an overwhelming drowsiness overtook him. Before he knew it, he had drifted into a gray fog.